By José Bruno-Feliz, Staff Writer
On Sept. 8 New York City began hosting the 81st United Nations General Assembly, a convention that will continue through the fall of 2027. The General Assembly Debate period began on Sept. 22 and ran through Sept. 28. This period saw heads of state from dozens of countries take the stage at The United Nations Headquarters, presenting important speeches on issues concerning their countries, The United Nations and the international community.
The General Debate keynote speech was given by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Sept. 22. Secretary-General Guterres addressed the need for civilian aid in affected regions such as the Middle East, calling for a stop of armed conflict and urged world leaders to engage in dialogue rather than conflict. The secretary-general reminded delegates of the push for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, while condemning Russia for subjecting Ukraine to what he called “a brutal war in blatant violation of the [United Nations] Charter” and called for attention on Myanmar and Sudan’s respective civil wars.
On the same day, United States President Donald Trump spoke before the assembly, opening his speech with a focus on domestic themes closely mirroring a State of the Union Address. The president then shifted focus to the ongoing conflict in Iran, reiterating his administration’s longstanding warnings regarding Iran’s nuclear program and touting how, under Operation Epic Fury, the United States Military has suppressed Iran’s defense capabilities. Beyond the Middle East, the president addressed his administration’s operations against drug cartels in the Venezuela region and touted a recent agreement reached with the Republic of Denmark, which grants the United States broad access to Greenland regarding security and military installations.
While President Trump touted his United States to the world, French President Emmanuel Macron opened with a question to the assembly “do we want to live under this state of affairs, with a return to the law of the jungle or do we want to return to civilized international society?” President Macron placed heavy importance on how the UN Charter protects people from being taken advantage of by big powers and reiterated France’s longstanding partnership with the United Nations on tackling issues such as global warming, crises and challenges with “determination, optimism through action.” The French president went on to criticize current world treatment of places such as Gaza and touted France’s commitment to aiding the affected regions and aiming to uphold international humanitarian law.
In another crucial moment, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke through a pre-recorded video due to his and his delegation’s denial of US visas for a second consecutive year. President Abbas brought a call to the end of the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and called for a reunification of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The Israel-Palestinian topic was clearly a headline and tense topic for the assembly, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced a massive walkout by many diplomats and delegates as he reached the podium. In his speech, the prime minister defended Israeli operations in the Gaza strip, calling his war crime charges a “campaign of lies” and pledging to continue Israel’s campaign against the Iranian government.
As Sept. 28 marked the conclusion of the general debate, the stark contrasts in what each country defines as a national priority is present. Now, member states will transition into sessions of committees to work on and negotiate the very topics brought in these speeches, including human rights and global security.
