The United Nations General Assembly: A Podium of Rhetoric Stripped of Action and Influence

By Mamoun Osman

Since its establishment in 1945 with 51 founding members, the United Nations has grown to include 193 member states. Two non-member entities — the Holy See (Vatican) and the State of Palestine — hold observer status, allowing their leaders to address the General Assembly. In addition, the European Union, as a collective body, also enjoys observer status, enabling its representatives to speak on the global stage.

Attention is now turning toward next year’s hotly anticipated race to select a new UN Secretary-General to succeed António Guterres, whose second five-year term ends on December 31, 2026. The choice of his successor will require the 15-member Security Council to agree on a candidate before recommending them to the General Assembly. This process effectively grants veto power to the Council’s five permanent members — the United States, Britain, China, France, and Russia.

(1) The Honor of Speaking

Tradition dictates that Brazil always opens the General Assembly’s debate. According to UN officials, this practice dates back to the organization’s early years, when most countries were reluctant to speak first, preferring to wait and gauge global positions in the aftermath of World War II. Brazil consistently volunteered, setting a precedent that continues to this day.

As host nation, the United States is second to address the Assembly. The speaking order is then determined by a mix of protocol — with heads of state first, followed by vice presidents, crown princes, prime ministers, foreign ministers, and other senior officials — and by the order in which delegations register their arrival.

(2) How Much Time to Speak?

The Assembly president, or presiding officer, asks speakers to voluntarily limit their remarks to 15 minutes. In reality, many exceed this limit. One of the longest speeches in UN history was delivered by Cuban leader Fidel Castro in 1960, lasting nearly four and a half hours. In 2009, Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi spoke for more than 90 minutes.

(3) What Will They Talk About?

Each Assembly session opens with a designated theme. This year’s is: “Better Together: Eighty Years and Beyond for Peace, Development, and Human Rights.” Delegates may briefly address the theme before shifting to their own priorities, whether national, regional, or international.

Expected topics this year include global conflicts and their humanitarian tolls — most prominently the wars in Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine — as well as climate change, economic development, poverty, hunger, and gender equality.

(4) The Israeli Assault on Gaza

This year’s debate convenes as Israel’s war on Gaza nears its second anniversary, with a humanitarian catastrophe deepening by the day. UN agencies warn famine could spread by month’s end.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to address the Assembly, despite an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza — charges Israel rejects. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not attend in person after being denied a U.S. visa; he is expected to appear via video link.

(5) The War in Sudan

The conflict in Sudan, now in its third year, has triggered what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Famine grips large parts of the country, particularly around El-Fasher in North Darfur, home to several major displacement camps run by UN agencies, including Zamzam, Abu Shouk, Salam, and Nivasha.

Last June, the Security Council adopted Resolution 2736 demanding that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) lift their year-long siege of El-Fasher. The RSF has defied the order, underscoring the contrast between Security Council resolutions — legally binding — and General Assembly resolutions, which remain largely symbolic.

On September 13, the so-called “Quartet” — the U.S., UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt — called for a three-month humanitarian truce leading to a permanent ceasefire, while also suggesting the exclusion of certain Sudanese political actors from any future process. The statement was met with fierce rejection inside Sudan, with many accusing the four powers of crossing the line from mediation into direct interference.

(6) The Russia–Ukraine War

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will use the Assembly to rally global backing for Kyiv. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump is positioning himself as a potential mediator in the war, now in its fourth year.

The conflict continues to reverberate across the global economy, particularly in food supply chains reliant on Russian and Ukrainian grain. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is set to speak on Wednesday, while the Security Council will hold a high-level meeting on Ukraine. Observers are watching closely to see whether Washington unveils new sanctions or other measures to pressure Moscow toward negotiations.

(7) Iran’s Nuclear Program

Iran’s nuclear file will once again feature in Assembly discussions. Tehran faces the looming threat of renewed UN sanctions after September 28. President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are expected to attend in person.

(8) The Syrian File

Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, will make his first appearance before the General Assembly. His rise to power last December, following a lightning offensive by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham that toppled Bashar al-Assad, ended 13 years of civil war.

Although both al-Sharaa and HTS remain under UN sanctions, Washington granted him a visa to attend the New York session from September 21 to 25. His participation is expected to draw attention back to Syria’s fragile search for stability.

(9) Climate Change

Small island nations and climate-vulnerable states will once again press industrialized countries to uphold commitments under the Paris Agreement, as global temperatures continue to rise and extreme weather events worsen.

(10) Women’s Rights

On Monday, world leaders will mark the 30th anniversary of the landmark Beijing Conference on Women, which coined the phrase: “Women’s rights are human rights.” While the event aims to renew commitments made in 1995, speakers are expected to lament the lack of progress amid growing attacks on women’s rights worldwide.

A Platform of Rhetoric, Not Action

For all its prominence, the General Assembly remains more a theater of diplomacy than a driver of real change. Leaders use it to outline official positions, float initiatives, or send signals — whether conciliatory or confrontational. Speeches can shape media narratives, sway public opinion, or influence alliances, but their practical effect is limited.

Experts note that Assembly records serve as an archive of states’ intentions, often cited in human rights reports and international legal disputes. Yet two hard realities curb the Assembly’s influence: first, its resolutions are non-binding under Articles 10 and 14 of the UN Charter; second, the imbalance of power within the UN system, where the five permanent Security Council members wield veto power and block institutional reforms.

Until these structural flaws are addressed, the UN General Assembly will remain a stage for speeches — eloquent or incendiary — but stripped of the ability to shape events on the ground.