Published on: 2026-09-22
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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22 September 2026 UN
Top news of the day at the UN and worldwide: the general political debates of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly have begun in New York, with escalating hostilities causing more Yemenis to flee their homes, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights recommends listening to children when developing AI usage rules, and the El Niño phenomenon threatens humanity with natural disasters.
General political debates
World leaders gathered in New York for the general debates of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. Participating are 71 heads of state, 45 heads of government, 50 ministers, 11 vice presidents, and one crown prince. Speaking at the opening of the debates, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on the states of the world to abide by international law. Strength lies not in the ability to dominate, he warned, but in the ability to build a future that meets the interests of all. This was Guterres’ last speech at the General Assembly’s general political debates as secretary-general of the world organization. As he left the podium, the hall gave him a standing ovation.
Escalation in Yemen
Against the backdrop of escalating hostilities in Yemen, increasing numbers of people are leaving their homes, and the humanitarian crisis in the region is worsening. This was reported on Tuesday by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Mass displacement began after the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels rapidly advanced southward along Yemen’s western coast toward the Bab-el-Mandeb strait in recent weeks. Their advance was accompanied by clashes with Yemeni government forces supported by Saudi Arabia. The epicenter of the crisis remains the city of Taiz in southwestern Yemen: it accounts for over 60 percent of all displacement cases.
Children’s Rights and AI
Today’s children are the first generation growing up in the era of artificial intelligence. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for taking their opinions into account when making decisions about the development and use of these technologies. He said this while speaking at a thematic event on AI and children held today in New York during the High-Level Week. According to Türk, a survey of thousands of children in 49 countries revealed that the young people of the planet fear the use of AI to create fake images of real people, exploit their personal data, and replace live communication with working with machines. The High Commissioner emphasized that it is especially important to involve children in discussions about new technologies before decisions are made, not after their implementation.
Impact of El Niño on human health
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) will continue to pay special attention to the natural phenomenon El Niño in the coming months. This phenomenon, WMO representatives told journalists, is rapidly intensifying, and the last two months have been the hottest on record. According to experts’ forecasts, El Niño will peak closer to the end of the year, but its effects will be felt for a long time afterward. This concerns not only heat: the WMO forecast for the period from September to November also indicates the likelihood of above-normal rainfall in some regions and the risk of drought in others.
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