The high-level general debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly begins in New York, USA, on Tuesday (Sept. 22), with more than a hundred world leaders set to take part amid war and AI threats.
The 81st session of the UN General Assembly officially began on Sept. 8. Its main event, the high-level general debate, is set to begin on Tuesday (Sept. 22).
The conference is being held amid fears over intensifying conflicts around the world, uncontrolled AI technology emerging as a threat to humanity, global warming, and the impacts of climate change.
Moreover, this conference is taking place at a time when the global economy is facing a slowdown caused by shipping disruptions and supply chain disruptions, affecting the livelihoods of millions of people.
There are criticisms that the UN’s efforts to safeguard international peace and bring wars to an end have lagged behind, and that the organization is facing a financial crisis due to America’s outstanding dues. Despite such diverse challenges, the UN continues to serve as a central platform uniting the nations of the world. In that regard, around 130 heads of state and ministers are scheduled to speak at the general debate session beginning on Tuesday.
Participation and Exclusion
After the opening address by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron will speak. Following them, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are scheduled to address the assembly on Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will speak on Thursday. On the same day, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will address the assembly via video for the second year in a row, after the United States denied him a visa.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is arriving in the United States on Wednesday for a three-day visit to meet Trump, is skipping the UN meeting and sending the vice president instead. Russian President Vladimir Putin is also not attending the meeting. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also canceled his trip. On his behalf, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will speak on Saturday.
Issues under discussion...
Alongside geopolitical concerns, AI technology that is moving beyond human control has emerged as the main topic of discussion at this conference. Although leading AI companies have urged that the pace of this technology be restrained, Trump has rejected that.
In the absence of any regulations to govern this technology globally, the UN Security Council is holding a consultative meeting on the matter on Wednesday afternoon.
The structure and reform of the U.N., which has now reached its 81st year, will also be discussed at this conference. Although the 193 member states have agreed to reform the system and change the current situation in which only the five countries that won World War II—the United States, Russia, China, Britain, and France—dominate the Security Council with veto power, many difficulties remain in implementing it.
This will be U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ final conference with world leaders. As his term is set to end on Dec. 31, anticipation is also growing over who the next leader will be.
