World leaders are gathering at the United Nations headquarters in New York this week "in an era of deep uncertainty," says UN Secretary General António Guterres. This is Guterres' final General Assembly high-level week, as his term ends at the end of the year. He will give opening remarks to start the event on Tuesday morning, followed by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as Brazil speaks first by tradition.
The packed schedule of other leaders and top officials runs through September 28. Guterres told reporters last week that he will use his meetings with world leaders to push for de-escalation in the Middle East and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb waterway. He is also pushing for a ceasefire in Ukraine, well into the fifth year of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to address the world body on Wednesday, a day after President Trump's speech. The U.S. State Department says the Iranian delegation will be smaller than last year, and the US did not issue visas to everyone. Iranian officials will have strict limits on where they can go and what they can buy, enforced by diplomatic security agents.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is on the speakers list for Wednesday, and his European allies are trying to rally support as the country heads into another winter of war. Russia uses its veto power on the UN Security Council to block any meaningful role for the UN. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has not attended the General Assembly for over a decade.
For a second year in a row, the Trump administration denied a visa for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his delegation. The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to criticize that move and to allow Abbas to deliver his statement via video. His prerecorded speech is scheduled for Thursday morning. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will take advantage of his 15 minutes on the world stage to defend his record on Iran and Gaza.
About 120 leaders and senior representatives are gathering at the United Nations this week, but some key players will be missing. The leaders of India, Germany, and South Africa are expected to skip and send other senior representatives in their place. China's Xi Jinping, who only attended in 2015 and spoke via video during the COVID pandemic-era UNGA in 2020, will do the same.
The UN Security Council has held three straw polls on the candidates in the running to replace Secretary-General Guterres. So far, there has been no consensus, though Costa Rica's former Vice President Rebeca Grynspan and Guyana's former Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett are among the front-runners. By tradition, the next secretary-general is expected to come from Latin America.
Key points
- UN Secretary General António Guterres to open 81st session of General Assembly on September 22
- World leaders gather at UN headquarters "in an era of deep uncertainty"
- Guterres pushes for de-escalation in Middle East, freedom of navigation, and ceasefire in Ukraine
