LEADERS from around the world will today converge at the United Nations (UN) for the start of what is set to be one of the most momentous general assemblies in a generation.
The last time world leaders were able to gather in person in New York was in 2019. That was in a different world.
Last year's event was all virtual; this year's will be a semi-locked-down affair with a mixture of virtual and in-person events. Some leaders will send pre-recorded speeches. Others, like Brazil's unvaccinated President Jair Bolsonaro, have vowed to make an appearance at the famous UN rostrum. (While entry to the US requires vaccination, the UN headquarters is, technically, not US soil.)
But though much has changed, the burning issues facing the planet remain the same: the environmental crisis and the covid19 pandemic. The main players, too, are unaltered, even if the stakes are higher than ever. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls this 'a pivotal moment' in history, coming amid an increasingly messy and dangerous world.
In addition to Mr Bolsonaro, those scheduled to make remarks include US President Joe Biden, in what will be his first major appearance before the UN, coming after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the recent formation of a pact of nations to counter the influence of China.
China's President Xi Jinping has opted not to attend in person. Nonetheless, Mr Xi will loom over the proceedings, given the unrelenting hold of his grip over China. He is due to have the last word, literally, at today's opening event, through a pre-recorded video presentation.
Leaders from South Korea, Iran and Turkey are also heading to the party.
But though there will be recognisable faces, the last thing the world needs from this summit is an outcome that looks familiar.
Badly wanted are solutions and actual progress, not the same old tired platitudes and hollow 'commitments' to change.
Caricom must, at this moment, speak with one voice.
The unsettling impact of the pandemic has also taken a toll on our multilateral institutions, institutions that were designed to foster peace, goodwill and prosperity.
Instead, the macabre reality of vaccine inequity, in which only ten per cent of the world's poorer countries have access to the drugs, owing to hoarding by richer countries, has undermined the relevance of the UN and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Covid19 and climate change have changed the theatre of war, too, rendering the competition for scarce resources and for global power more fraught. The UN faces its greatest test since being established after World War II. At this summit its very survival might be at stake.
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