UNGA 2026 LIVE Updates: Trump rejects ‘globalist scheme’ to control AI, says should be called ‘super intelligence'

UNGA 2026 LIVE Updates: The 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) begins its high-level debate in New York on Tuesday, with the Iran war, Russia-Ukraine conflict and artificial intelligence among the key issues facing world leaders.

US President Donald Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and French President Emmanuel Macron are among those set to address the assembly.

The UNGA also comes as the United Nations grapples with funding and diplomatic challenges following cuts to US contributions and withdrawals from several international bodies. It will be the final UNGA for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term ends in December.

When is UNGA 2026?

The high-level UN General Assembly (UNGA) debate begins on Tuesday, 22 September, with nearly 130 heads of state and government expected to address world leaders in New York. The debate will run until Saturday, 26 September, and resume on Monday, 28 September. There will be two daily sessions, broadly from 6:30 pm to 12:15 am IST and 12:30 am to 6:30 am IST the following day.

Who is speaking?

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will open the proceedings, followed by UNGA President Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh. Brazil traditionally speaks first, followed by the US as host country. Donald Trump is expected to address the assembly at around 7:15 pm IST on Tuesday.

Trump at UNGA: What to expect

US President Donald Trump is set to address the UN General Assembly on Tuesday at 7:30 pm IST, speaking at a turbulent moment shaped by the war in Iran, economic uncertainty and growing concerns over the impact of artificial intelligence.

His administration has also reduced US financial support for the United Nations, raising fresh questions about Washington's relationship with the organisation.

Where is UNGA held?

The annual gathering takes place at UN headquarters in Manhattan, New York, the organisation's main centre for international diplomacy. The complex, built between 1949 and 1952, is owned by the UN and is treated as international territory.

What is on the UNGA agenda?

The 81st UNGA session carries the theme “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all”. Key meetings during the week will cover climate action, development, sea-level rise, pandemic preparedness, racism and nuclear disarmament.

Beyond the formal agenda, world leaders are expected to discuss the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, artificial intelligence and the UN's funding pressures. Diplomats will also closely watch the race to replace Guterres, whose term ends on 31 December.

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22 Sep 2026, 06:47:48 PM IST

UNGA 2026 LIVE: Guterres says global power being transferred to private corporations, AI

Continuing his remarks, Guterres said global power is being reshaped in three main ways: 1) among states, with new “centres of economic, political and technological influence” emerging; 2) increasingly shifting to private corporations and individuals; and 3) from humans to machines, including through the development of “autonomous weapons”.

Guterres said the world’s institutions and systems are not yet equipped to handle these transformations.

22 Sep 2026, 06:46:12 PM IST

UNGA 2026 LIVE: UN chief addresses UNGA

Opening his last speech at the UN General Assembly as UN Secretary General, António Guterres, has said that “the fault lines in our world are widening”, saying that we are moving towards a multipolar world where “trust is frayed”.

22 Sep 2026, 06:46:12 PM IST

UNGA 2026 LIVE: Guterres says world’s fault lines are ‘widening’

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said “the fault lines in our world are widening”, as he listed ongoing crises from war to climate change to disruptions from artificial intelligence.

“These are not separate crises,” said Guterres. “These are chapters of the same story. The story of power. Who has it? Who is denied it?”

22 Sep 2026, 06:46:12 PM IST

UNGA 2026 LIVE: When does the General Assembly start and how long does it last?

The General Assembly officially started on September 18, but the General Debate – where world leaders gather in the UN’s General Assembly Hall to hear each other speak – starts today.

The debate runs through Saturday, September 26, and resumes on Monday, September 28, as no sessions are held on Sunday.

It takes place in two daily sessions: from 9am to 2:45pm local time (13:00 GMT to 18:45 GMT) and from 3pm to 9pm (19:00 GMT to 01:00 GMT the next day).

22 Sep 2026, 06:46:12 PM IST

UNGA 2026 LIVE: UNGA meeting under way

The General Debate of the UNGA’s 81st session has now begun.

22 Sep 2026, 06:46:12 PM IST

UNGA 2026 LIVE: Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei to Brief UN Security Council

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is set to brief the UN Security Council remotely on Wednesday alongside OpenAI CEO Sam Altman at a meeting focused on the future of artificial intelligence, Bloomberg reported.

Other speakers include AI expert Yoshua Bengio, UN AI panel co-chair, and Hugging Face CEO Clement Delangue. Altman’s attendance was previously reported by Reuters.

22 Sep 2026, 06:46:12 PM IST

UNGA 2026 LIVE: Netanyahu says will 'tell the truth' on Israel's actions

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he would use his speech at the United Nations this week to defend Israel's military actions against the Palestinians, while accusing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of supporting Hamas.

Netanyahu's comments were in response to remarks by the New York mayor, who told CNN on Monday that Netanyahu was a "war criminal and an architect of a horrific genocide of the Palestinian people".

Netanyahu is slated to speak at the UN's General Assembly on Thursday.

"I'm coming to the UN," Netanyahu said in a brief video statement. "I'm going to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers, and I'm going to tell the truth about you (Mamdani)."

22 Sep 2026, 06:46:12 PM IST

UNGA 2026 LIVE: US politics in focus

Trump's foreign policy, particularly the Iran war, comes as Republicans face questions about retaining control of both chambers of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections. His administration has indicated that Trump will use his UN speech to argue that his leadership has helped address complex global challenges.

Ambassador Mike Waltz, Trump's chief envoy to the UN, said the President would highlight how his administration had confronted problems around the world. Trump is also expected to reiterate his longstanding criticism of the United Nations over its handling of conflicts, climate change and migration.

22 Sep 2026, 06:46:12 PM IST

UNGA 2026 LIVE: Trump’s meetings on the sidelines

After his UNGA address, Trump is expected to meet British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, as well as Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez. He will also hold talks with leaders and senior officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, focusing on the Iran war and recent Iran-backed attacks on Saudi Arabia.

22 Sep 2026, 06:46:12 PM IST

UNGA 2026 LIVE: Trump at UNGA- What to expect

US President Donald Trump is set to address the UN General Assembly on Tuesday at 7:30 pm IST, speaking at a turbulent moment shaped by the war in Iran, economic uncertainty and growing concerns over the impact of artificial intelligence. His administration has also reduced US financial support for the United Nations, raising fresh questions about Washington's relationship with the organisation.