There are two opposing theses about It鈥檚 a place that shows the true power of words, where leaders inspire action with rousing speeches on the urgent issues of our times; or it鈥檚 a talking shop, where leaders perform for domestic audiences with political rhetoric on the cause of the day.

These dueling viewpoints were tested when the shut down much in-person diplomacy for several years. After three years of virtual, then hybrid General Debates, the scores of top leaders who attended the annual U.N. summit this week exhibited the return of in-person diplomacy, and provided ammunition to those who advocate for its importance.

It wasn鈥檛 just drama, like whether Ukrainian President in the presence of Russia鈥檚 top diplomat (the two ultimately did not cross paths).

Many of the formal speeches delivered before the green stone in the General Assembly could have been performed straight to camera, with few other people in the room (and in 2020, they were). More than the speeches, at the heart of the annual meetings is the face-to-face interaction between leaders. And as important to day-to-day relations between countries is the face-to-face interaction between lower-level staff, shown this year as diplomatic delegations and non-governmental organizations packed the U.N. headquarters and hotels and meeting spaces nearby.

The diplomatic agreements worked out in informal interactions have been key to accomplishments that weren鈥檛 formally laid out in the U.N.鈥檚 founding document 鈥� activities like peacekeeping in recent years and decolonization decades ago, said , a professor of political science and international relations at Adelphi University.

Much of the world looks at the General Assembly like a world government body, she said, and ignores the less high-profile work that鈥檚 advanced in behind-the-scenes interactions.

鈥淧eople expect governance but that鈥檚 not really what the U.N. does,鈥� she said. The General Assembly, she said, actually 鈥渙vershadows what the U.N. does well.鈥�

Side meetings on themes running from to peace were taking place throughout the week. In-person relations are as important, if not more so, for non-governmental organizations with stakes in the outcomes, attendees said.

The La Jolla, California-based works on ocean conservation and during the pandemic, 鈥渨e were all on Zoom, of course 鈥� it actually served an enormously important function,鈥� in communicating with the small island nations where Waitt does much of its work, said executive director Kathryn Mengerink.

However, real life is not 鈥渉ow we engage when we鈥檙e in a box on a screen,鈥� she said, from midtown Manhattan, where she was engaging in the sort of in-person communication that she called essential to her group鈥檚 work.

Scott Hamilton, a former State Department official who has worked in Cuba, among other locations, described how the pandemic hurt diplomacy because 鈥渇ace-to-face, you can build trust and comfort between people.鈥�

Despite the more robust attendance, this year did see some notable absences: With the exception of U.S. President Joe Biden, the leaders of China, France, Russia and the United Kingdom 鈥� the four other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council 鈥� did not attend.

United Nations officials say it鈥檚 a mistake to confuse in-person attendance, particularly by national leaders, as a referendum on the meeting鈥檚 importance.

鈥淲e鈥檙e fully aware that there are competing demands on heads of states, domestic demands,鈥� said St茅phane Dujarric, spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres. 鈥淪o, we鈥檙e not taking it personally.鈥�

Even without a president or a prime minister in town, delegations still get work done 鈥� and the in-person contact helps set the agenda for the year ahead.

鈥淭he really hard work is what happens the rest of the year,鈥� Laatikainen said.

Many at the General Assembly, and those observing it closely from afar, declined to discuss the substance of negotiations that may never ultimately come to fruition. But they said that the 2023 summit underscored how essential it was to meet in person again, providing an invaluable way to interact that was more confidential and efficient than virtual communications.

鈥淭echnology provides a facility to carry those (interactions) without personal contact, but it鈥檚 inferior to personal contact,鈥� said Jeff Rathke, president of the at Johns Hopkins University and a retired State Department official who focused mainly on U.S. relations with Europe..

But the General Assembly week 鈥減rovides a critical mass that allows you to do all the things that you would prefer to do in person,鈥� Rathke said.

鈥淵ou can exchange papers all day and have video calls,鈥� Hamilton echoes, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 all about doing what diplomats are supposed to do: It鈥檚 easy to understand people鈥檚 positions by exchanging papers but it鈥檚 more important to understand people鈥檚 interests.鈥