UN General Assembly 2026: Key developments and leader addresses

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in New York with protests expected at the UN.

His Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas will have to address the General Assembly via video since the US State Department refused to let him into the country.

The UK will host a meeting on the future of the Gaza Strip, while Saudi Arabia and Norway have called a ministerial meeting to discuss the implementation of the so-called two-state solution.

Beyond the Middle East, day 3 of the UNGA will address the problem that rising sea levels pose for low-lying islands and coastal regions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are both expected to address members of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday, with the issue of the Middle East writ large on the day 3 agenda.

Netanyahu, who is increasingly unpopular at home and abroad, will not meet with US officials or Arab leaders during his stay. His office cited a "tight schedule" as the reason, listing as many as nine meetings during his visit, including with the presidents of Argentina and Bolivia, the vice president of Colombia and the prime minister of Papua New Guinea.

The increasingly isolated Israeli leader's Palestinian counterpart, President Mahmoud Abbas, will also address the General Assembly. Abbas, however, will do so via video, as the US State Department refused to issue him an entry visa.

The broader subjects of Gaza's future and Palestinian statehood will also be topics of discussion. The UK will convene a meeting on Gaza's current and future status, and Saudi Arabia and Norway will host a ministerial meeting to hash out plans for the implementation of the so-called "two-state solution."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the ongoing war between the country, calling him "patient zero."

The Ukraine leader also announced new defense deals with Finland and Australia.

Elsewhere, Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa called for the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights to end, saying the territory belongs to Syria.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also addressed Israel, calling for what he described as the "genocide" in Gaza to stop.

Besides world leaders, top bosses at AI companies also addressed the UN about dangers concerning artificial intelligence. AI executives spoke to the UN Security Council and urged international cooperation on the hotly debated technology.

Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, highlighted two big risks with AI. "First, we could lose control of the future to AI. The risk is that it moves so fast that people can no longer follow what's happening or intervene when needed," he said, adding that such a scenario would be "terrible." Second, he said AI systems "could concentrate too much power in too few hands." "No one person or company or country should be able to use the most powerful AI models to impose their worldview on everyone else."

Anthropic boss Dario Amodei used the platform to call for a ban on the use of AI in the development of biological weapons, describing AI as the most crucial global security issue facing the world.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for reforming the UN Security Council so that "all of the regions in the world" would be fairly represented. Sanchez quoted the UN Charter, saying "no country should be a judge in its own case, no matter how powerful they are."

Congolese Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka described the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a "major test" for the country. As of 22 September 2026, Congo reported a total of 7,773 confirmed cases, including 3,759 related deaths.

Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, delivered her first address to the UN General Assembly since coming to power, promising her country would hold elections when the nation's people determine the "right moment."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met with the Iranian delegation on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Sybiha earlier in the day told a UN Security Council meeting that Ukraine was ready for an immediate and complete ceasefire without preconditions, if Moscow did too.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called on Iran to end its closure of the Strait of Hormuz. "It is up to Iran to engage constructively in negotiations and to loosen its stranglehold," Wadephul told journalists.