World Leaders Converge on New York as UN General Assembly Opens Amid Wars and Cash Crunch
The UN's annual high-level meeting opens in New York with Trump, Zelenskyy and Netanyahu set to speak, while a funding crisis looms.
New York becomes the world's diplomatic capital this week as the United Nations General Assembly convenes its annual high-level meeting, drawing leaders from its 193 member states for a packed schedule of speeches, private talks and public diplomacy.
The UN was founded in the aftermath of World War II as a forum where countries could come together on peace and security, human rights and humanitarian crises. Each year, its members gather in New York to debate the issues confronting the world.
U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to open Tuesday's session with an address. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to hold a series of high-stakes meetings, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to speak on Thursday afternoon.
Several major figures will be absent from the world stage. China's Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong-un have not been confirmed as attendees, and in recent years those countries have generally sent senior diplomats in their place. Trump, however, is expected to meet Xi later in the week.
The agenda this year spans the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, climate change, inequality and artificial intelligence.
Behind the diplomacy lies a serious financial strain on the organisation, driven largely by billions of dollars in unpaid dues owed by the United States, its largest donor. Aid agencies have already begun cutting jobs and programmes as a result.
Even when public speeches fail to shift positions, the private conversations held on the sidelines of the gathering carry the potential to shape what happens next.