General debate of 81st session of UN General Assembly underway

The general debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly begins on Tuesday in New York.

Almost 130 global leaders will gather at the world organization’s headquarters to present their countries’ positions on key international issues in the coming seven days amid continuing conflict in the Middle East, discussions around artificial intelligence and the future of the United Nations itself.

The general debate of the 81st session will be held from September 22 to 26 September, and on September 28. Representatives from 193 UN members, as well as observer states and the European Union, will participate in it.

The theme for the general debate of the 81st session of the General Assembly is "Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all." Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman chairs the 81 session.

Addresses by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and chairman of the General Assembly will open the general debate, after which Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will be the first head of state to take the floor, in accordance with long-standing tradition, followed by Donald Trump, the president of the country hosting the UN headquarters.

The Russian delegation at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly is led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The Russian Foreign Minister will travel to New York on September 22, while his address to the General Assembly is scheduled for Saturday, September 26.

The situation in the Middle East will once again be one of key themes in the coming week. However, compared to previous sessions, the focus has shifted significantly to the ongoing armed conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran, as well as its consequences for neighboring countries, global energy markets, and international shipping. The situation around the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, through which vital trade and energy routes pass, is a cause for particular concern.

The question of the UN’s future leadership will become an important part of diplomatic consultations in New York, unlike previous years. Guterres’s second five-year term expires on December 31, and the organization is already involved in the process of selecting the tenth secretary general. The Security Council is to agree on a candidate, after which the candidacy will be submitted for the General Assembly’s approval.