On Tuesday, nearly ۱۳۰ heads of state and government are expected to begin taking the podium at the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York as the high-level general debate opens.
The debate is the key event of the UNGA’s annual session, which began on September ۸, when Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh took office as president.
In this visual explainer, Al Jazeera looks at what happens at the UNGA, who will speak, and the key moments to watch.
When is UNGA ۲۰۲۶?
The debate opens on Tuesday, September ۲۲, runs through Saturday, September ۲۶, and resumes on Monday, September ۲۸, as no sessions are held on Sunday.
It runs in two daily sessions: from ۹am to ۲:۴۵pm local time (۱۳:۰۰ GMT to ۱۸:۴۵ GMT) and from ۳pm to ۹pm (۱۹:۰۰ GMT to ۰۱:۰۰ GMT the next day).
Statements are expected to observe a voluntary ۱۵-minute limit, though many run longer, and meetings continue until all scheduled speakers have spoken.
Who is speaking at UNGA ۲۰۲۶, and when?
The session opens with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who introduces his annual report and is expected to give his final address, followed by UNGA President Khalilur Rahman, who formally opens the debate.
By tradition, Brazil is always the first country to speak, a practice that began in ۱۹۵۵ when it volunteered to open the debate, when no other country would. The United States, as the host country, usually speaks second, and President Donald Trump is expected to take the podium after Brazil on Tuesday morning, likely around ۹:۴۵am local time (۱۳:۴۵ GMT).
For all other member states, the speaking order is determined by the level of representation (head of state, head of government, or minister), expressed preferences, and geographic balance.
The Holy See (Vatican City), the State of Palestine, and the European Union are also invited to participate, with their speaking slots set according to their representation.
Speakers for day one are shown in the graphic below. The speaking schedule for the remaining days will be published in the coming days.
Where is the UNGA held?
The UNGA is held at the UN headquarters, which is located along the East River in Manhattan, New York.
The complex, built between ۱۹۴۹ and ۱۹۵۲, is owned by the UN and is considered international territory. It serves as the main hub for international diplomacy.
The UNGA has not always been held in New York. The first six UNGA sessions took place in different cities, beginning in London and later including Paris. Since ۱۹۵۲, however, nearly all sessions have been held at the UN headquarters in New York.
Some notable exceptions include ۱۹۸۸, when the UNGA met in Geneva, Switzerland, after the US denied a visa to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
This time, for the second year running, the US has denied visas to Palestinian officials, so President Mahmoud Abbas will address the UNGA by prerecorded video after member states voted to allow it.
The Trump administration’s decision has drawn widespread criticism, with the UN asserting that it violates the Host Country Agreement, which obligates the US to allow heads of state and government to travel to New York for annual meetings and other diplomatic business, with full diplomatic immunity.
What is on the UNGA ۲۰۲۶ agenda?
The ۸۱st UNGA has the theme “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all”, which is set out in the UN’s information note on the arrangements for the high-level week.
Alongside the speeches, the UN has scheduled high-level meetings on climate action and a just transition and on the ۴۰th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development (September ۲۳), on sea level rise (September ۲۴), on pandemic preparedness (September ۲۵), on the ۲۵th anniversary of the Durban Declaration against racism (September ۲۸), and on eliminating nuclear weapons (September ۲۹).
Many speeches are also expected to focus on the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, artificial intelligence and the UN’s funding squeeze, while diplomats watch the race to succeed Guterres, whose term ends on December ۳۱.
Who will be the next UN chief?
The UNGA formally appoints the secretary-general, but the choice is not expected to be made this week. The UN Security Council (UNSC) is still holding straw polls and must recommend a candidate first.
Guterres’s second and final term ends on December ۳۱, and the race to succeed him is under way. There have been nine secretaries-general since the UN was founded in ۱۹۴۵, all of them men. Several UNSC members have said they want a woman to lead the organisation for the first time.
Seven candidates remain in the running, four women and three men, but more could still enter the race:
- Rebeca Grynspan (Costa Rica): Secretary-general of UNCTAD and former vice president of Costa Rica
- Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett (Guyana): Guyana’s permanent representative to the UN and former foreign minister
- Ivonne Baki (Ecuador): Diplomat and former minister of foreign trade
- Maria Fernanda Espinosa (Ecuador): Former president of the UNGA and former foreign minister
- Rafael Grossi (Argentina): Director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency
- Macky Sall (Senegal): Former president of Senegal
- Olara Otunnu (Uganda): Former foreign minister and ex-UN undersecretary-general
Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet withdrew on Saturday after winning support from only one of the ۱۵ UNSC members in the latest informal vote. The same vote put Costa Rica’s Grynspan narrowly ahead, with nine of the ۱۵ members encouraging her candidacy, five discouraging it, and one with no opinion. Guyana’s Rodrigues-Birkett came second, with eight votes to encourage, six to discourage and one with no opinion, diplomats and sources close to the process said.
The UNSC must settle on one candidate with no veto from its five permanent members before recommending them to the UNGA.
When did each nation join the UN?
The UN was established after World War II, growing from ۵۱ members in ۱۹۴۵ to ۱۹۳ today, with two non-member observer states: Palestine and the Holy See (Vatican City).
The aim of the UN was to prevent future conflicts, promote international peace and security, foster cooperation among nations, protect human rights and support social and economic development worldwide – goals that many critics say it is increasingly failing to deliver on.
Each member has one vote in the UNGA, whose resolutions are generally nonbinding recommendations. That sets it apart from the ۱۵-member UNSC, where five permanent members hold a veto and decisions can be legally binding.
Use the table below to find out when each country joined the UN.
