2026 UN General Assembly

Iceland's Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir responded to Netanyahu's remark by saying the term 'moral cowards' applies instead to leaders who 'repeatedly disrespect international law'.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called diplomats who walked out of his UN address 'moral cowards'.

Accounts believed to be Iranian began recirculating a September 2023 video of former Israeli UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan being escorted from the General Assembly during a protest against then-Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

The encounter grew out of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to the UN General Assembly, where Netanyahu displayed a Starlink device.

Danon's representative characterized the renewed circulation of the old video as a disinformation campaign.

Saudi Arabia accused Iran of flagrant attacks on civilian and economic targets across the region in its address to the UN General Assembly.

Saudi Arabia called on the international community to condemn Houthi actions threatening Red Sea shipping.

The concept of 'values-based realism' was first put forward by Finnish president Alexander Stubb.

Trump discussed whether to 'annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly' regarding Iran in his UN speech.

Macron directly criticised Russia and Israel in his UN speech.

Ghana's President John Mahama said Security Council reform is an imperative for the legitimacy, credibility and survival of the United Nations.

The African Union's common position calls for at least two permanent African seats and five non-permanent seats on an expanded Council.

Changing the Council's permanent membership requires an amendment to the UN Charter under Article 108, requiring approval by two-thirds of the General Assembly and ratification by two-thirds of UN members, including all five permanent members.

An International Criminal Court arrest warrant has been issued against Israel's Prime Minister.

Israel's Prime Minister addressed the UN General Assembly in person.

Palestinian President Abbas addressed the UN General Assembly virtually.

Netanyahu branded the departing diplomats as 'moral cowards.'

Netanyahu said 'Before I begin, just a quick announcement, if there are any other moral cowards who haven't yet left this hall, please do so now' while addressing the UN General Assembly after a mass walkout.

Ambassador Jeff Bartos is the U.S. representative for UN management and reform.

Salam pledged to oversee the disarmament of Hezbollah in exchange for Israel's eventual full withdrawal.

More than 60 towns in southern Lebanon are still occupied by the Israeli army, where the Israelis are carrying out a systematic campaign of demolitions, according to Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr.

A US-brokered framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel in June provides for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory and the deployment of the Lebanese army in areas vacated by Israeli forces.

Benjamin Netanyahu branded Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan a "tyrant".

Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder were among those detained during the protest outside the UN.

Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel's war in Gaza was not a genocide but "the opposite of genocide".

NYPD took 103 people into custody during the protest.

The protest was a sit-in on First Avenue, a few blocks from UN headquarters.

Susan Sarandon was among those detained at an anti-Netanyahu protest in New York on Thursday.

A recent UN report warned that US bombing of vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific may constitute crimes against humanity.

In September 2019, Rodriguez accused the US of perpetrating economic terrorism at the UN General Assembly.

In her UN address, Rodriguez promised that Venezuela would hold elections at some unspecified point in time.

Israel held elections in October 2026.

Netanyahu's visit to New York was his first time in the city since Mayor Zohran Mamdani vowed to arrest him for war crimes.

Sixty percent of Americans had an unfavorable view of Israel in 2026, up from 42% in 2022.

Former US Ambassador Marc Ginsberg urged Congress to pass the "Maximum Support Act."

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the United Nations General Assembly.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran sponsored the protest.

Actor Susan Sarandon was among those arrested at the protest.

The protest outside the UN was organized by the advocacy group Jewish Voice for Peace.

Protesters blocked traffic and after police ordered them to leave, some moved to the sidewalks while others remained seated on the pavement.

Janša suggested that some European leaders have used the Palestinian issue to divert public attention from domestic economic and political problems.

Melania Trump was born in Slovenia in 1970 and grew up in the town of Sevnica.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar visited Slovenia for talks aimed at expanding political and economic cooperation.

Netanyahu attacked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during his UN speech.

Dozens of envoys walked out of Netanyahu's UN speech as it began.

Netanyahu accused Turkiye of being a spreader of anti-Semitic lies.

The US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran in February.

More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

A resolution by the International Association of Genocide Scholars stated that Israel's conduct meets the legal definition of genocide under the UN convention.

Pedro Sanchez made the comments in his address to the UN General Assembly.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned of the growing power of ‘selfish, ignorant and cruel’ forces undermining global humanity.

No African country has a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

The UN Security Council system was built in 1945.

