UNGA: Leaders gather as General Assembly kicks off
What you need to know
- UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will officially open the world body's 81st General Assembly — which runs through next Monday — at its New York Headquarters on Tuesday
- US President Donald Trump will feature among Tuesday's speakers, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron also speaking throughout the day
- Trump is expected to address the war he launched against Tehran and the fall out it has brought for the global economy
- The General Assembly comes at a time of global uncertainty as global conflict, environmental crisis and massive technical disruption foist uncertainty upon the global population
Read below for all the top headlines, videos and analyses on the 81 UN General Assembly from Sept 22, to Sept 28, 2026:
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Skip next section World leaders gather in New York for 81st UNGA sessionSeptember 22, 2026
World leaders gather in New York for 81st UNGA session
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Assembly President Khalilur Rahman
will open the UN's 81st General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Tuesday morning as world leaders gather for their annual six-day confab.
As Guterres puts it, "In a world marked by turbulence, division and uncertainty, the United Nations is more necessary than ever."
This year's session comes as war — mainly in Ukraine and Iran — climate catastrophe, and the specter of artificial intelligence overshadow the world's myriad other problems.
The session offers an opportunity for leaders to politick in person with numerous bilateral meetings expected to take place on the main stage's sidelines.
The event will likely get off to a rousing start when US President Donald Trump — who has delivered belligerent and fantastical addresses in the past — takes the stage after Brazilian President Inacio Lula Da Silva in the morning session and before Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Further speakers will include leaders from Africa, Central Asia, Europe, Scandinavia, South America and the Middle East.
A full schedule is available here
Editing:Rana Taha
https://p.dw.com/p/5N0r7
Skip next section Welcome to our coverageSeptember 22, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Good morning and welcome to our coverage of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
The day's schedule includes an opening address from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that comes at a time when the body itself is under threat from US President Donald Trump — who has repeatedly expressed his willingness to renege on US financial obligations to the body if it does not bend to his will — and in the face of myriad global crises ranging from financial and environmental disasters to spreading conflict, rampant disease and the looming threat of so-called artificial intelligence.
Among those who will join Guterres and Trump are Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as the leaders of Finland and Lithuania, and France's President Emmanuel Macron.
Stay tuned to DW for the latest during the confab, which ends next Monday, September 28.
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