AI-generated summary
The 81st session of the UN General Assembly begins on September 8, with the General Debate running from September 22 to 28. This session is marked by ongoing global conflicts and is the final high-level UNGA for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term ends in December.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will address the UN General Assembly on September twenty-sixth. The eighty-first session of the UN General Assembly begins on September eighth. World leaders will address the organization during the General Debate from September twenty-second to twenty-eighth. This session occurs amid ongoing global geopolitical conflicts and rising costs. It is also the final UN General Assembly session for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
United Nations: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will address the annual high-level UN General Assembly session on September 26.
The 81st session of the UN General Assembly will kick-off on September 8, and world leaders will address the 193-member organisation at the General Debate, which will run from September 22 to 28.
Jaishankar is scheduled to address the General Debate in the afternoon session on September 26, according to a revised provisional list of speakers for the high-level session released here Friday.
He addressed world leaders from the UN lectern last year.
Brazil will be the traditional first speaker at the General Debate that opens on September 22, followed by the US. The year-long 81st session of the UN General Assembly will be presided over by Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, who was elected in June to head the 193-member UN organisation.
Live Events
US President Donald Trump will address world leaders from the iconic UNGA podium on September 22, his second address to the UN session in his second term in the White House.
Considered the "busiest diplomatic season" of the year at the United Nations Headquarters, the high-level session opens annually in September.
The session this year comes amid continuing geopolitical conflicts across the world, including the months-long US-Israel war against Iran that has had a devastating cascading impact on countries of the Global South as well as the least developed nations, affected by rising food and fuel costs in the wake of the continued disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.
Meetings scheduled to take place during the UNGA session include high-level session to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development; meeting on climate action and the just transition.
High-level meeting to address the existential threats posed by sea level rise; pandemic prevention, preparedness and response and plenary meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
The heads of Government of Bangladesh and Nepal will address the General Debate on September 24 followed by Pakistan a day later.
This will also be the last high-level UN General Assembly session for current UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose second five-year tenure as head of the global organisation ends in December this year.
The process to elect the next UN chief is underway, with all eyes on whether a female will be selected to the lead the 80-year old body for the first time in its history.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The process to elect the next UN Secretary-General will conclude with a selection by December 2026.
Very likely · Within months
The US-Israel war against Iran will continue to impact global food and fuel prices through disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Likely · Within months
The White House is reviewing candidates to potentially replace Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg amid high Pentagon staff turnover, though Feinberg has the full support of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and no decision has been made to remove him.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever criticized arbitrary tariffs and shifting trade policies during his visit to India, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as one of the world's most inspiring leaders, and highlighted the India-EU free trade agreement as a major step toward economic resilience and reduced vulnerability to coercion.
President Donald Trump warned Iran that the US may soon strike the heavily fortified underground nuclear site known as Pickaxe Mountain near Natanz, as US forces continue attacks on IRGC targets.
President Donald Trump defended Vice President JD Vance's comments on the Iran conflict, describing U.S. military actions as 'small potatoes' and intermittent strikes rather than full-scale war, citing 18 U.S. service member deaths and significant financial costs, comparing losses to past engagements like Vietnam.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever stated that Europe had been slow to recognize the risks of economic dependency, acknowledging that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had warned Europe earlier but was ignored. Speaking at a CII event in New Delhi, De Wever said India and Europe now face similar challenges as economic dependencies are increasingly weaponized, and emphasized India as Europe's most important partner in multilateral cooperation.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and its coalition partner Congress are in conflict over who should be the opposition's prime ministerial candidate for 2029, with TVK pushing Vijay as a national leader and Congress insisting on Rahul Gandhi. The dispute reflects a deeper question: whether Vijay will use his 2026 electoral mandate as a launchpad for national politics, drawing parallels to Arvind Kejriwal's failed attempt to expand AAP beyond Delhi and Punjab despite initial success.