World leaders are heading to New York for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA ) as a string of conflicts, climate pressures, artificial intelligence and pandemic preparedness put international cooperation under renewed scrutiny.
The General Assembly’s high-level week runs from September 22 to 29, with the main General Debate taking place from September 22 to 26 and again on September 28. The United Nations says nearly 130 heads of state and government are expected to attend in person. Bangladesh’s Khalilur Rahman is presiding over the 81st session under the theme, “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.”
The annual gathering comes at a particularly complicated moment for diplomacy. The wars involving Iran, the Israel-Palestinian conflict and Russia’s war in Ukraine are expected to feature prominently, while leaders will also discuss Sudan, Myanmar, Haiti and other crises.
Here are the major issues expected to shape UNGA81.
Iran, Gaza and Ukraine
The conflicts in the Middle East and Europe are likely to dominate the political conversation in the General Assembly Hall.
The ongoing US-Iran conflict has added another major crisis to the UN agenda this year, with fighting affecting regional security and international trade. Reuters reported that US President Donald Trump is returning to the United Nations as the conflict continues, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is also expected to attend.
The question of Iran’s nuclear program and international sanctions is also expected to surface. On September 17, Russia and China vetoed a Security Council resolution that would have extended the mandate of an independent panel monitoring sanctions on Iran, effectively ending that monitoring mechanism. The vote highlighted continuing divisions among the council’s permanent members.
The situation in Gaza and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict will also remain a central issue, while the war in Ukraine continues to test the UN’s ability to facilitate diplomatic consensus.
UNGA cannot replace the Security Council when it comes to binding decisions on international peace and security, but its annual debate provides a global platform where governments can state their positions on conflicts and diplomatic efforts.
Climate change and the race toward the 2030 goals
Climate policy will occupy a major part of the week’s agenda, but this year’s discussion is tied closely to a wider question: how much progress can still be made before the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals?
The annual SDG Moment takes place on September 18, immediately before high-level week. The United Nations says only 36% of the 139 SDG targets with available trend data are currently on track or showing moderate progress, with conflict, climate shocks, debt pressures and inequality continuing to slow implementation.
On September 23, Secretary-General António Guterres will convene a high-level event on climate action and the just transition. The discussions will focus on accelerating the shift toward renewable energy, increasing affordable finance for developing countries and strengthening adaptation and resilience as climate impacts intensify.
The same day will also feature a high-level meeting marking 40 years since the UN Declaration on the Right to Development.
Rising seas move higher up the agenda
Sea-level rise will receive its own high-level meeting on September 24.
UNGA is expected to adopt an action-oriented declaration addressing the threats posed by rising seas, with particular attention to small island developing states and low-lying coastal communities. The meeting follows the first UN high-level meeting on sea-level rise in 2024.
For vulnerable countries, the issue is closely tied to questions of infrastructure, financing, displacement and long-term adaptation.
The UN’s framing of the meeting also reflects a broader shift in climate diplomacy. Sea-level rise is increasingly being discussed not only as an environmental issue, but as a development, security and humanitarian challenge.
Lessons from Covid return to the UN agenda
Pandemic preparedness will be another major focus on September 25.
The UNGA will hold its second high-level meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, convened in collaboration with the World Health Organization. Governments are expected to review progress since the first such meeting in 2023 and approve a new political declaration.
The discussions will include early-warning and surveillance systems, international coordination, equitable access to health technologies and financing for pandemic preparedness.
The meeting comes after several major changes in the global health architecture. The WHO Pandemic Agreement was adopted in May 2025, while amendments to the International Health Regulations entered into force in September 2025. The UN says preparedness could require around $30 billion a year globally, with an estimated annual financing gap of roughly $10 billion.
The challenge for governments now is translating the lessons of Covid-19 into systems that can respond faster to the next international health emergency.
AI becomes a diplomatic issue
Artificial intelligence is emerging as another major theme around this year’s General Assembly.
AI governance is not confined to a single General Debate session, but it is increasingly becoming part of UN diplomacy. The first Global Dialogue on AI Governance was held in Geneva in July, and the process is designed to give governments a forum to discuss international rules and standards surrounding rapidly developing AI technologies.
Khalilur Rahman has already held discussions with ambassadors on multilateral AI governance, arguing that countries need a meaningful role in deciding how the technology develops.
The UN process is linked to the Global Digital Compact adopted in 2024. The next Global Dialogue on AI Governance is scheduled for New York in May 2027.
The central questions include how AI should be governed internationally, how risks should be managed and how developing countries can participate in decisions that have increasingly global consequences.
Racism, development and discrimination
The General Assembly’s agenda also contains several major commemorative events beyond the headline geopolitical crises.
September 23 marks the 40th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development. On September 28, governments will meet to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, which focuses on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
These meetings reflect the breadth of the General Assembly’s role. Unlike the Security Council, which is heavily focused on peace and security, the General Assembly deals with issues ranging from development and human rights to health, climate and technology.
Nuclear disarmament remains on the calendar
Nuclear weapons will also return to the center of the UN’s formal agenda.
On September 29, the General Assembly will hold a high-level plenary meeting to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. The event falls immediately after the main high-level week and comes amid broader concerns about nuclear risks and international security.
The meeting provides another forum for governments to discuss nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and the risks associated with the continued existence of nuclear arsenals.
A final UNGA for António Guterres
This General Assembly session also carries a personal significance for Guterres.
His second term as UN secretary-general ends on December 31, 2026, making the 81st session his final high-level General Assembly week in that role. The formal process to select his successor is already underway, with the next secretary-general due to take office on January 1, 2027.
That transition adds another diplomatic layer to this year’s gathering. Member states are simultaneously dealing with immediate crises while preparing for a change in the leadership of the UN Secretariat.
Can the UNGA turn speeches into action?
The central challenge for UNGA81 is not a shortage of subjects.
Wars, climate change, pandemic preparedness, AI governance, racism, development and nuclear disarmament will all have dedicated space on the calendar. The harder question is whether governments can translate declarations and speeches into agreements, financing and coordinated action.
The UNGA remains one of the few places where all 193 UN member states have an equal vote and where leaders can publicly set out their priorities.
But the gathering is also taking place against a backdrop of sharp geopolitical divisions, including disagreements in the Security Council over Iran.
For the United Nations, UNGA81 will therefore be as much a test of international cooperation as it is an annual diplomatic spectacle.
