Palestine, AI take center stage in the 80th anniversary of UN General Assembly

The high-level general debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly begins in New York on Tuesday under the theme: “Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights.

This year’s session is particularly significant, marking the UN’s 80th anniversary and bringing world leaders together to discuss critical issues. 

Leading the agenda is the Palestinian cause following the “New York Declaration,” alongside climate crises, sustainable development, and, for the first time, AI governance.

The general debate is preceded by a series of high-level meetings and summits starting Monday, September 22, setting the stage for the key topics of the session, including the high-level meeting commemorating the UN’s 80th anniversary.

- Palestine -

On Monday, a high-level international conference on the "peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question" and the implementation of a two-state solution will take place.

This comes at a crucial moment following the adoption of the “New York Declaration” by the General Assembly on September 12, which called for concrete steps toward establishing a Palestinian state, and recent announcements by several European countries of their intention to recognize Palestine.

Read more: Saudi-French led UN conference to address two-state solution Monday

- Development and climate: current and future challenges -

Economic and environmental issues remain prominent on the agenda, with events in New York this week including:

• SDG review: Assessing progress toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
• Climate summit: Discussing ways to accelerate global climate action.
• Financing for development summit: Reviewing commitments for sustainable development financing in developing countries.

- Human rights and technology -

The session will also address pressing social and technological issues through high-level meetings on:

• Women: Commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing+30).
• Mental health: Preventing and combating non-communicable diseases.
• Youth: Marking the 30th anniversary of the Global Youth Programme of Action.
• Artificial intelligence: Launching the first-ever global dialogue on AI governance.
• Nuclear disarmament: Annual meeting promoting the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
• Rohingya: High-level conference on the situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar.