The 15-member UN Security Council may hold high-level meetings on Ukraine, AI, and the Middle East, including talks with Arab leaders, diplomats said.<\/p>\n
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The United Nations headquarters before a meeting on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty at the UN, in New York City, US, April 27, 2026. (credit: Eduardo Munoz\/Reuters)<\/p>\n
More than a year into Trump’s second term, “we would no longer say that the UN is in freefall, but we would say that it’s stuck in an open-ended crisis,” said Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group.<\/p>\n
“The UN may not be in emergency care like it was last year, but it seems to be trapped in a trauma center for the foreseeable future,” Gowan said.<\/p>\n
The US avoided losing its vote at the assembly by paying $725 million in contributions to the regular budget this week, but it still owes the organization more than a billion dollars and makes ongoing demands for cuts and reforms.<\/p>\n
AI leaders call for slowdown on development<\/p>\n
The assembly meets shortly after several artificial intelligence industry leaders called for a coordinated slowdown of the development of the technology, warning that it could soon improve on its own and escape human control.<\/p>\n
Guterres has said that AI will be a major topic, adding that countries pushing its frontiers should set up “common guardrails in order to avoid this race to the bottom that could lead one day to a gigantic disaster at the global level.”<\/p>\n
The secretary-general has long proposed global governance of AI. In 2023, the UN created an advisory body on the technology, with members including tech executives, government officials and academics.<\/p>\n
The warning has put Guterres at odds with Trump, who dismissed AI risks as a “hoax,”<\/a> saying there is a “sick conspiracy” against it and that China would benefit from the doubt being cast on its development.<\/p>\n The Middle East will again be a focus of discussions, as the US-Israeli war on Iran continues to drive global inflation and destabilize the region. Recent gains by Houthi terrorists threaten shipping in \u200bthe vital Bab al-Mandab Strait and could further spike energy prices.<\/p>\n “It’s very difficult to have a military solution for that problem, and the experience of fighting in Yemen demonstrated how complicated it is to have successful interventions,” said Guterres, adding that the UN’s envoy on Yemen was making a “huge effort” to advance talks.<\/p>\n Peace talks remain stalled, however, as Iran and the US continue to exchange strikes and Trump threatens a major escalation of the war.<\/p>\n Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is scheduled to address the assembly on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court and will reportedly face protests following his arrival, is due to speak on Thursday<\/a>.<\/p>\n Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will for the second year running not be at the gathering in person. The US, a close Israeli ally, again denied him a visa. On Thursday, the General Assembly voted to allow Abbas to appear via video.<\/p>\n There is likely to be a high-level meeting on the conflict in Sudan on the sidelines, diplomats said, although a diplomatic breakthrough is unlikely.<\/p>\n Zelensky seeking to improve Ukraine’s position before winter<\/p>\n Also on the agenda is Russia’s more than four-year-old war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will address the General Assembly. Zelensky will likely seek to shore up Ukraine’s position ahead of what is expected to be another tough winter, diplomats said.<\/p>\n The Security Council has been unable to take action to end the conflict because permanent member Russia holds a veto.<\/p>\n![\"United](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/735322.jpeg\"\/)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres leaves after a press conference at a UN compound in the Nicosia airport area, inside the United Nations-controlled buffer zone in the divided capital of Nicosia, Cyprus, July 29, 2026. (credit: REUTERS\/YIANNIS KOURTOGLOU\/FILE PHOTO)War in Iran, Houthi attacks key issues in Middle Easy talks<\/p>\n