UN General Assembly 2024: Which Middle East leaders are speaking and when?

World leaders are gathering in New York this week for the annual United Nations General Assembly general debate, with the agenda likely to be dominated by Israel's war on Gaza and the latest Israeli escalatory attacks on Lebanon.

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

Tuesday will see US President Joe Biden make his final appearance at the yearly summit, as he will be ending his mandate this year. The Democrat will likely seek to lay out his foreign policy accomplishments despite the devastation in Gaza and the growing threat of Israel invading Lebanon.

This year 76 heads of state, four vice presidents, two crown princes, 42 heads of government, nine deputy prime ministers, 54 ministers, one vice minister and six other heads of delegations will speak.

But after reading out that list on Monday, Stephane Dujaaric, spokesperson for the UN secretary general, added, "Of these 194 speakers, we expect to hear from 19 women only. Sadly, I should add."

New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch

Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are also expected to address the world body on Tuesday.

The General Assembly is a core component of the UN with manifold duties, including overseeing voting for 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 can address the assembly.

What's happening this week?

The theme for this year's General Assembly debate is: "Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations".

But don't expect world leaders to stick to the theme. Most leaders from across the Middle East will promote whatever international issue is at the top of the agenda for their country.

Many speakers will not stick to the allotted 15-minute time slot. Frequently they go over that time limit, although no one will likely beat 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 EST (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 onto the United Nations website and a full list of speakers will be updated here.

World leaders have complicated lives, so the running order below may change, especially if, as mentioned above, speakers 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.