As the U.S. war with Iran nears the seven-month mark and the Russian war with Ukraine drags on in its fifth year with no end in sight, world leaders will meet in New York City this week as part of the annual United Nations General Assembly. The high-stakes meeting comes as President Donald Trump is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week in Washington and as concerns are escalating about uncontrolled artificial intelligence.
Here’s what you need to know.
The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly is an annual meeting of world leaders that will focus on revitalizing global cooperation, pushing sustainable development goals and driving collective action for peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet, according to the United Nations. The general debate that begins Tuesday is the annual meeting of heads of state, where they outline their positions and priorities on various global challenges and hold high-level meetings on climate change response, pandemic prevention, nuclear weapons and other topics.
The U.N. General Assembly’s high-level general debate begins Tuesday and runs through Thursday. It takes place at U.N. headquarters in New York City.
About 130 world leaders and senior representatives will attend the meeting, including Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the U.N. Chinese President Xi Jinping will not be at the meeting in New York City but will meet with Trump at the White House Wednesday through Friday.
The theme of this year’s general debate is “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.”
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will give opening remarks Tuesday morning, followed by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Trump, according to the U.N.
Guterres said last week that he will advocate for deescalating tensions in the Middle East and free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and Strait of Bab el-Mandeb between Yemen and the horn of Africa, the latter of which is now controlled by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis.
Iran’s president will address the assembly Wednesday and hold sideline meetings with various world leaders and officials, according to the IranWire news agency.
“What you will see at the U.N. General Assembly is a lot of discussion of the freedom of the seas, the U.S. law of the sea, freedom of navigation,” United States Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.
While the conflict in the Middle East is expected to be a major discussion point this week, Waltz said there will also be an artificial intelligence conference during the assembly.
“We’re going to see AI discussed at the U.N. Security Council,” Waltz told CNN, adding that White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios will explain the U.S. stance on AI.
Over the weekend, Trump announced he will form an “AI force” to ensure U.S. dominance of the technology and to monitor its growth after the heads of several leading AI companies advocated for an industry-wide slowdown to ensure its safety.
Zelenskyy, who is scheduled to speak on Wednesday, is expected to encourage more support for Ukraine as the Russian war enters another winter. Russian President Vladimir Putin is not attending the U.N. meeting, but his foreign minister Sergey Lavrov is there and will address the group on Saturday.
On Thursday, Netanyahu will give a speech to defend Israel’s involvement in the Iran war and attacks on the Gaza Strip. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was not granted a U.S. visa to attend but will give a speech the same day delivered over video.
Interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez is also scheduled to speak Thursday.
“At the 81st General Assembly of the United Nations, Venezuela will be present to make its voice heard and defend its principles with a work agenda based on respect, cooperation and understanding,” Rodriguez wrote in a brief statement on X on Sunday.
Multiple protests and rallies are planned outside U.N. headquarters during the entirety of the General Assembly, New York police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said last week. On Thursday, at least three planned demonstrations are expected to protest Netanyahu. Other rallies to support Gaza and protest the Iran war are also expected.
“Every year, we see an uptick in demonstrations, protests coinciding with the U.N. General Assembly. This year is no different,” Tisch said at a news conference. “As always, the NYPD will facilitate First Amendment activity. At the same time, there will be no tolerance for violence or obstruction of property.”