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General debate of the eightieth session of the United Nations General Assembly

September 2025 session From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

General debate of the eightieth session of the United Nations General Assembly
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For broader coverage of this topic, see Eightieth session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The general debate of the eightieth session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) opened on 23 September 2025 and ran until 29 September.[1] Leaders from a number of member states addressed the UNGA.

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Organisation and subjects

The order of speakers is given first to member states, then observer states and supranational bodies. Any other observer entities will have a chance to speak at the end of the debate, if they so choose. Speakers will be put on the list in the order of their request, with special consideration for ministers and other government officials of similar or higher rank. According to the rules in place for the general debate, the statements should be in one of the United Nations official languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian or Spanish) and will be interpreted by interpreters.[2] Each speaker is requested to provide advance copies of their statements to the conference officers to facilitate interpretation. The theme for the 2025 general debate was chosen by the President of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, as: "Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights".[1] On 24 September, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa addressed the general debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, becoming the first Syrian leader to address the UNGA since Nureddin al-Atassi in 1967.[3][nb 1]

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Controversial speeches

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Colombia

Colombian President Gustavo Petro made a speech advocating climate action, criticizing the Trump administration, and calling for military intervention in the Gaza genocide. He advocated forming "an armed force to defend the lives of the Palestinian people" and accused the United States and NATO of "killing democracy and reviving tyranny and totalitarianism on a global scale."[6][7]

Following his speech, Petro participated in a protest where he spoke militarism in the United States, saying, "I ask all soldiers in the US not to point their rifles at humanity. Disobey Trump's order! Obey the order of humanity!" The United States revoked his visa shortly after.[8]

Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a speech that received significant media attention and was met with significant backlash.

On 26 September, the day of the speech, protesters assembled in various locations throughout New York City, including the UN headquarters, Times Square, and outside the News Corp. Building, to protest the Gaza war and Netanyahu's address. Large crowds marching to the UN chanted "Free, free Palestine," and some signs read "END ALL U.S. AID TO ISRAEL!", "STOP STARVING GAZA", and "STOP THE GENOCIDE, FREE PALESTINE". Many of the protesters were Jewish Americans. Pro-Israel counter-protesters, including Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, confronted the protesters.[9][10]

When it was time for Netanyahu's address, the majority of UNGA delegates collectively walked out in protest of Israel's actions during the Gaza war—"a sign of Israel's growing international isolation." The General Assembly chamber was "relatively empty" during his speech.[11][12]

Netanyahu's speech primarily focused on promoting Israeli nationalism, discrediting allegations of human rights abuses, alleging widespread global antisemitism, and characterizing Israel as a victim of attacks by various forces in the Middle East.[13] He made a joke in his speech about the UN being "not exactly a supporter of Israel" which was met with silence, after which he said, "you're supposed to laugh, by the way."[13] Netanyahu said those who accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza are antisemitic[13] and claimed a genocide is not happening in Gaza, even though Israel is currently committing genocide in Gaza according to consensus amongst experts,[14] a United Nations special committee and commission of inquiry;[15][16] humanitarian and human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Médecins Sans Frontières, and Human Rights Watch;[17] international law experts;[18][19] and genocide studies scholars,[20] including 86% of voters in the International Association of Genocide Scholars.[21][22]

Netanyahu claimed Israeli intelligence had "hacked the smartphones of people in Gaza and would stream his speech to them directly." According to BBC sources in Gaza, phones were not actually affected.[9] Netanyahu "surrounded Gaza with massive loudspeakers" according to CNN to broadcast his speech, telling Hamas to release the "remaining hostages or face death," even though the families of the hostages publicly opposed doing so.[23]

United States

See also: 2025 Donald Trump speech at the United Nations

US President Donald Trump urged for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). However, he expressed his belief that the acknowledgment of a Palestinian state by various Western nations was a reward for Hamas. He advocated that the release of Israeli captives was important in order to end the conflict.[24]

Following Trump's address, the leaders of two prominent Muslim nations, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, spoke at the General Assembly. Subianto remarked, "No nation can subjugate the entire human race," adding, "While we may appear weak as individuals, our collective sense of injustice will empower us as a formidable force to confront it." Erdogan stated that there were individuals complicit with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who remained silent in the face of his acts of brutality.[25]

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Speaking schedule

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Since 1955, Brazil and the United States have been the first and second countries to speak. Other countries follow according to a speaking schedule issued by the Secretariat.[2]

The list of speakers is published and updated daily in the Journal of the United Nations,[26] and on the general debate website.[1]

23 September

Morning session

Afternoon session

24 September

Morning session

Afternoon session

25 September

Morning session

Afternoon session

26 September

Morning session

Afternoon session

27 September

Morning session

Afternoon session

29 September

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Notes

  1. [1]
    Nureddin al-Atassi spoke after the Six-Day War, not during the general debate.[4] Neither Hafez al-Assad nor Bashar al-Assad spoke at the UNGA during their presidencies.[5]

References

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