UNGA 2026 Begins In New York With Trump Set To Speak As Guterres Prepares Final Address

Nearly 130 heads of state and government are expected to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York as its high-level general debate begins on Tuesday, September 22, with all 193 UN member states invited to participate in the annual proceedings.

The debate is the key event of the UNGA’s annual session, with representatives from member states expected to address the General Assembly. US President Donald Trump is expected to speak after Brazil on the opening morning, while Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set to deliver what is expected to be his final address before his second and final term ends on December 31.

The 81st session itself began on September 8, when Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh took office as president of the General Assembly. According to Al Jazeera, this year’s high-level week will also feature discussions on climate action, sea level rise, pandemic preparedness, racism and nuclear weapons.

Trump, Guterres and the opening day

The first day will follow a long-established sequence. Guterres will introduce his annual report before Khalilur Rahman formally opens the general debate.

Brazil will then deliver the first national statement, continuing a practice that began in 1955. Al Jazeera reported that Brazil volunteered to speak first that year because no other country wanted to take the opening slot.

The United States generally speaks second because it is the host country. Trump is expected to address the Assembly on Tuesday morning at about 9:45am local time, or 13:45 GMT.

The rest of the speaking order is determined by a combination of factors, including the level of representation, countries’ preferences and geographical balance. Heads of state, heads of government and ministers can therefore occupy different positions in the schedule.

The Holy See, the State of Palestine and the European Union are also invited to participate, with their positions determined according to their representation.

The first-day speakers are listed in the UNGA programme, while the schedule for the remaining days is expected to be released in the coming days.

A week of diplomacy, from Ukraine to nuclear weapons

The high-level general debate begins on September 22 and runs until Saturday, September 26. It resumes on Monday, September 28, with no sessions scheduled for Sunday.

Each day is divided into two sessions. The morning session runs from 9am to 2:45pm local time, or 13:00 GMT to 18:45 GMT. The afternoon and evening session runs from 3pm to 9pm, or 19:00 GMT to 01:00 GMT the following day.

Countries are asked to keep their statements within a voluntary 15-minute limit, although speakers often exceed it. Proceedings can continue until every scheduled speaker has addressed the Assembly.

The wider programme includes several high-level meetings.

On September 23, leaders will discuss climate action and a just transition, alongside the 40th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development.

A high-level meeting on sea level rise is scheduled for September 24, while pandemic preparedness will be discussed on September 25.

The programme returns on September 28 with a meeting marking the 25th anniversary of the Durban Declaration against racism. A high-level meeting on eliminating nuclear weapons is scheduled for September 29.

The official theme of the 81st session is “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all”.

Alongside the formal meetings, national statements are expected to focus on the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, artificial intelligence and the UN’s funding squeeze.

Why Palestine is again part of the UNGA debate

The General Assembly is being held at the UN headquarters on the East River in Manhattan, New York.

The complex was built between 1949 and 1952 and is owned by the United Nations. It is considered international territory and serves as the organisation’s main centre for international diplomacy.

New York has hosted almost every General Assembly session since 1952, but it was not always the venue. The first six sessions were held in different cities, beginning in London and later including Paris.

In 1988, the Assembly met in Geneva after the United States denied a visa to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Palestinian representation is again an issue at this year’s General Assembly. For the second consecutive year, the US has denied visas to Palestinian officials. President Mahmoud Abbas will therefore address the General Assembly through a prerecorded video after member states voted to allow him to do so.

The decision by the Trump administration has drawn widespread criticism, according to Al Jazeera. The UN has said the decision violates the Host Country Agreement, which requires the US to allow heads of state and government to travel to New York for annual meetings and other diplomatic business, with full diplomatic immunity.

The contest to replace Guterres

The choice of Guterres’s successor is not expected to be made during this week’s high-level debate.

The General Assembly formally appoints the secretary-general, but the process first requires the UN Security Council to recommend a candidate. The council is currently conducting straw polls as it considers the field.

Seven candidates remain in the race, although more could still enter. The field comprises four women and three men.

Rebeca Grynspan, Costa Rica, is secretary-general of UNCTAD and a former vice president of Costa Rica.

Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana, is Guyana’s permanent representative to the UN and a former foreign minister.

Ivonne Baki, Ecuador, is a diplomat and former minister of foreign trade.

Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Ecuador, is a former president of the UN General Assembly and former foreign minister.

Rafael Grossi, Argentina, is director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Macky Sall, Senegal, is a former president of Senegal.

Olara Otunnu, Uganda, is a former foreign minister and former UN undersecretary-general.

Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet withdrew on Saturday after receiving support from only one of the 15 Security Council members in the latest informal vote.

The same vote gave Grynspan nine votes encouraging her candidacy, while five members discouraged it and one expressed no opinion. Rodrigues-Birkett received eight votes to encourage, six to discourage and one with no opinion, according to diplomats and sources close to the process.

The Security Council must eventually agree on one candidate without a veto from any of its five permanent members. The Security Council must then recommend its candidate to the General Assembly, which formally appoints the secretary-general.

Guterres’s second and final term ends on December 31. Nine people have served as UN secretary-general since the organisation was founded in 1945, and all have been men. Several Security Council members have said they want a woman to lead the organisation for the first time.

From 51 members to 193

The General Assembly is the UN’s main forum where all member states participate, with each member having one vote. Its resolutions are generally non-binding recommendations.

That system differs from the UN Security Council, which has 15 members. Its five permanent members have veto powers, and Security Council decisions can be legally binding.

The United Nations was established after World War II with 51 members in 1945 and has since expanded to 193 member states.

Palestine and the Holy See, which represents Vatican City, are the two non-member observer states.

The organisation was created with the stated aims of preventing future conflicts, promoting international peace and security, fostering cooperation between nations, protecting human rights and supporting social and economic development around the world.

A country-by-country table records when each member state joined the United Nations.