Attendance, Speakers, and Issues: What to Expect at the United Nations General Assembly Meetings?

- "Don't worry, world leaders - the infamous escalator of the United Nations has been fixed just in time for the biggest diplomatic event of the year," said outgoing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to reporters at his final press conference ahead of this week's General Assembly meetings, which will bring together hundreds of diplomats and world leaders at the UN headquarters in New York.

Last year, US President Donald Trump accused the UN of sabotage after the escalator he was using malfunctioned while he was heading to the General Assembly hall. Guterres said on Wednesday, "I can tell you that we have taken additional measures to ensure that no one is negatively affected by the escalator."

Aside from the efforts related to transporting delegations within the UN headquarters, the UN General Assembly faces a daunting task, with this year's theme being "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All." The General Assembly's work also begins just before the end of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's term at the end of the year, amid concerns about emerging artificial intelligence models affecting the proceedings.

Here’s what to expect as the "General Debate" of the UN General Assembly kicks off, with leaders and officials taking turns to speak from the organization's famous stone podium on Tuesday. Deals and meetings make the heavy presence of diplomats and world leaders at the UN General Assembly a key venue for holding side meetings during the main event.

Trump is scheduled to meet with Gulf leaders on Tuesday to discuss the next phase of the war with Iran, according to two US officials speaking to Afaq News. A source familiar with the matter told Afaq News that there will also be a "high-level" briefing meeting of Trump's Peace Council during the week.

This is a notable contradiction, as Trump once suggested that the council, which is supposed to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, "might" eventually replace the United Nations. Meanwhile, diplomatic sources reported that France intends to hold a follow-up meeting this week regarding the two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

France and several other Western countries announced their recognition of a Palestinian state during last year's United Nations General Assembly meetings. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that he would hold a meeting with Trump in New York, as he did last year.

This anticipated meeting follows separate meetings held by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner with Zelensky in Kyiv, and with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this month, while Trump has only spoken with Putin in the weeks following that visit. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that he would meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to Russian state media.

The General Assembly is also a place for making deals or formalizing them, as after months of threatening to forcibly annex Greenland, Trump is expected to sign an agreement—negotiated with Denmark and Greenland—that grants the United States "permanent control" over security in Greenland. It is unclear how this agreement will differ from the current arrangements, which grant the United States a significant military presence on the island.

Speeches delivered from the General Assembly podium often draw attention to the behavior of the attendees as much as they do to the speakers themselves. Last year, many delegates left the hall during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech, and in 2018, delegates interrupted President Trump's speech while he was outlining his administration's achievements.

Daniel Forti, head of the United Nations Affairs section at the International Crisis Group, told Afaq News that the list of speakers will determine the character of this year's General Assembly meetings. Forti said, "Although it seems that more than 130 heads of state or government will attend, the picture will actually be more diverse regarding the messages that world leaders send to the United Nations."

One important question is whether Chinese leader Xi Jinping will make a surprise visit to New York. Xi is scheduled to make a state visit to Washington at the same time as the General Assembly convenes.

Forti added, "The situation will be extremely difficult for the organization if Trump and Xi meet in Washington, while the two largest powers in the world are absent from engaging in UN diplomacy during the (High-Level Meetings Week)." In response to a question about Xi's agenda, Guterres told reporters that although he would like to "have President Xi Jinping with us," he met with him "twice last month," and he has no concerns about the Chinese leader's commitment to a "multilateral world order, with the United Nations at its core."

Among other prominent speakers is Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who will deliver his speech first on Tuesday, and Netanyahu, who will speak on Thursday, according to the preliminary list. Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez will appear before the United Nations for the first time on Thursday, while the country's former president, Nicolás Maduro, is imprisoned just a few miles away in Brooklyn.

Rodríguez is expected to meet with Trump before her speech. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to deliver a speech on Thursday, preceding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address.

However, the Trump administration again refused to grant Abbas a visa, so it is almost certain that he will deliver his speech to the General Assembly via video. Despite its refusal to grant visas to Palestinian officials, the U.S. administration will allow the Iranian "core delegation" - which is likely to include President Masoud Bezhakian - to come to New York.

