The General Debate of the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly commenced on 24 September 2013 and ended on 4 October 2013. Leaders from a number of member states addressed the UNGA.

There was controversy in this session, Libya broke with protocol.

Organisation and subjects The order of speakers is given first to member states, then observer states and supranational bodies. Any other observers entities will have a chance to speak at the end of the debate, if they so choose. Speakers will be put on the list in the order of their request, with special consideration for ministers and other government officials of similar or higher rank. According to the rules in place for the General Debate, the statements should be in of the United Nations official languages of Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian or Spanish, and will be translated by the United Nations translators. Each speaker is requested to provide 20 advance copies of their statements to the conference officers to facilitate translation and to be presented at the podium. Though there is no time limit for speeches, a voluntary guideline of 15 minutes is requested.

In addition to commenting on issues of individual national and wider international relevance, the President of the General Assembly John William Ashe chose the theme: "The Post-2015 Development Agenda: Setting the Stage!." This means he calls on member states and other stakeholders "to promote dialogue, reflection and commitment to the formulation of an effective new agenda to overcome poverty and insecurity and ensure sustainable development."

The topics of the General Debate included the Syrian civil war and Iran and nuclear weapons. Other issues included the annual debate on United Nations reform, climate change (particularly amongst the Small Island Developing States), Ashe's chosen subject and the Arms Trade Treaty.

Speaking schedule Saudi Arabia canceled its speech citing "international double standards" on the Middle East as the reason.

The rest of the speaking schedule in the General Assembly Chamber is as follows:

24 September Morning schedule – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon – 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly – President John William Ashe – President Dilma Rousseff – President Barack Obama – President Abdullah Gül – President Goodluck Jonathan – President Sebastián Piñera Echeñique – President Rossen Plevneliev – President Armando Emílio Guebuza – President François Hollande – King Abdullah II – President Ivan Gašparovič – President Juan Manuel Santos Calderón – Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani – Prince Albert II – President Jacob Zuma – President Viktor Yanukovych – President Mahinda Rajapaksa

Afternoon schedule – President Laura Chinchilla Miranda – President Heinz Fischer – President Horacio Manuel Cartes Jara – President Andris Bērziņš – President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf – President Hassan Rouhani – President Ali Bongo Ondimba – President Željko Komšić – President Michel Sleiman – President Ueli Maurer – President José Mujica –President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni – President Cristina Fernández – President Joyce Hilda Mtila Banda – President Michael Chilufya Sata – Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt

25 September Morning schedule – President Toomas Hendrik Ilves – President Ricardo Martinelli – President Alassane Ouattara – President Ollanta Humala Tasso – President Taur Matan Ruak – President Macky Sall – President Joseph Kabila Kabange – President Macky Sall (Scheduled) – President Andry Nirina Rajoelina – President Paul Kagame (Scheduled) – President Blaise Compaoré – Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn – Prime Minister Winston Baldwin Spencer – Prime Minister Commodore Josaia V. Bainimarama – President Herman Van Rompuy – Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah – Prime Minister Enrico Letta

Afternoon schedule – President Tomislav Nikolić – President Idriss Deby Itno – President Paul Kagame – President Anote Tong – President Bronislaw Komorowski – King Mswati III – President Mikheil Saakashvili – President Carlos Mauricio Funes Cartagena (Scheduled) – President Emanuel Mori – President Carlos Mauricio Funes Cartagena – President Tommy Remengesau Jr. – President Ikililou Dhoinine – President Evo Morales Ayma0 – Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Brey (Scheduled) – President Ali Zeidan – Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar – Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Brey – Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov – Foreign Minister Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo – Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide – Foreign Minister Nassirou Bako Arifari (Scheduled)

26 September Morning schedule – President Donald Rabindranauth Ramotar – President Hifikepunye Pohamba – President Nicos Anastasiades – President John Dramani Mahama – President Elbegdorj Tsakhia – President Borut Pahor – President Mohamed Moncef Marzouki – President Dalia Grybauskaitė – President Baron Divavesi Waqa – President Robert Mugabe – President Otto Fernando Pérez Molina – President Mahmoud Abbas – Prime Minister Joseph Muscat – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

