UN General Assembly session begins with focus on wars, artificial intelligence and global crises
The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly will begin in New York on Tuesday, September 31, 1405, and about 130 heads of state and government will travel to the city to participate in the high-level segment of the meeting. The general debate of the meeting will be held from September 22 to 26 and then on September 28.
According to the Associated Press, the wars in Iran, Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Congo and Myanmar, along with the climate crisis, rising living costs and concerns about controlling artificial intelligence, will be among the most important topics discussed by world leaders.
The future and reforms of the United Nations are also in the spotlight. One of the important axes is reforming the structure of the Security Council and increasing the representation of various countries in this institution. The Security Council currently has five permanent members, including the United States, Russia, China, Britain, and France, who have the right of veto.
The selection of the next UN Secretary-General will also be a major topic of diplomatic consultations on the sidelines of the meeting. Antonio Guterres’ second five-year term ends on December 31, 2026, and the process of selecting his successor is underway.
US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron are among the leaders who will speak in the first days. Volodymyr Zelensky and Masoud Pezzekian are also on the list of speakers, and Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to speak on Thursday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not attend this year’s summit. Mahmoud Abbas will also not be in New York due to the US not issuing him a visa and is scheduled to speak via video conference.
Artificial intelligence has also been placed more prominently on the UN high-level agenda for the first time; alongside concerns about the speed of development of this technology, the issue of creating international frameworks to control and manage the risks of AI will also be raised.
The United Nations enters this meeting facing financial problems and criticism about the institution’s ability to resolve major conflicts. However, Guterres has emphasized the importance of international cooperation in the face of global crises, and the General Assembly remains one of the most important venues for direct dialogue among the 193 UN member states.
