Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres officially opened the world body’s 81st General Assembly — which runs through next Monday — at its New York Headquarters
- US President Donald Trump was among the first speakers, criticizing Iran starkly but also suggesting a peace deal was possible
- Trump also spoke out against what he called globalist endeavors like joint taxes or restrictions on artificial intelligence
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for Palestinian statehood and had harsh words for Israel
- Brazil’s President Lula warned against outside interference at the upcoming presidential election
- The General Assembly comes at a time of global uncertainty as global conflict, environmental crisis and massive technical disruption foist uncertainty upon the global population
Read below for all the top headlines, videos and analyses on the 81 UN General Assembly from Sept 22, to Sept 28, 2026:
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Skip next section Turkey’s Erdogan accuses Israel of ‘genocidal mindset’ against Palestinians09/22/2026September 22, 2026
Turkey’s Erdogan accuses Israel of ‘genocidal mindset’ against Palestinians
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for the recognition of a Palestinian state in his address.
“Let everyone understand and accept the following,” Erdogan said. “Attempts to strangle the state of Palestine will fail. God willing, we shall see those good days when an independent state of Palestine — based on the 1967 borders, with territorial integrity and with East Jerusalem as its capital — will be established.”
Erdogan told the assembly that more than 1,500 people had been killed in Gaza even since the shaky ceasefire agreement was reached with Turkish help last year.
“Although the Palestinian resistance movement has agreed to move to the second stage of the peace plan,” Erdogan said of the tiered approach long stuck on step 1, “the Israeli government refuses to stop the occupation.” Israel denies that it has blocked progress with the peace plan and has accused Hamas of not meeting security requirements.
Erdogan also said the West Bank was experiencing what he regarded as escalating “settler violence and terror.”
Erdogan said he planned to “speak from the heart” and “without reservation,” saying it was a “humanitarian issue” and a matter of conscience for everyone assembled.
“We are faced with a genocidal mindset that cannot get enough of killing,” he asserted. “We are faced with an extremely serious situation. No one with a sense of humanity, mercy or compassion, no one guided by justice and conscience, can possibly remain indifferent to this picture.”
Erdogan, the longstanding leader of NATO’s only majority Muslim member, is known as a frequently staunch critic of Israel and its government. The two countries are also at odds over the post-civil war situation in their mutual neighbor Syria.
Last month, Turkey announced it had sought an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged genocide, with Netanyahu’s office responding that the Israeli prime minister was “unimpressed by Turkey’s hypocrisy.”
Editing:Zac Crellinhttps://p.dw.com/p/5N48WSkip next section Trump lauds ‘freedom,’ sovereignty and strength on 250th anniversary of US independence09/22/2026September 22, 2026
Trump lauds ‘freedom,’ sovereignty and strength on 250th anniversary of US independence
US President Donald Trump began and concluded his lengthy UN speech with references to the US Declaration of Independence from colonial British rule 250 years ago.
He said the US would stand for national sovereignty and independence and against what he termed “globalism” — whether in the shape of global taxes or international controls on artificial intelligence (AI) or at UN institutions like the International Criminal Court.
“Freedom was not a gift that Americans won easily after 250 years,” he said. “And it is not one that we will ever, ever surrender.”
He went on to tell of George Washington ordering the Declaration of Independence to be read to his troops in New York in 1776 as a British fleet approached the shore.
Trump said that the first Americans “knew that it was not enough merely to believe in great principles, we must also have the will and the courage and the strength to defend them.”
He said this was the challenge “for every nation in this room,” saying they should “go forward strong against the enemies of all humanity” and “refuse to shrink from” their duties to their people.
Trump had used his speech of roughly half an hour to portray many key points of his foreign policy — from the abduction of Nicolas Maduro to the war in Iran and his tough line on Cuba, or narcotics, or migration — as expressions of this same determination and strength.
Some world leaders were present as Trump mentioned their countries. The Cuban delegation, however, walked out mid-speech.
Declaring that as recently as two years ago, “our country was dead,” Trump said, “now we have the hottest country anywhere in the world.”
He appealed to other countries to follow his lead, concluding: “Together, through bold action, we will make this world far safer and a far better place.”
Editing:Zac Crellinhttps://p.dw.com/p/5N426Skip next section Trump boasts of Venezuelan oil deal09/22/2026September 22, 2026
Trump boasts of Venezuelan oil deal
US President Donald Trump said Washington’s actions in Venezuela proved that the county “will no longer permit threats to America.”
“If necessary, we will use our unparalleled military might to secure our interests,” Trump said.
Trump also touted the subsequent deal he made for the US to have partial control over Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, calling it “perhaps the biggest deal ever made.”
