UN General Assembly 2026: When is it, who is speaking and when?

September 22 marks the start of the general debate, where all 193 UN member states are invited to address the General Assembly.

The view from the secretary-general's podium in the empty UNGA hall at UN headquarters in New York, US [File: Ramin Talaie/Corbis via Getty]

On Tuesday, nearly 130 heads of state and government are expected to begin taking the podium at the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York as the high-level general debate opens.

The debate is the key event of the UNGA’s annual session, which began on September 8, when Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh took office as president.

In this visual explainer, Al Jazeera looks at what happens at the UNGA, who will speak, and the key moments to watch.

The debate opens on Tuesday, September 22, runs through Saturday, September 26, and resumes on Monday, September 28, as no sessions are held on Sunday.

It runs in two daily sessions: from 9am to 2:45pm local time (13:00 GMT to 18:45 GMT) and from 3pm to 9pm (19:00 GMT to 01:00 GMT the next day).

Statements are expected to observe a voluntary 15-minute limit, though many run longer, and meetings continue until all scheduled speakers have spoken.

Who is speaking at UNGA 2026, and when?

The session opens with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who introduces his annual report and is expected to give his final address, followed by UNGA President Khalilur Rahman, who formally opens the debate.

By tradition, Brazil is always the first country to speak, a practice that began in 1955 when it volunteered to open the debate, when no other country would. The United States, as the host country, usually speaks second, and President Donald Trump is expected to take the podium after Brazil on Tuesday morning, likely around 9:45am local time (13:45 GMT).

For all other member states, the speaking order is determined by the level of representation (head of state, head of government, or minister), expressed preferences, and geographic balance.

The Holy See (Vatican City), the State of Palestine, and the European Union are also invited to participate, with their speaking slots set according to their representation.

Speakers for day one are shown in the graphic below. The speaking schedule for the remaining days will be published in the coming days.

Where is the UNGA held?

The UNGA is held at the UN headquarters, which is located along the East River in Manhattan, New York.

The complex, built between 1949 and 1952, is owned by the UN and is considered international territory. It serves as the main hub for international diplomacy.

The UNGA has not always been held in New York. The first six UNGA sessions took place in different cities, beginning in London and later including Paris. Since 1952, however, nearly all sessions have been held at the UN headquarters in New York.

Some notable exceptions include 1988, when the UNGA met in Geneva, Switzerland, after the US denied a visa to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

This time, for the second year running, the US has denied visas to Palestinian officials, so President Mahmoud Abbas will address the UNGA by prerecorded video after member states voted to allow it.

The Trump administration’s decision has drawn widespread criticism, with the UN asserting that it violates the Host Country Agreement, which obligates the US to allow heads of state and government to travel to New York for annual meetings and other diplomatic business, with full diplomatic immunity.

What is on the UNGA 2026 agenda?

The 81st UNGA has the theme “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all”, which is set out in the UN’s information note on the arrangements for the high-level week.

Alongside the speeches, the UN has scheduled high-level meetings on climate action and a just transition and on the 40th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development (September 23), on sea level rise (September 24), on pandemic preparedness (September 25), on the 25th anniversary of the Durban Declaration against racism (September 28), and on eliminating nuclear weapons (September 29).

Many speeches are also expected to focus on the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, artificial intelligence and the UN’s funding squeeze, while diplomats watch the race to succeed Guterres, whose term ends on December 31.

Who will be the next UN chief?

The UNGA formally appoints the secretary-general, but the choice is not expected to be made this week. The UN Security Council (UNSC) is still holding straw polls and must recommend a candidate first.

Guterres’s second and final term ends on December 31, and the race to succeed him is under way. There have been nine secretaries-general since the UN was founded in 1945, all of them men. Several UNSC members have said they want a woman to lead the organisation for the first time.

