El Sisi addresses the UNGA: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi delivered yesterday his address to the 73rd United Nations General Assembly, in which he focused largely on the needs of developing regions that struggle with instability and an imperative to “revive” the UN’s role moderate an international order that balances between countries’ interests and responsibilities.

The president opened by pointing to the prevalence of the disintegration of nation states as a result of strife and sectarian conflict, saying that the Arab world is “one of the most vulnerable” regions to this phenomenon, which has bred terrorism and extremism. In that vein, El Sisi reiterated his calls for the restoration of state institutions in Syria and Yemen as part of political resolutions to their ongoing civil wars, and repeated Egypt’s firm stance against external intervention in these countries’ affairs.

El Sisi delved into human rights issues, the handling of which he said is “mismanaged” and politicized by the international community. Egypt’s vision of human rights rests on a broader foundation that sees the importance of giving all citizens an equal footing on the social, economic, and cultural fronts. He went on to say that Egypt has successfully taken “major strides” in promoting human rights, particularly through the empowerment of women and youth.

You can watch the full speech in Arabic or dubbed in English (runtime: 18:28).

Meetings on the sidelines: El Sisi met yesterday with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres during the General Assembly meetings, according to an Ittihadiya statement. El Sisi also sat down with Jordan’s King Abdullah II to discuss bilateral ties and the two-state solution for Palestine based on the 1967 borders, on which they see eye-to-eye.