World leaders meet at the UN General Assembly as the Gaza war, Trump’s return, Palestinian statehood momentum, and Iran nuclear tensions dominate the agenda.
Trump, who has called for cutting U.S. financing for the U.N., halted U.S. engagement with the U.N. Human Rights Council, extended a halt to funding for the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, and resigned from the U.N. cultural organization UNESCO, will be the main speaker at this year's 80th General Assembly.
He has also declared his intention to leave the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accord.
Trump will speak on Tuesday, eight months into his second term, during which time the United States has drastically reduced its foreign aid, causing humanitarian disaster around the world and raising concerns about the future of the United Nations, which has led Guterres to strive to reduce expenses and increase efficiency.
"He enjoys the General Assembly. He enjoys the attention of other leaders,"
International Crisis Group U.N. director Richard Gowan said of Trump. "My suspicion is he is going to be using his appearance to boast about his many achievements and perhaps once again, make the case he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize."
Trump describes the U.N. as having "great potential" but says it has to get its "act together." He has maintained the same wary stance on multilateralism that was a hallmark of his first term from 2017 to 2021 and also accused the world body of failing to help him try to broker peace in various conflicts.
"The U.N. has very strong efforts in peace mediation ... but we have no carrots and no sticks,"
Guterres said. The U.N. Security Council is the only U.N. body that can impose sanctions, but it has been deadlocked on the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine because the U.S. and Russia are veto powers.
"The United States has carrots and sticks. So in some situations, if you are able to combine the two, I think we can have a very effective way to make sure that some peace process at least can lead to a successful result,"
Guterres said.
The U.N. leader said he has arranged more than 150 bilateral encounters with Trump, calling the week "the World Cup of diplomacy." He and Trump are due to meet formally for the first time since Trump returned to office in January next week.
As a humanitarian crisis unfolds in the Palestinian territory, where an international hunger monitor has indicated that the initial stages of starvation has begun and is expected to expand by the end of the month, and as the fighting between Israel and Hamas-related terrorists in the Gaza Strip approaches two years, leaders are convening.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to address the General Assembly on Friday. He is being sought for arrest by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, an allegation that Israel denies.
Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said of the upcoming New York gathering: "We will remind the world once again that this war will not end with the hostages left behind in Gaza."
Leaders will meet on Monday for a conference hosted by France and Saudi Arabia with the goal of accelerating the two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians before the General Assembly speeches start on Tuesday.
Although some have placed restrictions, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Canada, and France have all promised to formally recognize a Palestinian state.
Mahmoud Abbas, the president of Palestine, will not be present. The U.S., a strong supporter of Israel, has come under fire at the U.N. for refusing to grant him a visa. Both Monday's meeting and his General Assembly speech, which is set for Thursday of next week, are anticipated to be televised.
"Palestine is going to be the huge elephant in this session of the General Assembly," said Palestinian U.N. envoy Riyad Mansour.
Russia's more than three-year-old war in Ukraine is another issue at the top of the U.N. agenda, but little progress is anticipated.
The General Assembly will hear speeches from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The annual U.N. meeting is not customarily attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During the high-level General Assembly session, the 15-member U.N. Security Council, which is tasked with upholding global peace and security, is anticipated to hold discussions on Gaza and Ukraine, according to diplomats.
Tehran aims to prevent the reintroduction of all U.N. Security Council sanctions on the Islamic Republic on September 28, thus there will also be last-minute diplomacy regarding Iran's nuclear program in New York.
What impact might the UN discussions have on Gaza and Middle East peace?
The UN presents a venue for the global leaders to coordinate calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, adding pressure to the parties engaged in hostilities to suspend their fighting.
At the same time, high-level discussion and the passage of testimony through resolutions, reaffirming international law and humanitarian principles may breathe a little life into any diplomatic process focused on a negotiated solution.
Political courage and the encouragement for multilateral cooperation, stressed by UN officials, hopes to create a viable opening for renewed discussions towards a ceasefire based on a two-state opportunity that respects Palestinian rights.
The Assembly will also create an opportunity for considerable global scrutiny around Israel's actions/inaction in Gaza in conjunction with the related humanitarian crisis, as noted in the UN report on genocide in recent weeks.