Seven candidates remain in the running, four women and three men, but more could still enter the race:

Rebeca Grynspan (Costa Rica): Secretary-general of UNCTAD and former vice president of Costa Rica

Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett (Guyana): Guyana’s permanent representative to the UN and former foreign minister

Ivonne Baki (Ecuador): Diplomat and former minister of foreign trade

Maria Fernanda Espinosa (Ecuador): Former president of the UNGA and former foreign minister

Rafael Grossi (Argentina): Director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency

Macky Sall (Senegal): Former president of Senegal

Olara Otunnu (Uganda): Former foreign minister and ex-UN undersecretary-general

Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet withdrew on Saturday after winning support from only one of the 15 UNSC members in the latest informal vote. The same vote put Costa Rica’s Grynspan narrowly ahead, with nine of the 15 members encouraging her candidacy, five discouraging it, and one with no opinion. Guyana’s Rodrigues-Birkett came second, with eight votes to encourage, six to discourage and one with no opinion, diplomats and sources close to the process said.

The UNSC must settle on one candidate with no veto from its five permanent members before recommending them to the UNGA.

When did each nation join the UN?

The UN was established after World War II, growing from 51 members in 1945 to 193 today, with two non-member observer states: Palestine and the Holy See (Vatican City).

The aim of the UN was to prevent future conflicts, promote international peace and security, foster cooperation among nations, protect human rights and support social and economic development worldwide – goals that many critics say it is increasingly failing to deliver on.

Each member has one vote in the UNGA, whose resolutions are generally nonbinding recommendations. That sets it apart from the 15-member UNSC, where five permanent members hold a veto and decisions can be legally binding.

Use the table below to find out when each country joined the UN.

9月22日是联合国大会一般性辩论的开始，届时联合国所有193个成员国都将受邀在大会上发言。

从秘书长讲台上看到的空荡荡的联合国大会堂（位于美国纽约联合国总部）[图片：Ramin Talaie/Corbis via Getty]

周二，预计将有近 130 位国家元首和政府首脑在纽约举行的联合国大会（联大）上发表讲话，高级别一般性辩论即将开始。

这场辩论是联合国大会年度会议的关键事件，该会议于9月8日开幕，孟加拉国的哈利勒·拉赫曼就任主席。

在这段图文并茂的讲解中，半岛电视台将带您了解联合国大会的议程、发言嘉宾以及值得关注的关键时刻。

辩论将于9月22日星期二开始，持续到9月26日星期六，并于9月28日星期一继续进行，星期日不举行任何会议。

每天有两个时段：上午 9 点至下午 2 点 45 分（格林尼治标准时间 13:00 至 18:45）和下午 3 点至晚上 9 点（格林尼治标准时间 19:00 至次日 01:00）。

发言时间预计自愿限制在 15 分钟以内，但很多发言时间都会超过 15 分钟，会议会一直持续到所有预定发言者都发言完毕为止。

谁将在2026年联合国大会上发言？发言时间是什么时候？

会议首先由联合国秘书长安东尼奥·古特雷斯致开幕词，他将介绍他的年度报告，预计还将发表闭幕致辞；随后是联合国大会主席哈利勒·拉赫曼，他将正式宣布辩论开始。

按照惯例，巴西总是第一个发言的国家。这一惯例始于1955年，当时没有其他国家愿意担任辩论的开场国，巴西主动请缨。作为东道国，美国通常第二个发言。预计美国总统唐纳德·特朗普将于周二上午巴西发言后登台，时间可能在当地时间上午9:45左右（格林尼治标准时间13:45）。