Afternoon schedule – President Ivo Josipović – President Omar al-Bashir (Scheduled) – President Christopher Loeak – President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo – President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud – President Michel Djotodia – Interim President Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo – Vice President James Wani Igga – Prime Minister John Key (Scheduled) – Prime Minister Iurie Leancă – Prime Minister Thomas Motsoahae Thabane – Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo – Prime Minister Laurent Salvador Lamothe – Prime Minister John Key – Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla – Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra – Foreign Minister Samura Kamara – Foreign Minister Laurent Kavakure – Foreign Minister José Antonio Meade Kuribreña – Foreign Minister Nassirou Bako Arifari

27 September Morning schedule – President Yahya Jammeh – King Tupou VI – President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta – Vice President Khudheir Mussa Al-khuzaie – Vice President Manuel Domingos Vicente – Vice President María Antonieta de Bográn – Vice President Danny Faure – Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif – Prime Minister Denzil Douglas – Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg – Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov – Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se – Foreign Minister Wang Yi – Foreign Minister Julie Bishop (Scheduled) – Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov – Foreign Minister Julie Bishop – Foreign Minister Franciscus Cornelis Gerardus Maria Timmerans – Foreign Minister Basile Ikouebe

Afternoon schedule – President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete – Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves – Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina – Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski – Foreign Minister Pasquale Valentini – Prime Minister Milo Đukanović – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung – Prime Minister Jiří Rusnok – Deputy Prime Minister Jean Asselborn – Foreign Minister Evangelos Venzelos – Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed Bazoum – Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Karti – Foreign Minister Erlan A. Idrissov – Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa – Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul – Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja – Foreign Minister Elías J. Jaua Milano

Right of reply Member states have the option to reply to comments on the day (or even to the days prior), but are limited to 10 minutes for the first response and five minutes for the second response. All speeches are made from the floor, as opposed to the podium for the General Debate.

North Korea responded by saying South Korea had misleading remarks in regard to nuclear weapons while it was under the nuclear umbrella of the U.S. and thus allowed nuclear weapons into the Korean Peninsula and also thus undermined peace in the peninsula. It even denied international law to get verification by IAEA. South Korea then launched a satellite just after that of North Korea and, as such, the U.S. lied it was not an issue at the UNSC. This was a double standard. UNSC history suggests a satellite as a threat to peace and security and by mandate the UNSC does not note a peaceful satellite launch, the UNSC was silent. Parallel to North Korea policy, provocation cannot be a bargaining chip. Amongst points made was that of family reunification, yet during dialogue South Korea opened joint military exercises against the climate of dialogue and arrested political figures favouring unification.

South Korea then replied in saying that North Korea denies it is not bound by obligations as others. According to Article 25 of the United Nations Charter "all members carry out UNSC decisions" and, as such, it was regrettable that North Korea repeats irrational force.United Nations TV. 24 September-3 October 2013. 22:40 EST.

28 September Morning schedule – Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller – Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam – Prime Minister Moana Carcasses Kalosil – Prime Minister Edi Rama – Prime Minister Antoni Martí Petit – Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak – Chairman of the Council of Ministers Khil Raj Regmi – Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh – Prime Minister José Maria Pereira Neves – Deputy Prime Minister Leo Dion – Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle – Foreign Minister Titus Corlățean – Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei – Minister of State Rui Machete – Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy – Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldayev – Foreign Minister Elmar Maharram oglu Mammadyarov

Afternoon schedule – Prime Minister Perry Gladstone Christie – Crown Prince Haji Al-muhtadee Billah – Vice Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith – Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore – Deputy Prime Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul – Deputy Prime Minister Manasseh Maelanga – Deputy Prime Minister Vete Sakaio – Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan – Foreign Minister Ahmed Teguedi – Foreign Minister Aurelia Frick – Foreign Minister Abubaker al-Qirbi – Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam

Right of reply

30 September Morning schedule – Foreign Minister John Baird – Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa – Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal (Scheduled) – Deputy Prime Minister Walid Almoualem – Deputy Prime Minister Sapardurdu Toyliyev (Scheduled) – Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov – Foreign Minister Yousef Bin Al-Alawi Bin Abdullah – Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson – (Scheduled) – Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington – Foreign Minister Saad-Eddine El Othmani – Foreign Minister Osman Saleh Mohammed – Foreign Minister Samuel Santos López – Foreign Minister Alva Romanus Baptiste

Afternoon schedule – Foreign Minister János Martonyi – Foreign Minister François Lounceny Fall – Foreign Minister Albert F. del Rosario – Foreign Minister Maxine Pamela Ometa McClean – Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin – Foreign Minister Lyonpo Rinzin Dorje – Foreign Minister Winston G. Lackin – Foreign Minister Nickolas Steele

Right of reply