On September 21st, 2021, President Biden delivered his United Nation General Assembly (UNGA) speech laying out an ambitious agenda. He stated in his speech that the US is starting “a new era of relentless diplomacy” after ending the 20 year war in Afghanistan. 

Speaking at the UN General Assembly for the first time as president, on the world stage, Biden set out how he will work with US allies to combat COVID-19, climate change, and human rights violations. The president promised that he will combat climate change by working with other world leaders. During the previous administration, President Trump threatened to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement claiming that climate change was a “hoax.”  The withdrawal became official on November 4, 2020.  However, in January of this year, the US rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement when President Biden signed an executive order. 

Biden mentioned the millions of COVID-19 deaths worldwide. He also noted the importance of getting people vaccinated to end the pandemic. “We need to act now to get shots in arms as fast as possible and expand access to oxygen, tests, treatments to save lives around the world,” he said. 

The Biden administration’s approach on the world stage is different from the Trump administration’s “America First” approach. Biden stated that the United States “will lead on all of the greatest challenges of our time, from COVID to climate, peace and security, human dignity and human rights, but we will not go it alone.” This policy breaks with that of the previous administration.