More than 130 world leaders to address UN general assembly

More than 130 world leaders are gathering at U.N. headquarters in New York City for the General Assembly's annual general debate, which begins Tuesday amid hopes for building a new global development agenda that both protects the planet and promotes equity, justice, and prosperity. From Tuesday through October 1, the debate will provide an opportunity for high-level political officials to discuss what John Ashe, the president of the assembly's 68th session, called "pivotal" talks on identifying the parameters of the post-2015 sustainability agenda, which will succeed the Millennium Development Goals-the eight anti-poverty targets agreed upon in 2000. So far, 84 heads of state, 41 heads of government, 11 deputy prime ministers, and 65 foreign ministers are scheduled to address the General Assembly on a range of peace and security issues, sustainable development, poverty eradication, and climate change.