UN General Assembly 2025
The 80th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) opens on September 9, 2025. Two weeks later, High-Level General Debate kicks off Tuesday, September 23, 2025.
As the United Nations marks its 80th year, global leaders will convene in New York City to build consensus and confront complex global challenges. Eight decades after its establishment, the UN remains the only place on Earth where countries can gather to work through their differences and find common ground — shaping our shared future.
Join CIC and Pathfinders for expert commentary over the course of UNGA! These events cover topics such as access to justice, climate change, disarmament, poverty and inequality, ongoing conflicts, global health crises, and more.
Breaking Barriers, Shaping Futures: Women’s Leadership in Diplomacy
September 8, 2025 | 6:15–7:30 p.m. (EST)
Organized by the Center on International Cooperation at New York University and LSE IDEAS, and cosponsored by the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations.
Co-hosted by the LSE IDEAS Women in Diplomacy project and the NYU Center on International Cooperation (CIC), the event reflects a shared commitment to advancing gender equality and inclusion in global governance in a context of growing challenges for the multilateral system. By connecting research insights with practitioner experience, the panel will spotlight actionable strategies to make multilateral institutions more representative and effective.
Communicating Across Disciplines: How to Make Justice Matter to All
September 12, 2025 | 10:00–11:30 a.m. (EST)
This event is hosted by the Pathfinders Justice for All program at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation in its role as secretariat of the Justice Action Coalition, and in partnership with the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations and the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations.
This event aims to explore new tools to improve people-centered justice communications strategies, taking the movement beyond the “justice” world and into new spaces through effective advocacy and messaging. This event will include a panel of advocacy and communications experts who offer fresh perspectives and unconventional thinking. By design, the panelists come from outside the justice sector, offering authentic insights into how justice can resonate with diverse audiences. These experts will share their approaches to advocacy, messaging, audience engagement, and campaigning, and offer practical advice about how the justice community can break out of its communication “bubble.” The discussion will explore ways to connect meaningfully with wider audiences—from policy experts, diplomats, and business leaders, to communities far removed from the policy arena altogether.
The Global Safety Forum: Collective Action for a More Secure World
September 18, 2025 | 4:30–6:00 p.m. (EST)
Organized by Gallup and the Center on International Cooperation at New York University.
The event will feature two panel discussions including high-level dignitaries and business leaders: one examining global safety trends and institutional coordination, and another, a conversation of mayors exploring how city governments are driving local safety outcomes through innovation and trust-building.
In-person registration (invite only) →
High-level Meeting to Commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the United Nations
September 22, 2025 | 9:00–10:00 a.m. (EST)
This one-hour meeting will mark the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations, with UN officials and Heads of State and Government reflecting on the achievements of the past eight decades and the path ahead for a more inclusive and responsive multilateral system.
High-level Meeting on the 30th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women
September 22, 2025 | 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. (EST)
Marking the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, the UN General Assembly will convene a high-level meeting centered on the theme “Recommitting to, resourcing and accelerating the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.” The meeting will reflect on progress since the landmark 1995 conference in Beijing and highlight achievements, best practices, gaps, and ongoing challenges in advancing gender equality worldwide.
SDG Moment
September 22, 2025 | 2:00–4:00 p.m. (EST)
The SDG Moment is held every year — as mandated by the 2019 SDG Summit — to highlight inspiring action on the Sustainable Development Goals. By showcasing stories of transformation from communities, countries, and regions driving change across sectors — from renewable energy to gender equality. As we cross the two-thirds mark on the road to 2030, the 2025 SDG Moment marks a critical juncture. The event will bring together a constellation of transformative global and national efforts and will demonstrate how just and inclusive transitions are accelerating progress, even in the face of global challenges.
General Debate
September 23-27, 29, 2025
At the General Debate — the annual meeting of Heads of State and Government at the beginning of the General Assembly session — world leaders make statements outlining their positions and priorities in the context of complex and interconnected global challenges. Her Excellency Annalena Baerbock, the President of the 80th session of the General Assembly, has outlined her vision under the theme “Better Together,” emphasizing unity, solidarity and collective action.
Peace Is All of Us Summit NYC
September 23, 2025 | 4:30–6:00 p.m.
This event aimes to spark an urgent and hopeful intergenerational dialogue on peace, grounded in the legacy of feminist movements and the leadership of youth activists. By centering what works—gender equality, demilitarization, and local solutions—the event seeks to mobilize new public support for feminist peacebuilding ahead of the landmark anniversaries of 2025 and counter the growing perception that peace is unattainable/war is inevitable.
First Biennial Summit for a Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient Global Economy: Implementing commitments on financing development
September 24, 2025 | 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. (EST) | ECOSOC Chamber
This first Biennial Summit, mandated by last year’s Pact for the Future, is envisaged as a platform to unite multilateral efforts and the international financial system around shared goals for sustainable development. It aims to take stock of commitments relating to financing the SDGs, foster an inclusive dialogue between leaders of multilateral institutions and Heads of State and Government, and explore ways to strengthen collaboration between multilateral institutions for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
Climate Summit
September 24, 2025 | 2:00–6:00 p.m. (EST) | Trusteeship Council Chamber
With the pace and scale of the climate crisis growing across the globe, the UN Secretary-General is convening a Climate Summit to serve as a platform for world leaders to present their new national climate action plans and seize the benefits of the new clean energy era. Ahead of COP30 in Brazil, the Summit will focus on demonstrating commitment and accelerating action to protect people and the planet in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
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