Published on: 2026-09-13
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The General Assembly operates within annual sessions, each beginning in September and continuing throughout the year. To guide the work of each session, member states elect a new President of the General Assembly. The President of the 81st session will be Khalilur Rahman from Bangladesh, and its main theme is “Restoring trust, managing transformations: The United Nations working for the benefit of all.”
The world’s main diplomatic platform
The central event will be the General Assembly’s general debates, which will begin on September 22. It is during these days that the familiar green marble podium in the General Assembly Hall will be occupied one after another by presidents, prime ministers, and other high-ranking representatives of states.
Unlike the Security Council, where decisions on peace and security issues can be vetoed by the five permanent members, the General Assembly includes all 193 UN member states, each having one equal vote.
One of the features of the General Assembly is the seating arrangement of delegations, which changes with each session. The Secretary-General determines by lot the country that will take the first seat in the General Assembly Hall, and the other countries are seated after it in English alphabetical order. During the 81st session, Morocco will take the first place — both in the General Assembly Hall and in its main committees.
General debates are an opportunity for countries to publicly present their position on the main global issues. Wars and conflicts, economic instability, humanitarian crises, climate, development, and new technologies traditionally become the main topics of speeches.
But an important part of the week takes place off camera. Hundreds of bilateral and multilateral meetings will be held on the sidelines of the General Assembly. For world leaders, a few days in September in New York provide a rare opportunity to meet virtually all key partners and opponents in one place.
Will the world manage to fulfill the promises by 2030?
Even before the general debate begins, on September 18, the annual Review of Sustainable Development Goals will take place in the General Assembly hall.
UN Photo/C. Park The UN Headquarters building in New York with an illustration of the SDGs (archive, September 2015)
In 2015, the countries of the world agreed to achieve progress on 17 goals by 2030 – from eradicating extreme poverty and hunger to ensuring access to education, clean water, and energy.
There are only a few years left until the set deadline, and the review is intended not so much to sum up the results again but to show where changes are already happening and what solutions can be applied in other countries and regions.
Climate: a new reality
On September 23, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will convene leaders for a special meeting on actions related to climate change and a just transition.
The UN acknowledges that the climate crisis has entered a new phase, and a temporary exceedance of the 1.5-degree warming threshold is becoming inevitable. Therefore, the discussion now simultaneously focuses on sharply reducing emissions and on how to protect people from the consequences of the changes already occurring.
Photo UN/E. Debebe Climate change is causing glaciers to melt rapidly.
The meeting will discuss the transition to renewable energy sources, energy security, financing for developing countries, and assistance to states particularly vulnerable to climate change.
The next day, September 24, the leaders will separately discuss one of the most visible threats of global warming – sea level rise.
For the residents of small island states and low-lying coastal areas, this is not a distant forecast. Rising water already threatens homes, infrastructure, freshwater sources, and in some cases, the very existence of inhabited areas.
The purpose of the meeting is to achieve closer international cooperation and concrete commitments to protect the most vulnerable countries and communities.
Is the world ready for the next pandemic?
On September 25, heads of state and government will return to the lessons of COVID-19. The pandemic showed how quickly a local outbreak of disease can become a global crisis – and how unevenly countries have access to vaccines, medicines, and other vital resources.
© UNICEF / C. Biswas Meeting participants will discuss how to better prevent new pandemics.
Meeting participants will discuss how to better prevent new pandemics, prepare healthcare systems for them, and ensure a more equitable international response in the event of a new emergency.
States are expected to endorse the political declaration agreed upon during intergovernmental negotiations.
Right to development
Another major meeting will take place on September 23 and will be dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Right to Development.
The document adopted by the General Assembly in 1986 established the idea that development is not only about economic growth. People should have the opportunity to participate in decision-making, enjoy the benefits of economic progress, and have equal opportunities.
Four decades later, these issues remain especially relevant against the backdrop of a huge gap in income and opportunities between and within countries.
Fighting racism – a quarter of a century later
On September 28, the UN will mark the 25th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action – one of the main international documents combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance.
The declaration was adopted at the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa in 2001. The anniversary meeting is intended to serve as an occasion to assess what has been achieved over the past quarter century and why racial discrimination remains a problem in many countries.
Nuclear weapons
The series of major meetings will conclude on September 29 with a session dedicated to the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
Not “we, the strong”. Not “we, the victors.” “We, the peoples,” convinced that together we are safer, together we are stronger and more humane.
Nuclear disarmament was one of the first tasks of the United Nations established after World War II: the very first resolution of the General Assembly in 1946 was devoted to this topic.
Eight decades later, nuclear weapons have not disappeared, and the risk of their use has once again become a central issue on the international agenda. The UN continues to consider the complete elimination of nuclear weapons its top priority in the field of disarmament.
“We, the peoples”
This high-level week will take place at a time when the ability of states to act collectively is increasingly being tested – from ongoing wars to the climate crisis and growing economic inequality.
Photo UN/L. Felipe The UN Charter was signed on June 26, 1945, in San Francisco, California.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres recently reminded of the opening words of the Charter of the Organization – “We the Peoples.” “Not ‘we the strong.’ Not ‘we the victors.’ ‘We the peoples,’ convinced that together we are safer, together we are stronger and more humane,” said the UN chief.
Over several days in September, it will become clearer to what extent states are prepared to follow this principle in practice.
Change of leadership
The 81st session will also be the last session of the General Assembly to begin under António Guterres as Secretary-General. His second and final five-year term will end on December 31, 2026 – after ten years at the head of the United Nations.
The process of selecting his successor is already underway. According to the UN Charter, the Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.
The new Secretary-General will take office on January 1, 2027. He will lead the Organization during a period of wars and geopolitical disagreements, significant strain on the international humanitarian system, a climate crisis, and financial difficulties – the same issues that will largely define the agenda of this week’s high-level meetings.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.