Theme: United Nations

The 81st session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly opens its general debate on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, in New York, under the theme “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all”, with Secretary-General António Guterres presenting the organisation’s annual report alongside the Assembly’s president, Bangladesh’s Khalilur Rahman, according to the UN and La Voce di New York. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva speaks first, followed by Donald Trump, in the order that gives Brazil the opening slot; Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian, who addresses the hall on Wednesday, September 23, are among the most awaited. According to G1, Guterres will make an appeal for the UN’s own survival, as the organisation faces funding cuts and criticism led by Trump, and Lula is expected to defend multilateralism and national sovereignty. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will speak by video after the United States denied him a visa, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cut his New York trip down to the day of his speech, on Thursday, September 24, according to La Voce di New York.