Africa has 54 countries at the United Nations.

At least 12 journalists killed in Gaza had been reporting for Al Jazeera.

More than 270 journalists have been killed in Gaza during Israel's military campaign.

More than 73,000 people have been killed in Gaza.

Abbas called for any transitional period to lead to the reunification of Gaza and the occupied West Bank under one Palestinian state with a single legitimate armed force.

Mahmoud Abbas delivered a prerecorded video address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday.

Abbas described Palestinians as living through one of the most dangerous periods of their history.

Some observers say it is Latin America's turn to hold the UN Secretary-General position.

Five of the eight candidates for UN Secretary-General are women.

There are eight candidates in the race to become the next United Nations Secretary-General.

Netanyahu described Israel as fighting a 'seven front war' against Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran, militias in Iraq, militias in Syria, and Palestinian terrorists in Judea and Samaria.

Chants of protest could be heard in the hall as the UN president called the assembly to order.

Netanyahu thanked President Donald Trump for his leadership and for ordering U.S. action against Iran.

International cooperation is the central goal of the UNGA.

Leaders from across the world made arguments at the UN General Assembly for making the world a better place.

Debate opened at the UN General Assembly.

António Guterres described a world where cracks have become canyons.

Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica and Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana have been frontrunners to succeed António Guterres as UN Secretary General.

António Guterres's departure date as UN Secretary General is 31 December.

Yasser Arafat delivered a speech at the Durban conference denouncing Israel as a racist colonial oppressor.

The Durban conference's NGO Forum called for Israel's complete and total isolation through sanctions and embargoes.

The United States is urging other countries to join in rejecting the Durban Declaration's legacy.

Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy was scheduled to speak at the UN General Assembly.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was scheduled to speak at the UN General Assembly.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was scheduled to speak at the UN General Assembly.

Several world leaders at the 81st UN General Assembly have said the UN itself is not working.

World leaders at the General Debate criticized the five permanent Security Council members for not using their powers to help solve global crises.

Rwanda's M23 militia continues to occupy large swathes of eastern DRC.

Trump claimed the midterm election does not enter his mind when it comes to Iran.

Trump celebrated the seizure of Venezuela's dictator Nicolás Maduro in his UN speech.

Milei accused the UN of looking the other way regarding the Falkland Islands dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom.

Milei said that during the pandemic, UN-affiliated bodies promoted forced lockdown policies that resulted in millions of avoidable deaths.

Milei pointed to the UN's role in COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, which he called a type of genocide.

Trump announced the US would build new military bases in Greenland.

A US F-16 fighter jet crashed in western Germany on Tuesday and the pilot ejected safely.

Hayden Panettiere died from a fentanyl overdose according to the Greenville County coroner's office.

World leaders converge on New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Al Jazeera published a 10-question quiz asking readers to match quotes to the leaders who spoke them from the UNGA podium.

The UNGA podium has hosted some of modern diplomacy's most quoted moments, including Cold War warnings and wartime appeals.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has arrived in New York.

Iran is expected to press its case over the conflict at the UN General Assembly.

The US-Iran war is ongoing.

Israeli strikes hit east Gaza City.

Palestinians protested Israel's prison visit bans.

World leaders denounced violence at the United Nations General Assembly.

World leaders gathered in New York for the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Forti said member states are looking for a successor to Guterres who will refocus on preventing wars and deal with criticism that the UN has become unwieldy and costly.

Alanna O'Malley said the veto problem leaves the UN hamstrung.

Chris Van Hollen holds Netanyahu responsible for the killing of Americans.

US Democratic senator Chris Van Hollen has called Netanyahu a lying war criminal.

Netanyahu is visiting the UN General Assembly.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping skipped the UN General Assembly but planned to head to Washington for a high-level summit with Trump on Wednesday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Gaza "the most inhumane, most shameful concentration camp of our time."

French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to push for a moratorium on strikes on Ukraine's energy grid after meeting Trump.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US-Iran talks on the sidelines of the UNGA did not yield a breakthrough.

A Russian attack on Kyiv on Wednesday killed at least two people, according to Zelensky.

Rodríguez thanked Trump for what she called "his willingness to resume the path of diplomatic relations and cooperation" with Venezuela.

Every country at the UN gets a vote.

188 countries at the UN do not have veto power in the Security Council.

Five countries have veto power in the UN Security Council.

