The UN General Assembly is the only UN forum in which all Member States receive equal representation. Therefore, the High-Level Week serves as an important opportunity for negotiations and discussions to happen at the highest political level.
The scheduled meetings during this time also represent issues of high importance for the global community, This year, the scheduled meetings included:
- High-level meeting to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the United Nations
- Sustainable Development Goals Moment
- High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution
- High-Level Meeting of the 30th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women
- General Debate
- Biennial Summit for a Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient Global Economy, on the theme “Implementing commitments on financing development”
- Climate Summit
- High-level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases and the Promotion of Mental Health and Well-being
- High-level Meeting to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth
- High-level Meeting to Launch the Global Dialogue on AI Governance
- High-level meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
- High-level Conference on the Situation of Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar
One of the permanent features of the High-Level Week is the General Debate. The Debate, which takes place over a week, is an opportunity for each Member State to speak and make statements on their state’s position and priorities in the context of current global challenges. A theme is also set for the General Debate, with the theme for 2025 being Better Together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights. This theme is suggested by the President-elect of the General Assembly based on informal discussions with Member States, the current President of the General Assembly, and the Secretary General and communicated to all Member States ahead of the General Debate so that they can focus their speeches on this theme.
Highlights from the High-Level Week:
The 2025 High-Level Week was a collective call for cooperation and change in the multilateral system. This was led by the theme of the General Debate for the year, and the growing scepticism for multilateralism in the recent years. This scepticism has been growing in the face of a UN system that is slow to react to geopolitical crises and advance its broader goals related to sustainable development, and has been amplified by US President, Donald Trump’s, distrust in multilateralism, which compounds the existing problems in the UN system. Geopolitical conflict remains intractable for the UN, as Ukraine President Zelenskyy’s speech during the General Debate highlighted, and the US’s veto of a ceasefire proposal days before the High-Level week demonstrated. Despite the criticisms levelled at the UN, the organisation and its values remain important for its Member States. This was demonstrated in Syria’s return to the international community through President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s address at the General Debate. The high-level meeting on Palestine continued to consolidate and signal support for an end to the war in Gaza.
Peace and Security
Ukraine President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a plea for weapons, and was critical of international institutions by stating that they have become too weak to prevent conflicts. President Zelenskyy also warned the General Assembly of a growing arms race, highlighting how stopping AI in weapons will be just as important as stopping nuclear weapons.
Syria’s interim President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, addressed the UN General Assembly, effectively marking an end to Syria’s isolation from the international community. The last time a Syrian leader attended the UNGA was 1967. In his address, President al-Sharaa called for sanctions to be lifted from Syria so that it may continue to rebuild itself through ‘establishing a new state, building institutions, and laws that guarantee rights to all without exception’.
Israel and Palestine
Although 147 states already recognise Palestine as a state, this High-Level Week saw Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, and Portugal officially recognising Palestine. This took place during the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, convened by France and Saudi Arabia. The conference resumes the ongoing work of coordinating international action towards implementing a Two-State Solution. While recognition by these Western European states is unlikely to translate to any immediate material changes, it added to the growing support for Palestinian self-determination and the legitimacy of a Two-State Solution. Recognition from these states was denounced by Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who stated that this move was ‘giving a huge reward to terrorism’. Earlier in September, before the High-Level Week, the General Assembly voted in favour of a resolution of a New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution (New York Declaration). This document sets out a roadmap towards a Two-State solution and involves an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages in Gaza, and the establishment of a Palestinian State.
Palestine only has observer status in the UN, which means it does not have any voting rights. However, Palestine can speak at the General Assembly. This year, however, there was no Palestinian Delegation at the General Debate, as the US had refused to grant their visas. Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, addressed the General Assembly via video, distancing the Palestinian Authority (PA) from Hamas, and affirmed that the PA is ready to work with President Trump, Saudi Arabia, and France to implement the New York Declaration.
While President Abbas was denied in-person attendance at the General Assembly, Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu, attended the High-Level Week. During Netanyahu’s address, many delegates walked out as the Prime Minister reiterated his condemnation of the recognition of Palestinian statehood, and thanked the US for its support. Gaza was the most talked about issue during the High-Level Week, with 151 speakers referencing either Gaza or Palestine in their speeches.
Multilateralism
The US made headlines both in and outside of the High-Level Week. President Trump levelled critiques at the immigration policies of Western countries, warning that these countries will be ‘going to hell’, and accusing the UN of ‘funding an assault on Western countries and their borders’. Trump also called climate change ‘the greatest con job’. These statements underline Trump’s distaste for multilateralism. Trump also made jabs at an escalator that stopped during the US President’s entrance into the UN headquarters, and the faulty teleprompter during his General Debate speech.
Despite these comments that were folded into Trump’s criticism of the UN, his question of, ‘[w]hat is the purpose of the United Nations’ remains an issue that the multilateral organization has been struggling to answer convincingly over the last few years. Yet the UN still remains one of the few forums that is capable of bringing the world’s powers together and facilitating cooperation on common issues, particularly in its specialised agencies, such as the UN Population Fund, the World Food Program and UNICEF. Furthermore, even as the UN Security Council falls short of moving with consensus on security issues, it remains an important forum for ‘deconfliction’, where major powers can ‘agree to disagree on some topics, while keeping up cooperation on others’.
UN Reform
The record number of references to UN reforms may be seen as a recognition of how the UN has fallen short. However, these calls also indicate the international community is increasingly on the same page with regards to the need for institutional change. It will ultimately be up to Member States to translate their calls for change into tangible outcomes.