World leaders are convening in New York this week for the UN General Assembly, preparing for President Donald Trump’s second consecutive address from the podium, with discussions focused on escalating conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as the dangers posed by artificial intelligence.
Nearly 130 heads of state are gathering at a time when the post-World War II international order is under pressure and the UN is fighting to maintain its relevance, while also enduring criticism from Trump, who has cut U.S. funding and pulled out of numerous UN agencies.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who last spoke to the diplomatic gathering by video in 2021, will bypass New York and instead hold one-on-one talks with Trump in Washington on Thursday, intensifying debate over the UN’s relevance in tackling global crises.
Adding to the organization’s financial and morale troubles are uncertainties surrounding its next leader: Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will finish his term at the end of 2026, and there is currently no obvious frontrunner to succeed him.
Diplomats say the 15-member UN Security Council may convene high-level sessions on Ukraine, artificial intelligence, and the Middle East, which would include discussions with Arab leaders.
More than a year into Trump's second term, "we would no longer describe the UN as being in freefall, but rather as mired in a prolonged crisis," said Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group.
"The UN may no longer be in intensive emergency care as it was last year, yet it appears to be confined to a trauma ward for the foreseeable future," Gowan added.
The United States avoided losing its voting rights in the General Assembly by paying $725 million toward the regular budget this week, but it still owes the organization over a billion dollars and continues to press for spending cuts and institutional reforms.
The assembly convenes soon after several leaders in the artificial intelligence industry urged a coordinated deceleration in the technology’s development, cautioning that it may soon begin advancing autonomously and slip beyond human control.
Perhaps Antonio Guterres and Donald Trump views AI variably, while Guterres argues for establishing "common guardrails in order to avoid this race to the bottom that could lead one day to a gigantic disaster at the global level," whereas Trump call any risks associated with AI as hoax, arguing it as "sick conspiracy" against US and that China would benefit from the doubt being cast on its development.
The Middle East is set to return to the center of international debate, as the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran continues to fuel global inflation and unsettle the region.
Recent advances by Houthi fighters are endangering maritime traffic in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait and may trigger additional increases in energy costs.
Peace negotiations remain at an impasse as Iran and the United States persist in trading attacks, while Trump warns of a significant escalation of the conflict.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is set to deliver an address to the assembly on Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is sought by the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza—claims that Israel rejects—is scheduled to speak on Thursday.
After refusing a visa to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for the second consecutive year, preventing his in-person attendance, the General Assembly on Thursday voted to permit Abbas to address the gathering via video.
Diplomats said a high-level meeting on the Sudan conflict is likely to take place on the sidelines, though a significant diplomatic breakthrough is considered unlikely.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are scheduled to address the General Assembly.
According to diplomats, Zelenskiy is expected to try to strengthen Ukraine’s position ahead of what is anticipated to be another difficult winter.
The Security Council has been unable to intervene to halt the conflict because Russia, a permanent member, wields veto power.
Guterres emphasized how the war was affecting civilians, as well as disrupting food security and driving up energy prices.
He said that the de facto blockade in the Black Sea is causing severe difficulties that compound those arising from the Middle East crisis, and that it is crucial to establish a secure mechanism for Ukrainian and Russian exports of food, fertilizers, and energy to move through the Black Sea.