“To the victor belong the spoils” he added.
Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez was present in New York for the speech.
Editing:Zac Crellinhttps://p.dw.com/p/5N3nxSkip next section Trump calls Iran ‘bully of the Middle East’09/22/2026September 22, 2026
Trump calls Iran ‘bully of the Middle East’
US President Donald Trump spoke about the war with Iran and said he will never allow Tehran to have a nuclear weapon.
“They were the , but they are the bully no more,” Trump said, adding that he had given Tehran numerous opportunities to drop its nuclear program and stop its support of militant groups across the regions.
“They refused, which was a big mistake.”
The US leader mentioned both the September 11 attacks and the October 7 attacks in Israel, the latter being carried out by Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas.
“Just imagine such a vile regime was able to carry out terror attacks from behind a nuclear shield,” Trump said.
Trump concluded he faces a choice of whether to allow Iran regrow or to “annihilate” it.
“I believe we’ll make a deal right after the (mid term) election in the US,” Trump argued, saying he thinks Tehran is waiting to see how the US president’s Republican party fares.
However, US leader Trump said he wasn’t fazed.
“The only thing that enters my mind is that Iran doesn’t have nuclear weapons.”
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Editing:Zac Crellinhttps://p.dw.com/p/5N3fdSkip next section Brazil leader Lula criticizes UN, calls for democracy protection09/22/2026September 22, 2026
Brazil leader Lula criticizes UN, calls for democracy protection
Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticized the UN’s inability to prevent war, saying the institution’s credibility “has never been lower.”
“We are all held hostage by the Security Council’s inaction,” Lula said, adding that the current state of the world with its multiple wars is the “complete breakdown of politics.”
“This is the conviction of a plant worker that was elected leader of Brazil,” Lula said during his speech at the UN’s General Assembly.
The leftist leader also warned that “democracy is once again under threat” and made mention of Brazil’s upcoming elections in October.
Lula said Brazil would not allow “internal and external enemies of democracy” to undermine the vote, which he cast as a choice between “democracy and denialism.”
“All candidates enjoy the broadest freedom of expression. We know that some abuse that freedom to align themselves with foreign interests that run counter to the country’s interests,” Lula said, without naming county in particular.
Editing:Zac Crellinhttps://p.dw.com/p/5N3QMSkip next section Guterres speaks Gaza, West Bank situation09/22/2026September 22, 2026
Guterres speaks Gaza, West Bank situation
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres spoke about the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, saying settler expansion in the West Bank is “raising the specter of ethnic cleansing.”
“Violence, displacement and settlement expansion by Israel in the Occupied West Bank are bulldozing the path to peace and raising the specter of ethnic cleansing,” Guterres said during his opening speech at the UN General Assembly.
“We cannot allow the two-state solution to disappear before our eyes.”
Guterres also said the death and destruction in Gaza is unlike anything he has seen during his time as the UN’s head.
Editing:Zac Crellinhttps://p.dw.com/p/5N38XSkip next section Guterres calls for ‘world built on interdependence’09/22/2026September 22, 2026
Guterres calls for ‘world built on interdependence’
In his opening remarks of the UN General Assembly, the Secretary General Antonio Guterres lamented the continuation of wars “with devastating consequences” that hurt civilians, humanitarians and human rights.
“The fault lines in the world are widening, cracks have become canyons,” Guterres said, adding warnings of AI and of climate change.
Guterres called for “a world built on interdependence” and sustained by “a dense web of economic, political, social and technological connections,” also warning of a world with two rival blocs.
“Military alone cannot secure peace, technological power alone cannot commend stability,” he continued.
Editing:Zac Crellinhttps://p.dw.com/p/5N32ASkip next section UK’s Burnham ready to step onto world stage at UNGA09/22/2026September 22, 2026
UK’s Burnham ready to step onto world stage at UNGA
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham will get his first chance to address fellow leaders on the world stage Tuesday after taking over from Keir Starmer in July. Burnham’s New York sojourn follows his only other international trip, which took him to Ukraine shortly after assuming his post.
A former mayor, Burnham will use the opportunity of speaking before the UN to stake out his vision for the UK’s role in the world as it continues to reel from the tectonic shifts in relations brought on by Brexit as well as US President Donald Trump’s antagonistic view of the island’s non-royals.
Further, Burnham is expected to emphasize the UK’s role as a so-called middle-sized power as leaders like Canada’s Mark Carney and Finland’s Alexander Stubb articulate the importance of alliances in the face of US hostility toward former partners in the age of Trump.
