80th UN General Assembly Main Session Begins
As per tradition, the first head of state to speak was Brazil’s president. This practice began in 1955 when Brazil voluntarily offered to deliver the opening address. Usually, the United States (as the host country) speaks second. At Tuesday’s high-level general debate, speeches were delivered by U.S. President Donald Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, French President Emmanuel Macron, along with 16 other world leaders. Each country’s leader is allotted 15 minutes, though in practice their speeches usually run longer.
The main segment of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly has begun. As in every year, this year too the session officially opened on the second Tuesday of September (the 9th). However, world leaders started delivering their speeches at the UN Headquarters in New York from Tuesday, the main event day. The speeches are delivered in two parts: the first session runs from 9:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. local time, followed by a break, then the second session continues from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The debate will run until September 27, with no sessions on Sunday. The assembly will close on September 29. (Sources: BBC, Al Jazeera)
As per tradition, the first head of state to speak was Brazil’s president. This practice began in 1955 when Brazil voluntarily offered to deliver the opening address. Usually, the United States (as the host country) speaks second. At Tuesday’s high-level general debate, speeches were delivered by U.S. President Donald Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, French President Emmanuel Macron, along with 16 other world leaders. Each country’s leader is allotted 15 minutes, though in practice their speeches usually run longer.
Venue:
Like every year, the General Assembly is being held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, located on the East River in Manhattan. Built between 1949 and 1952, the complex is UN-owned and remains the world’s primary hub for diplomacy. This year, however, Palestinian representatives are unable to attend in person because the U.S. did not grant them visas. They will address the assembly virtually instead. A similar incident occurred back in 1988. Such cases are rare in UN history, but once again, Palestine has become the focal point.
Agenda:
The 80th General Assembly convenes under the theme: “Better Together: 80 Years and More for Peace, Development, and Human Rights.” Issues on the table include recognition of a Palestinian state, the Gaza war, the Ukraine crisis, climate change, artificial intelligence, and the global food crisis.
On Monday, during a high-level meeting in New York co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, France, Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, and Monaco officially recognized Palestine as a state. The day before, Australia, Canada, Portugal, and the United Kingdom had made the same declaration. As a result, out of 193 UN member states, 157 now officially recognize Palestine—about 81 percent of the global community. However, full UN membership for Palestine remains blocked by the United States’ veto power.
Analysts note that this wave of recognition adds new momentum to international support for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
“Human Rights Are the Foundation of Peace” – Guterres
The opening speech was delivered by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, followed by General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock. Guterres strongly emphasized human rights in his remarks, which carried special weight following a UN Human Rights Council commission report accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
Guterres stated:We must choose human dignity and human rights. Human rights are not an ornament of peace, they are its foundation.”
He further added: Choosing rights is not about empty words. It means choosing justice over silence.”
The Secretary-General expressed deep concern over the Gaza war, saying:The horror in Gaza is now entering its third cruel year. This is the result of decisions that deny the most basic humanity. During my tenure as Secretary-General, I have not seen death and destruction on such a massive scale in any other conflict.”
Although he first spoke about Sudan and Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, Guterres placed the greatest emphasis on Gaza. He pointed out that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has already issued multiple rulings on Gaza, including requiring Israel to prevent genocide, cooperate internationally, and increase humanitarian aid.
He also condemned Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack and hostage-taking, but stressed:Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people or the systematic destruction of Gaza.”