More than 140 world leaders will head to the United Nations next week at a time of myriad crises, as a starring role for Ukraine's leader may only highlight the growing global fragmentation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who a year ago was obliged to appear virtually, will join leaders including President Joe Biden when the UN General Assembly formally opens Tuesday as he seeks to rally support against Russia's bloody invasion. But while Western powers have rallied behind Ukraine, the war has laid bare deep divisions, with some developing countries uneasy about the billions of dollars devoted to Kyiv, even as the war also affects the poor by driving up food prices.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will kick off the week on Monday with a summit on development, hoping to keep a focus on meeting elusive goals for helping the neediest countries. "We will be gathering at a time when humanity faces huge challenges -- from the worsening climate emergency to escalating conflicts, the global cost-of-living crisis, soaring inequalities and dramatic technological disruptions," Guterres said of the General Assembly. "People are looking to their leaders for a way out of this mess. Yet in the face of all this and more, geopolitical divisions are undermining our capacity to respond," he said.

"A multipolar world is emerging. Multipolarity can be a factor of equilibrium. But it can also lead to escalating tensions, fragmentation and worse." Zelensky is expected Wednesday to attend a special session on Ukraine at the Security Council -- raising the possibility of a dramatic confrontation with Russia, a veto-wielding permanent member.

A day later, Zelensky will head to Washington for talks at the White House and on Capitol Hill. Despite the starring role, Zelensky "has to tread carefully," said Richard Gowan, an expert on the United Nations at the International Crisis Group. "If he's too hardline, he may actually turn this opportunity into a bit of a diplomatic crisis," he said. An overwhelming majority of countries have voted to condemn Russia's invasion launched in February 2022.

But leaders such as Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva "have made it very clear that they believe that now it's time for diplomacy, and you may see quite a lot of friction between the Ukrainians and countries from the Global South," Gowan said. A senior European diplomat said that the war was "stealing away political and economic attention" from other pressing problems such as food insecurity, the climate crisis, inequalities and access to finance. "There is a growing rift between the developing world and the developed world. Preparing for this week is also making sure that that rift doesn't grow further," the diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

 
Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)