Burnham, who had previously said he would never meet with Trump, is expected to speak with the US leader on the UNGA sidelines. Among the issues he will address will be the urgency of supplying Kyiv with air-defense missiles as winter approaches and Russia steps up infrastructure attacks.
The new UK leader, who has said he will seek “common ground” with counterparts, will no doubt also broach the economic strain of the war in Iran and the reopening of global shipping lanes. To that end, he will likely have helped his cause by offering concrete assistance to Saudi Arabia in its fight with Yemeni Houthis.
This picks up some slack created by US refusals to expand military engagement on behalf of Saudi Arabia. It is also a markedly different approach from his predecessor Starmer on whom Trump soured — over his lack of willingness to join the US “excursion” in Iran — despite numerous public displays of obsequiousness.
Editing:Zac Crellinhttps://p.dw.com/p/5N2pLSkip next section UN meeting in a world vastly changed since 80th session09/22/2026September 22, 2026
UN meeting in a world vastly changed since 80th session
As leaders gather in New York, they meet in a world in which new conflicts and crises have arisen to compound others unresolved years on. For a little perspective, here is just some of what has happened this year alone.
- In January, President Donald Trump deployed the US military to kidnap and jail Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on ‘drug trafficking’ charges. Maduro’s former deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, is now interim president , cutting a deal Washington that gives the US access to Venezuela’s oil.
- Untold numbers of Iranian citizens were killed early in the year by Tehran’s hardline government after protests erupted in late 2025.
- Almost all those leaders were killed in late February and early March when the US and Israel launched a war on Iran. The war, now in its seventh month, has plunged energy markets into crisis and put enormous strain on the global economy as it continues to spin out of control — most notably with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and escalated attacks on shipping traffic in the Red Sea — directly drawing every nation in the region into the conflict.
- That pressure has compounded the impact of Russia’s assault on Ukraine, which has only escalated in the course of four-and-a-half years. Moreover, Russia has continually needled NATO member states, launching near daily territorial incursions and cyberattacks in an effort to divide European capitals and isolate Kyiv.
- An explosive ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo — which comes on top of armed conflict in the African nation — has again highlighted a lack of preparation for the world’s next pandemic(s), signaling a failure to learn lessons from the coronavirus epidemic and the immeasurable impact that it has had on society.
- The past nine months have also shone a spotlight on the impact of human activity on climate change — with floods in Tibet and Nepal and deadly earthquakes in Venezuela and Colombia killing thousands, and massive wildfires and unheard of heatwaves spiking global deaths by the tens of thousands.
- Another issue that has burst into the global consciousness is the potentially uncontrollable advance of so-called artificial intelligence (AI), a resource devouring computing scheme that its developers say will either solve mankind’s most pressing problems or wipe out humanity within a couple of years.
These are just some of the most visible problems facing the UN’s 193 member states as the General Assembly kicks off on Tuesday, stay tuned for further developments…
Editing:Rana Tahahttps://p.dw.com/p/5N2HbSkip next section World leaders gather in New York for 81st UNGA session09/22/2026September 22, 2026
World leaders gather in New York for 81st UNGA session
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Assembly President Khalilur Rahman
will open the UN’s 81st General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Tuesday morning as world leaders gather for their annual six-day confab.
As Guterres puts it, “In a world marked by turbulence, division and uncertainty, the United Nations is more necessary than ever.”
This year’s session comes as war — mainly in Ukraine and Iran — climate catastrophe, and the specter of artificial intelligence overshadow the world’s myriad other problems.
The session offers an opportunity for leaders to politick in person with numerous bilateral meetings expected to take place on the main stage’s sidelines.
The event will likely get off to a rousing start when US President Donald Trump — who has delivered belligerent and fantastical addresses in the past — takes the stage after Brazilian President Inacio Lula Da Silva in the morning session and before Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Further speakers will include leaders from Africa, Central Asia, Europe, Scandinavia, South America and the Middle East.
A full schedule is available here
Editing:Rana Tahahttps://p.dw.com/p/5N0r7Skip next section Welcome to our coverage09/22/2026September 22, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Good morning and welcome to our coverage of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
The day’s schedule includes an opening address from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that comes at a time when the body itself is under threat from US President Donald Trump — who has repeatedly expressed his willingness to renege on US financial obligations to the body if it does not bend to his will — and in the face of myriad global crises ranging from financial and environmental disasters to spreading conflict, rampant disease and the looming threat of so-called artificial intelligence.
Among those who will join Guterres and Trump are Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as the leaders of Finland and Lithuania, and France’s President Emmanuel Macron.
Stay tuned to DW for the latest during the confab, which ends next Monday, September 28.
Editing:Rana Tahahttps://p.dw.com/p/5N0r3Show more posts