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said on Thursday: "In line with our commitments as a host country, the core delegation of the Iranian regime will be able to attend the (High-Level Meeting Week) of the United Nations General Assembly." The spokesperson added: "The delegation will be subject to travel restrictions and will be prohibited from purchasing luxury goods and others, under our policy (regarding sanctions).

The size of the delegation will also be smaller compared to last year." Bezhakian delivering his speech in New York while his country is engaged in an actual war with the United States is almost unprecedented.

Perhaps the closest similar international precedent is the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's visit to Israel in 1977 at a time when the two countries were in a state of actual war, although that visit was part of a broader peace process. The United Nations farewell will witness this year a number of prominent farewells, as French President Emmanuel Macron will appear for the last time before the General Assembly, as will Guterres.

Forty said that the race to choose who will succeed Guterres before the end of the year will strongly dominate the interests of many attendees. The current Secretary-General is considered "the last leader of the globalization era," and he has spent a large part of his 10-year term focusing on development financing, climate change, and preparing the United Nations to deal with the rise of artificial intelligence.

The last point holds special significance for the outgoing Secretary-General, as Guterres dedicated more than half of his time in his final press conference to discussing artificial intelligence. Guterres told reporters, "Artificial intelligence will certainly be a key topic in my discussions with world leaders next week, and the United Nations will continue to explore practical ideas and trends in the coming days."]

After weeks of alarming warnings about this technology, artificial intelligence is at the forefront of the main issues on the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly this year. On Monday, several prominent figures in the technology sector, diplomats, and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt will gather at a conference on "digital cooperation."

The Security Council is scheduled to meet on Wednesday to discuss the topic of artificial intelligence, and the United States is hosting another event on the same day. Forti stated that Guterres has been candid in his views on artificial intelligence since 2021, and his focus on this emerging technology may have come at the expense of his traditional role in promoting the United Nations' peacekeeping efforts.

He said, "It is certain that Guterres has taken a very cautious and reserved stance regarding the role of the United Nations in the field of peace and security, and he certainly has not optimally utilized the mandate and legitimacy that the United Nations possesses to try to engage the organization in more peace-making efforts." Forti added that the Secretary-General's recent speech represents an opportunity for him to defend his tenure in leading the United Nations.

The analyst said, "These statements may not find receptive ears, but in the long run, they may reflect more positively on the way he faced that extremely difficult period." An informal straw poll was conducted on Friday in the United Nations Security Council to choose who will succeed Guterres, where sources told Reuters that former Costa Rican Vice President, Rebeca Greenspan, is leading by a narrow margin.

The United States has not officially announced its support for any candidate yet, but the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said that candidates should "publicly commit to the changes we demand." The spokesperson stated: "Any new Secretary-General must return the United Nations to its primary goal of maintaining global peace and security, rather than that absurd and politicized ideology based on 'hyper-awareness of social justice issues' (woke ideology), which has undermined the effectiveness of the institution.

Then money comes in 2026, and the financial situation of the United Nations General Assembly is much better than it was last year, when it faced a severe financial crisis after the United States threatened to cut off funding entirely. It seems that the Trump administration has reconsidered some of its skeptical positions towards the United Nations at least, as just before the General Assembly convened, the U.S. government sent the UN $827 million of its dues.

This is a small part of the nearly $4 billion that the United States owes to the United Nations, but it is not an insignificant amount for an organization that was facing a "looming financial collapse" in January. However, the United Nations General Assembly has increasingly been used as a platform for its critics who question its overall usefulness.

Last year, Trump posed a direct question to the assembly, asking: "What is the purpose of the United Nations?" Trump added: "It has tremendous, tremendous potential, but - for the most part - it does not even come close to realizing that potential. At least for now, it seems that all they do is craft a strongly worded message and then follow it up with no action; it’s just hollow words, and hollow words do not end wars."]

Despite the questions raised about the legitimacy of the United Nations and its increasing marginalization, Forti insists that the organization remains of great importance. The analyst states: "At this current stage of global affairs, where we are witnessing more wars than in previous decades...

Everyone still needs a platform to come together, to resolve disputes, and to agree on the rules of joint work. And frankly, the United Nations is the only organization that has legitimacy, legal authority, and the ability to bring all the countries of the world together to effectively address these issues.