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The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly wrapped up on Monday after a week of high-level speeches in which artificial intelligence, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the US-Israel war on Iran emerged as the defining themes. The annual gathering in New York brought together heads of state and foreign ministers at a moment when the world body faces mounting pressure from unilateral actions by major powers, most notably the United States.
In his farewell address before leaving office, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres framed the global moment around four decisive tests: artificial intelligence, climate change, war, and inequality. He argued that power—over force, money, energy, technology, rules, and the future—sits at the heart of each challenge, which is why the UN Charter and the institution's work remain as relevant as ever. His remarks set a sober tone for a debate that repeatedly returned to questions of international law and institutional credibility.
Nowhere was that tension more visible than on the question of Palestine. France, Canada, Iraq, the United Kingdom, and other nations used their podium time to press for Palestinian sovereignty, even as Israel's military campaign in Gaza continued despite a nominal ceasefire and settler violence escalated across the occupied West Bank. French President Emmanuel Macron delivered one of the sharpest interventions, asking what credibility the international community could claim if it stayed passive in Gaza, and warning that a supposed peace had done nothing to reopen humanitarian corridors.
Macron, alongside British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Canadian counterpart Mark Carney, and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, chaired a UNGA meeting focused on Palestinian statehood—a project Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has actively undermined through accelerated settlement construction and what critics describe as impunity for settler attacks in occupied territory.
On the sidelines of the debate, the US-led Board of Peace unveiled a reconstruction blueprint for Gaza comprising 66 projects with proposed funding of $2.4 billion. The plan notably excludes UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, stating the agency has no role in Gaza's future. Palestinian political analyst and playwright Ahmed Najar told Al Jazeera that the decision aligns with Israeli efforts to marginalise and ultimately dismantle UNRWA, removing it not only from Gaza's present but from its future.
Netanyahu's own address prompted dozens of delegates to walk out of the hall in protest. In his speech, he declared that Israeli forces would keep fighting Hamas and Iran, underscoring the deep divisions that ran through the chamber during the week.
US President Donald Trump used his address to draw a contrast between his record and the rhetoric of other leaders, asserting that while others spoke of peace, he had made peace. He defended the January abduction of then-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, claiming that since the military operation hundreds of political prisoners had been freed and that Caracas had signed what he described as the largest oil deal in history—covering 65 billion barrels—which he said would benefit both Venezuela and the United States and help lower global energy costs. He also revived his campaign slogan about spoils belonging to the victor.
Turning to Iran, Trump reiterated that Tehran would never be permitted to obtain nuclear weapons. He claimed the 12-day war in July 2025 had obliterated Iran's nuclear programme beneath mountains of rubble, and that the ongoing US-Israel campaign had sunk 159 Iranian naval vessels. He framed the next steps as a stark choice between allowing Iran to rebuild through a deal or annihilating the Islamic Republic outright, adding that he believed an agreement would come right after the elections.
Iranian officials, by contrast, found themselves in high demand during sideline talks and bilateral meetings. President Masoud Pezeshkian told delegates that Iran had only ever defended itself against attacks that killed the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, scientists, and children, rejecting characterisations of his country as terrorist and describing the strikes as cowardly aggressions imposed from outside. He also insisted that Iran would not accept the exclusive control of peaceful nuclear technology by a handful of nations, saying Tehran would not bow its head or surrender a right that is inherently its own.
On the margins of the summit, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held meetings with counterparts from India, Qatar, Turkiye, Pakistan, Ukraine, and other states. He also sat down with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner for a four-hour session mediated by Qatar—a rare direct channel between Washington and Tehran amid the broader confrontation.
Artificial intelligence emerged as another dominant thread, with leaders urging a coordinated global approach as the technology's influence expands and fears grow about the consequences of unregulated development. Finnish President Alexander Stubb called AI the most consequential technology in human history, warning that it would reshape science, the economy, politics, security, and the very essence of humanity. He stressed that humans can and should remain in the driver's seat, and that cooperation—rather than competition or a deliberate slowdown—is the best path forward.
While the conversation has moved beyond a simplistic good-versus-bad framing, officials remained divided on how to govern AI. Guterres and the European Union pushed for safety-focused guardrails, reflecting a broader split over whether regulation should prioritise risk mitigation, innovation, or geopolitical advantage.
Taken together, the debate laid bare a UN caught between calls for reform and the reality of unilateral foreign policy that has steadily eroded the institution's authority. The speeches ranged from appeals to uphold international law to demands for restructuring the Security Council and its veto system, a proposal Turkiye raised during the session. With Guterres preparing to leave office and major conflicts unresolved, the 81st UNGA closed with more questions than answers about whether the world body can still shape the outcomes it warns about.
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