Syrian conflict in focus of annual UN gathering of world leaders

PanARMENIAN.Net - The failed attempt by the U.S. and Russia to revive a ceasefire in Syria stole the spotlight at the annual UN gathering of world leaders but every other global hotspot had its moment, the Associated Press reports.

With the final speeches of the six-day gabfest delivered on Monday, September 26, there were also a few high points.

Last December's Paris climate agreement got 31 more ratifications at a high-level event hosted by Ban, topping the 55 countries required and just over 7 percent short of the 55 percent of global emissions needed for the deal to enter into force. It is expected to reach that magic number before the next UN conference on climate change in November in Morocco.

The high-level meetings began with the first-ever UN summit on refugees and migrants called to tackle one of the most contentious issues facing the world: millions of people fleeing conflict and poverty — and not many countries willing to accept them.

World leaders approved the New York Declaration aimed at providing a more coordinated and humane response to the largest refugee crisis since World War II, and President Barack Obama secured thousands of new resettlement places and billions of dollars in pledges to help the refugees at a summit the following day.

One of the UN's great failures has been its inability to end the 5 1/2-year Syrian conflict, which has claimed over 300,000 lives. During the ministerial meeting, not only did lengthy U.S.-Russian negotiations fail to restore a cease-fire but the Syrian government announced a new offensive to retake Aleppo, unleashing some of the heaviest bombing of the war.