对于所有其他成员国，发言顺序由代表级别（国家元首、政府首脑或部长）、表达的偏好和地域平衡决定。

圣座（梵蒂冈城）、巴勒斯坦国和欧盟也受邀参加，其发言时间将根据其代表人数安排。

第一天的演讲嘉宾名单如下图所示。其余几天的演讲安排将在未来几天内公布。

联合国大会在哪里举行？

联合国大会在位于纽约曼哈顿东河沿岸的联合国总部举行。

该建筑群建于1949年至1952年间，归联合国所有，被视为国际领土，是国际外交的主要枢纽。

联合国大会并非一直都在纽约举行。前六届联合国大会在不同的城市举行，最初在伦敦，后来又包括巴黎。但自1952年以来，几乎所有会议都在纽约联合国总部举行。

一些值得注意的例外情况包括 1988 年，当时美国拒绝向巴勒斯坦领导人亚西尔·阿拉法特发放签证，联合国大会在瑞士日内瓦举行。

这一次，美国连续第二年拒绝向巴勒斯坦官员发放签证，因此，在成员国投票允许后，巴勒斯坦总统马哈茂德·阿巴斯将通过预先录制的视频在联合国大会上发表讲话。

特朗普政府的决定招致了广泛的批评，联合国声称该决定违反了《东道国协定》，该协定规定美国有义务允许各国元首和政府首脑前往纽约参加年度会​​议和其他外交事务，并享有完全的外交豁免权。

2026年联合国大会的议程是什么？

第 81 届联合国大会的主题是“重建信任，管理转型：一个为所有人服务的联合国”，联合国关于高级别周安排的信息说明中对此进行了阐述。

除了演讲之外，联合国还安排了关于气候行动和公正转型、纪念《发展权利宣言》发表 40 周年（9 月 23 日）、海平面上升（9 月 24 日）、大流行病防范（9 月 25 日）、纪念《德班反对种族主义宣言》发表 25 周年（9 月 28 日）以及消除核武器（9 月 29 日）的高级别会议。

预计许多演讲还将聚焦中东和乌克兰战争、人工智能以及联合国资金紧缩等议题，与此同时，外交官们也在关注古特雷斯继任者的竞选，古特雷斯的任期将于 12 月 31 日结束。

谁将成为下一任联合国秘书长？

联合国大会正式任命秘书长，但预计本周不会做出决定。联合国安理会仍在进行意向投票，必须先提出候选人建议。

古特雷斯的第二个也是最后一个任期将于12月31日结束，继任者的竞选已经展开。自1945年联合国成立以来，共有九位秘书长，全部为男性。一些安理会成员表示，他们希望联合国能够首次由一位女性领导。

目前还有七名候选人角逐，其中四名女性，三名男性，但可能还会有更多人加入竞选：

丽贝卡·格林斯潘（哥斯达黎加）：联合国贸发会议秘书长、哥斯达黎加前副总统

卡罗琳·罗德里格斯-伯克特（圭亚那）：圭亚那常驻联合国代表、前外交部长

Ivonne Baki（厄瓜多尔）：外交官、前外贸部长

玛丽亚·费尔南达·埃斯皮诺萨（厄瓜多尔）：前联合国大会主席、前外交部长

拉斐尔·格罗西（阿根廷）：国际原子能机构总干事

马基·萨勒（塞内加尔）：塞内加尔前总统

奥拉拉·奥图努（乌干达）：前外交部长、前联合国副秘书长

智利前总统米歇尔·巴切莱特在周六宣布退出联合国安理会常任理事国候选人提名，此前她在最新一次非正式投票中仅获得15个安理会成员国中的1个的支持。在同一次投票中，哥斯达黎加的格林斯潘以微弱优势领先，15个成员国中有9个支持她，5个反对，1个未表态。据外交官和接近该进程的消息人士透露，圭亚那的罗德里格斯-伯克特位居第二，获得8票支持，6票反对，1个未表态。

安理会必须在五个常任理事国均无否决权的情况下，确定一名候选人，然后才能向联合国大会推荐。

各国分别何时加入联合国？

联合国是在第二次世界大战后成立的，成员国从 1945 年的 51 个增加到今天的 193 个，还有两个非成员观察员国：巴勒斯坦和圣座（梵蒂冈城）。

联合国的宗旨是防止未来冲突，促进国际和平与安全，加强各国之间的合作，保护人权，支持世界范围内的社会经济发展——许多批评人士认为，联合国越来越未能实现这些目标。

联合国大会每个成员国都只有一票，其决议通常只是不具约束力的建议。这与拥有15个成员国的安理会不同，安理会的五个常任理事国拥有否决权，其决议具有法律约束力。

使用下表查找每个国家加入联合国的时间。