UN General Assembly: Which Middle East leaders are speaking, and when?

The 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is underway, with the general debate beginning on Tuesday in the first in-person meeting of the international body since the Covid-19 pandemic.

No gathering in world politics attracts more heavyweights during its first week.

The General Assembly is a core component of the UN with manifold duties, including overseeing voting in new members, choosing non-permanent members of the UN Security Council and playing a part in electing the UN secretary-general.

It also gives observer status to non-member states and blocs including Palestine and the European Union, whose speakers are allowed to address the assembly.

What's happening this week?

The theme for this year's General Assembly debate is "A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges".

According to the UN, it "stems from the recognition that the world is at a critical moment ... due to complex and interconnected crises".

But don't expect world leaders to stick to the theme: most will promote whatever international issue is at the top of the agenda for their country.

Nor will many speakers stick to the allotted 15-minute time slot: frequently they over-run, although none this year is likely to equal the performance of the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who clocked up an impressive four hours in September 1960.

What's the schedule?

Morning debating sessions run from 9 am ET (that's four hours behind GMT) until 2:45pm. The afternoon session begins at 3pm and ends at 9pm. You can catch live coverage here. An archive of speeches so far this week is being updated on the United Nations website.

World leaders have complicated lives: the running order below may change, especially if, as mentioned above, speakers inevitably go over their time. The position in brackets refers to where in the order of each session the speaker is due to take to the podium.