More than 100 world leaders are gathering in New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly.

Trump is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly.

Suspects in the Haitian president's assassination were transferred to Miami.

Sheikh Tamim said Israel openly declares it will not abide by its agreements in Lebanon.

Sheikh Tamim said what has transpired in Gaza is genocide in every sense of the word.

Sheikh Tamim said the crisis in the Gulf can be resolved through diplomatic means and reopening the Strait of Hormuz to avert war.

In the mid-1980s, the Reagan administration accused the UN of being a third-world, anti-US forum.

The US has used its host country position to exclude PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Antonio Guterres has served as UN Secretary-General for 10 years.

United States President Donald Trump is among the leaders taking the podium at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is among the leaders taking the podium at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is among the leaders taking the podium at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

Roughly 3,000 U.N. headquarters positions are being trimmed according to a senior U.S. official.

The president will leave New York Tuesday night.

Trump is scheduled to meet with leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council following his UNGA address on Tuesday.

Macron delivered his last address before the UN General Assembly as France's president on Tuesday.

Macron said the world faces a choice between living in a state of nature with a return to the law of the jungle or in a civilised international society.

Macron called for countries to recommit to international laws and the UN system over a resurgent "law of the jungle".

The United Nations General Assembly event is taking place in New York.

A June memorandum of understanding briefly raised hopes of an end to the war but collapsed last month amid disputes over navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Ahmed Helal said the talks are unlikely to produce a breakthrough, with the best-case scenario an agreement to return to negotiations potentially brokered by Qatar or Pakistan.

Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani described the economic fallout from the US-Israel war on Iran as an 'earthquake' at an event in New York on Sunday.

Lula said UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese must not be silenced for telling the truth.

Lula condemned the pain and trauma inflicted by Israel's government in Gaza at the UN General Assembly.

Flavio Bolsonaro is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Erdogan said Turkiye would continue to be the voice of a free and sovereign state of Palestine.

Erdogan said the US denied Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a visa to enter the country, the second time in two years.

Erdogan said the time had come to end the Ukraine-Russia war while keeping Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty intact.

The UN General Assembly has produced dramatic gestures, controversial remarks, fiery speeches, and walkouts over the years.

The General Assembly voted Thursday to allow Mahmoud Abbas to deliver his address by video.

Rich Goldberg said that potential energy links could make the Strait of Hormuz irrelevant.

The UN General Assembly's annual General Debate begins on September 22, 2026.

Burnham revealed to business leaders that he wants a “single set of global principles and standards” to guard against rogue AI.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres used his speech to warn about the consequences of international conflict, climate change and AI.

Trump claimed he had a “right to clean out fake news” regarding journalists banned from the White House.

Meloni's absence breaks a roughly 15-year stretch in which an Italian prime minister took part in the UNGA annual high-level debate.

Italy hosts nearly 13,000 active-duty American service members as of December 2025.

Meloni responded that it is disappointing Trump does not show the same determination with the enemies of the West.

Waltz called the U.N. body a cesspool of antisemitism.

Waltz said the U.N.'s budget has quadrupled over the past 25 years.

Deputy U.S. Representative Yaryna Ferencevych called such resolutions barnacles on the work at the U.N.

Trump called Cuba an absolutely failed state and accused it of coordinating with left-wing radicals and Communist networks in the US.

Trump said he would not give credence to the midterm elections when it comes to Iran.

Trump predicted a deal with Iran would be made right after the November 3 midterm elections.

The US is not a member of the ICC and no American has been tried before the court in The Hague.

The Trump administration frames the operations against the boats as part of a military conflict and describes drug shipments as an armed attack on US territory.

The UN report concluded that the strikes have failed to prevent the arrival of cocaine in the US on container ships.

Mary Maker is a UN Goodwill Ambassador.

Mary Maker grew up in a refugee camp in Kenya.

Mary Maker is urging world leaders to invest in education and jobs for refugees.

Trump's meeting list includes British prime minister Andy Burnham, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen, and Greenland prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.

Trump met with French president Emmanuel Macron on Monday.

Escobar and other federal lawmakers sued the Trump administration for blocking access to immigration detention centers.

Donald Trump was US President at the time of the 81st UN General Assembly High-Level Week.

Nearly 130 leaders attended the 81st High-Level Week.

The BBC's Sarah Smith outlined who Trump was set to meet and key topics expected on the agenda.