UNGA 2025 schedule: Eyes on returning Trump and welcoming Syria's Al Shara to UN
The annual high-level debate, opening on September 9, will be dominated by the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine. A roster of leaders from nations including Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Ukraine and France are scheduled to speak during the high-level week starting on September 23.
'It is almost certain that all eyes will be on President Trump as he returns to the UN,' Richard Gowan, UN director at the International Crisis Group, told The National.
'The US President's speech will overshadow what other leaders have to say, and there will be a long line of presidents and prime ministers trying to get bilateral meetings with him.'
Mr Gowan anticipates Mr Trump will use the platform to pressure the UN to refocus on global peace while amplifying his own claims to be a historic peacemaker.
'He really does seem to be running a campaign for a Nobel Peace Prize and the UN is a good place to make his pitch,' he added.
Mr Gowan said Syria's interim leader Ahmad Al Shara will probably 'be a star, unless further instability in Syria complicates his visit'.
'Shara definitely has a charisma that most other leaders cannot bring right now, and I think quite Trump plus a lot of European and Arab leaders would be glad to welcome him into the UN club,' he said.
Meanwhile, diplomats will be closely watching a push for more countries to recognise the Palestinian state.
'The recent UN summit on the two-state solution created a lot of momentum in this direction, and France in particular will be wanting to nail down as many new recognitions as possible,' Mr Gowan said.
Tuesday, September 23
Morning: Brazil, US, Indonesia, Turkey, Peru, Jordan, Korea, Qatar, Suriname, Lithuania, Portugal, Uruguay, Slovenia, Egypt, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Uzbekistan.
Afternoon: Mongolia, Turkmenistan, Chile, Tajikistan, Lebanon, France, Kyrgyzstan, El Salvador, Poland, Mozambique, Mexico, Vietnam, Angola, Romania, Morocco, Maldives, Iraq, Finland, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Wednesday, September 24
Morning: Algeria, Ukraine, Monaco, Iran, Panama, Czech Republic, Rwanda, Switzerland, Latvia, Kenya, Paraguay, Estonia, Argentina, Serbia, Syria, Croatia, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Cyprus.
Afternoon: Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka, Honduras, Guatemala, Comoros, Ecuador, Namibia, Guyana, Zimbabwe, Kiribati, Senegal, Slovakia, Marshall Islands, Central African Republic, Zambia, Albania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria.
Thursday, September 25
Morning: Tunisia, Somalia, Montenegro, Palestine, Yemen, North Macedonia, Haiti, Cameroon, Chad, Colombia, Burundi, Bolivia, Gabon, Ghana, Laos, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Eswatini.
Afternoon: Philippines, Libya, Botswana, Dominica, Republic of the Congo, Timor-Leste, Mauritania, Micronesia, Uganda, Sudan, Madagascar, Tonga, EU, Tanzania, Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Kuwait.
Friday, September 26
Morning: Israel, Netherlands, China, Thailand, United Kingdom, India, Mauritius, Luxembourg, Armenia, Ireland, Georgia, Japan, Italy, Nepal, Pakistan, Malta, Bhutan, Spain, Bangladesh.
Afternoon: Lesotho, Greece, Cabo Verde, Bulgaria, Saint Lucia, Vanuatu, New Zealand, Niger, Andorra, Trinidad and Tobago, Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Belgium, Barbados, Belize, Papua New Guinea, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, Fiji.
Saturday, September 27
Morning: Bahamas, Mali, Jamaica, Togo, Grenada, Burkina Faso, Canada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Nauru, Liechtenstein, Cambodia, UAE, Russia, Norway, Cuba, Brunei, Germany.
Afternoon: San Marino, Denmark, Saudi Arabia, Austria, Nicaragua, Singapore, Seychelles, Oman, Sweden, Malaysia, Bahrain, Djibouti, Iceland, Belarus, Venezuela.
Monday, September 29
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