IMAGE: ANTHONY BEHAR
The world's leaders descend upon New York this week and next for the 70th United Nations General Assembly during what United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called "a time of turmoil and hope."
Indeed, these are desperate times. Syria will be a key issue, as world leaders seek an end to a conflict that has killed over 200,000 people and displaced millions more.
The historic and controversial Iran deal and its implications for the Middle East and the rest of the world will also be a major topic in speeches. Yemen, where airstrikes are devastating the civilian population, too, is expected to be a serious talking point.
Much attention will likely be paid the increasing humanitarian needs of civilians bearing the brunt of these crises, including the 60 million people who have been displaced by brutal conflicts, economic despair and repression, spawning the worst refugee crisis since World War II.
More than 160 world leaders are expected at this year's UN General Assembly (UNGA), but these are the ones you should watch for.
Pope Francis
IMAGE: TONY GENTILE/POOL VIA AP
Not speaking at the General Debate but opening the Sustainable Development Summit is Pope Francis. Perhaps the highlight of the entire UNGA, and on the heels of his speech at the a joint session of Congress Thursday, the pontiff is expected to demand more action against climate change and urge a collective response to the deepening global refugee crisis.
"The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth," Francis said in June in a string of 63 tweets that highlighted his 180-page statement urging citizens of the world to take action on climate change.
Vladimir Putin
IMAGE: MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/RIA-NOVOSTI, KREMLIN POOL PHOTO VIA AP
When Russia's Vladimir Putin makes his first visit to the U.S. and the UNGA since his 2005 appearance on, he will be met by protesters from the Ukrainian-American community and Russian LGBT community that has settled in New York, as well as Russian dissidents, all of whom have organized protests on Facebook.
The reasons? There are many, but mostly they stem from the Russian leader's aggression in Ukraine and his crackdown on rights and freedoms at home.
The illegal annexation of Crimea last year and the Kremlin's backing of separatists in eastern Ukraine, where a 16-month war has killed nearly 8,000 people have soured relations between Moscow and Washington.
Moreover, tensions have intensified in recent weeks as Russia boosted its support of the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, reportedly deploying 2,000 military personnel and dozens of fighter jets to the war-racked country.
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