In a week packed with diplomacy, the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week began on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at the U.N. headquarters in New York City. In the annual diplomatic forum, all 193 member states are invited to address the General Assembly through the General Debate, while a range of meetings bring world leaders together to address topics from climate action to artificial intelligence.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the General Assembly on its opening day. In his speech, he called for permanent African representation on the U.N. Security Council, pressed to end global gender inequality and criticized Israel for its war in Gaza. Guterres argued that the future will be shaped by how the world addresses “four great tests of power”: war, inequality, climate change and AI.
President Trump also took the U.N. stage on Tuesday, and he championed the advancement of artificial intelligence, arguing that the term “superintelligence” more accurately describes the technology. He insisted that government regulations would stifle American progress. Trump also highlighted his upcoming oil deal with Venezuela and emphasized the necessity of Cuban regime change, prompting the Cuban delegation to walk out of the assembly hall. Trump also discussed his newly signed security agreement with Denmark and Greenland, which will allow the building of two more U.S. military bases on Greenland, the NATO country he threatened to annex by military force earlier this year.
Trump also defended the war in Iran and presented a decision.
“Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before, maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world?” Trump said. “Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again.”
The following day, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the world, stating that Iranians were “victims of terrorism” from U.S. hostilities and had only acted in defense. Iran’s leader emphasized that his country will not tolerate Trump’s coercion, but that Iranians are “ready for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations without accepting the language of force.”
Later in the week, Iran proposed a deal to reach a cease-fire agreement with the United States before the November midterm elections, but Trump told reporters on Saturday that he rejected the deal.
As Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stage on Thursday, more than 100 U.N. delegates walked out of the assembly hall.
“If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t yet left this hall, please do so now,” Netanyahu said.
He defended Israel’s role in preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, claiming he and Trump have been making decisions “not only to protect ourselves, but to save civilization.” Netanyahu continued to justify Israel’s war in Gaza, claiming that his nation was forced to retaliate following the 2023 Hamas-led attack, and that Israel is now fighting a “seven-front war” to defend itself in the region.
Additionally, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas delivered a speech earlier on Thursday via a pre-recorded video, as the U.S. denied visas to Palestinian officials, which Abbas pointed out “is a violation of the United States’ obligation as the host country.” Abbas denounced Israeli actions in Gaza, referring to the ongoing strikes as “a genocidal war that has created an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.” The Palestinian President underscored that the conflict has “come to threaten the very life and existence of the Palestinian people on their homeland.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, the country stuck in conflict with Russia for over a decade now, spoke on Wednesday, characterizing the Russian-Ukrainian war as “ridiculous and never-ending.”
“I do not know anyone who is openly for this war, except one man,” Zelensky said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Ukraine deserves security just as all of you do. Every country and every nation.”
Other world leaders also used their speeches to point to how Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine threatens regional and global security.
Additionally, African leaders, including Kenyan President William Ruto, highlighted the injustice of Africa comprising nearly a quarter of the U.N., yet still lacking a permanent seat on the Security Council after eight decades.
Leaders from small island states, including the Bahamas, Tuvalu and Solomon Islands, emphasized the urgency of climate justice to the General Assembly, calling for greater ocean protection and expanded access to climate financing, as rising sea levels pose an existential threat to many Small Island Developing States.
The U.N. Security Council also met to address artificial intelligence and international security. Sam Altman of OpenAI and Dario Amodei of Anthropic addressed the Council, urging governments to urgently implement AI regulations. Amodei reiterated the importance of international cooperation in navigating AI safety.
“No leader, no company, and no nation can manage this alone,” Amodei said.
Many delegates throughout the week also spoke of AI’s great potential, while underscoring the security threat it poses without regulation.
The High-Level Week of the United Nations General Assembly highlighted the necessity for global cooperation as world leaders navigate mounting challenges of war, climate change and the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence.