United Nations General Assembly Summit: 80 Years

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CWA # 1927

State of Global Politics 2025

United Nations General Assembly Summit: 80 Years

The World This Week #338, Vol 7, No 52, 31 December 2025

Lekshmi MK
31 December 2025

What happened?

High-level attendance & opening

From 22-29 September, the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly was held at UN headquarters in New York under the theme “Better Together: 80 Years and More for Peace, Development and Human Rights.”

More than 150 heads of state and government participated in the high-level general debate, making it one of the year's most-attended diplomatic gatherings.

Notable leadership addresses

United Nations

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his address, stressed that multilateral institutions remain indispensable for addressing interconnected challenges such as armed conflict, climate change, technological disruption, and widening global inequalities. Guterres also emphasised that peace cannot be sustained without reform, noting that the UN must be “updated to reflect today’s geopolitical realities.”

United States:
In a speech, President Donald Trump questioned the effectiveness of the UN and reiterated a transactional view of global cooperation. He also stated that the organisation must “serve the interests of sovereign nations, not constrain them.” His remarks reflected continued scepticism toward multilateral institutions and collective burden-sharing.

European Union:
Representing the European Union, European Council President Antonio Costa reaffirmed the bloc’s normative stance, emphasising that the EU remains committed to “a rules-based international order, multilateralism, and sustainable development.” This positioned the Union as a defender of institutional cooperation.

Ukraine:
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky urged sustained international support against violations of sovereignty and international law.

African Leaders:
Several African leaders highlighted enduring structural inequalities in the international system, calling for urgent action on development and peace, with repeated emphasis on the need for “fair representation and equitable access to global decision-making.”

Key joint statements and collective positions
Collectively, UNGA 2025 produced a series of joint statements. On the sidelines of the General Assembly, the G7 Foreign Ministers issued a joint communique, reaffirming continued support for Ukraine and underscoring commitment to sovereignty and international law.

Across the General Debate, multiple delegations including the European Union, India, African states, and other Global South countries, stressed to make global governance more representative and responsive.

Leaders also reiterated collective commitments to multilateralism, human rights, and the Sustainable Development Goals, alongside renewed advocacy on climate finance, development assistance, and inclusive technological access.

What is the background?
First, UNGA has successfully set global priorities, its ability to translate them into outcomes has remained weak. Over the past 80 years, the United Nations General Assembly has been the most inclusive global forum, giving all member states an equal voice regardless of power or size. Its success lies in agenda-setting, raising global awareness on issues such as decolonisation, development, human rights, and climate change, and shaping international norms through resolutions and debates. However, this success has also been accompanied by structural limitations. The General Assembly’s resolutions are non-binding, and it lacks enforcement mechanisms, making its influence largely moral and political rather than operational. UNGA 2025 reaffirmed this dual reality. While leaders used the platform to signal priorities, build narratives, and mobilise international opinion. However, the Assembly was unable to translate broad consensus into outcomes. This reflects a long-standing issue, where UNGA remains central to global dialogue but peripheral to decision-making on security and enforcement, which continue to be dominated by power politics and other UN bodies.

Second, the UNGA was unable to produce any breakthrough or unified approach to conflict resolution. Ongoing conflicts, particularly the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, occupied a central place in UNGA 2025. This highlighted the depth of the current global security crisis. The General Assembly served as a platform for widespread expressions of concern, calls for ceasefires, and appeals for dialogue and restraint. This emphasis reflected the expectation that UNGA should function as a moral and diplomatic space where collective pressure can be framed against violence. However, the Assembly was unable to produce any breakthrough or unified approach to conflict resolution. Deep divisions among major powers, competing geopolitical interests, and the absence of enforcement authority constrained UNGA’s capacity to move beyond rhetoric. As a result, the debates revealed a familiar pattern of strong consensus on the need for peace, but little agreement on how to achieve it.

Third, multilateralism and climate justice have become central to UNGA 2025 debates. Multilateralism and climate justice emerged as some of the most consistently discussed themes at UNGA 2025. Many states, particularly from the Global South, emphasised the need for collective solutions to challenges such as climate change, development inequality, and technological access. Climate-vulnerable countries highlighted the disproportionate burden they face despite contributing least to global emissions, reinforcing demands for climate finance, adaptation support, and loss-and-damage mechanisms. These debates underscored UNGA’s role as a forum where shared grievances and collective aspirations can be articulated. At the same time, the discussions revealed tensions within multilateralism. While there was broad support for cooperation, disagreements persisted over responsibility-sharing, financing, and implementation. UNGA 2025 thus reflected the demand for multilateralism and the frustration over its slow and uneven delivery, particularly on climate justice and sustainable development.

What is expected in 2026?
First, the General Assembly is likely to remain an agenda-setting forum with limited enforcement capacity. The United Nations General Assembly is expected to continue functioning primarily as an agenda-setting and deliberative forum in 2026. While calls for stronger enforcement and institutional reform may intensify, the Assembly’s non-binding character is unlikely to change. As in upcoming years, UNGA will shape narratives and political priorities, but enforcement will remain dependent on states and other UN bodies rather than the Assembly itself.

Second, confidence in the General Assembly will persist, even as compliance remains selective. Member states are likely to continue engaging with UNGA as a legitimate and inclusive platform. However, they may bypass its resolutions when national interests prevail. This pattern suggests that the Assembly’s moral authority will endure, even as its practical influence remains uneven.

Third, diplomatic outcomes are more likely to emerge on the sidelines than through formal resolutions. UNGA 2026 is expected to serve primarily as a convening hub, with ceasefires, mediation efforts, and political understandings negotiated through bilateral and minilateral engagements surrounding the Assembly rather than through binding resolutions adopted on the floor.

About the author
Lekshmi MK is a Postgraduate student at NIAS, Bengaluru.

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