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World Leaders Gather in New York for UN General Assembly High‑Level Week

Visa disputes, AI warnings, urgent crises, a major climate push, a pending secretary‑general selection will shape diplomacy in New York.

The United Nations building is seen at sunrise during the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 21, 2022. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo
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Overview

  • The UN General Assembly's 81st High‑Level Week convenes this week in New York, with the SDG Moment on Sept. 18 and the General Debate beginning on Sept. 22.
  • Attendance is tense: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to speak in person while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not receive a U.S. visa and is expected to address remotely; travel for Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian is uncertain because U.S. visa decisions for his delegation remain unresolved.
  • Artificial intelligence has risen as a core agenda item after industry warnings, with Secretary‑General António Guterres urging common guardrails and diplomats saying the U.N. Security Council may hold an AI meeting next week.
  • Conflict and humanitarian crises will drive side meetings, including a likely high‑level session on Sudan, which has displaced more than 14 million people since fighting began in April 2023 and is described by diplomats as one of the world’s worst humanitarian emergencies.
  • A major climate event convened by Guterres on Sept. 23 and a leaders' meeting on pandemic prevention on Sept. 25 will press for concrete finance, resilience and preparedness measures as the U.N. prepares to name a successor to Guterres when his term ends on Dec. 31, 2026.