World leaders gather at UN General Assembly as US presses for budget reform
World leaders are gathering in New York for the annual U.N. General Assembly session, facing geopolitical conflicts and acute U.N. financial constraints as Washington pushes for organizational reform.
World leaders have arrived in New York for the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. Key discussions center on the conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, the Russian invasion of Ukraine now in its fifth year, and the development of artificial intelligence. The gathering also coincides with the search for a successor to Secretary-General António Guterres to lead the 81-year-old organization.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to address the assembly on Tuesday morning and will hold bilateral meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez, in addition to representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Meanwhile, the U.N. faces operational cutbacks caused by roughly $4 billion in unpaid U.S. dues for regular operations and peacekeeping, resulting in job cuts, travel limits, and discussions regarding agency mergers.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz noted that Washington made a payment of close to $1 billion in the preceding week while maintaining demands for structural reorganization.
The U.S. is not walking away, we're not turning out the lights, but we are demanding reform.
