Biden will use last speech to UN to say he has restored US leadership on world stage

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. A senior administration official told reporters that Biden’s schedule for the General Assembly “reflect his vision for a world where countries come together to solve big problems.” open image in gallery U.S. President Joe Biden and former U.S. President Bill Clinton gesture on the day that Biden is presented with the Clinton Global Citizen Award during the Clinton Global initiative in New York City, U.S., September 23, 2024. Those countries, he said, “interpret their self-interest very narrowly and don’t work together for the common good.” The official also said the “overarching theme” of the General Assembly this week “will be the need to reform and strengthen global institutions — including the UN — to make them more effective and inclusive.” “We’re going into a General Assembly this year with the world facing many steep challenges, with some so big, no one country can solve them on their own. That’s been a theme of his presidency and an important part of his legacy.” In addition to his speech to the General Assembly on Tuesday morning, Biden is also expected to meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to discuss “how the United States and the United Nations are working together to advance peace, safeguard human rights and help countries develop.” The next day, he is set to meet with the president of Vietnam for what an official described as “an important opportunity for the two leaders to talk about our shared interest in stability and prosperity in Southeast Asia,” as well as participate at a meeting focused on the reconstruction of Ukraine alongside other world leaders. The senior administration official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said the engagements described are “just a small slice of all the diplomacy and business that we’re doing here at the UN General Assembly.” “There’ll be high-level meetings on the future of multilateral cooperation, sea level rise, antimicrobial resistance, really every big, major challenge will be addressed here, and we’ll have senior US representatives at all of these main events on issues such as the impact of emerging technology and specific meetings on global crises such as the difficult situation in Haiti … Venezuela, Ukraine, Syria, and the Rohingya refugee crisis,” they said.