UN General Assembly – who will speak and what is the agenda?

Every September in New York, USA, world leaders meet at the UN General Assembly to debate important international issues, and the 80th General Assembly will also discuss the war in Gaza and Ukraine, writes Reuters.
The United Nations (UN) was founded in 1945, and initially united 51 countries. Currently, the UN unites 193 countries, and observers from the Vatican and Palestine, as well as the European Union, are also allowed to participate in the debate. Traditionally, the first speaker is Brazil, and this can be traced back to the early years of the UN, when other countries were slow to speak. As the main home of the UN, the United States delivers its address immediately after Brazil. The order of speakers is based on hierarchy and the “first come, first served” principle. Heads of state speak first, followed by their deputies and crown princes, followed by prime ministers, ministers and other representatives of delegations. Speakers are asked to stick to a 15-minute limit for their speeches.
One of the longest speeches ever given was by Cuba’s Fidel Castro, who spoke for almost four and a half hours in 1960.
Each General Assembly has a theme, and leaders briefly refer to it before presenting their theme.

This year’s theme is “Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights.”

Other topics of discussion largely concern hostilities in various regions of the world. One of the most pressing issues is the situation in Gaza, where a war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas has been going on for almost two years. A famine has been declared in the Palestinian enclave, and serious human rights violations and genocide are believed to be taking place. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, will also address the UN General Assembly on the 23rd of September. Israel denies this, and since the US is not under the jurisdiction of the ICC, Netanyahu is not at risk of arrest. Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not attend in person because the US, an Israeli ally, has refused to issue him a visa.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is likely to try to secure international support for Kyiv. He will address the General Assembly on on the 24th of September, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will speak on the 27th of September.
A UN Security Council meeting is also scheduled, and all attention will be focused on the US, waiting to see whether President Donald Trump will impose sanctions on Russia.
Tehran, meanwhile, is seeking to avoid renewed UN sanctions over its nuclear program, and that is also expected to be discussed.

Both Iran’s president and foreign minister are expected to attend the General Assembly.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024 and ended the civil war, will make his first appearance at the UN General Assembly. HTS, a former al-Qaeda affiliate, and Sharaa himself remain under UN sanctions, but he has been granted an exceptional visit to New York from the 21st to the 25th of September.
At a time when efforts are underway to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, climate and environmental issues will also play a major role in the assembly’s discussions.
The day before the assembly begins, on September 22, the 30th anniversary of the Women’s Rights Conference will be marked. While the meeting’s theme is to renew the 1995 Declaration on Women’s Rights, leaders are also expected to condemn the lack of progress and the increasing attacks on women’s rights. The 1995 Beijing conference is known as the first time the phrase “Women’s rights are human rights” was used in public.
For some UN General Assembly participants, the two-and-a-half-year-old war in Sudan is also on the agenda.

The war in the African country has created one of the world’s worst human rights crises, according to the UN.

The tense relationship between the United States and Venezuela will also be discussed. The United States expanded its forces in the southern Caribbean in August, and since then the Americans have carried out two deadly strikes on suspected Venezuelan drug cartel ships in international waters. The Venezuelan president has repeatedly said that the US is trying to oust him.
The UN is also starting the search for a new secretary-general. António Guterres will end his second five-year term on December 31, 2026, and the assembly will likely also discuss who the next secretary-general could be.
Read also: UN Commission of Inquiry: Israel committed genocide