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More than 140 world leaders attend the United Nation's 80th session.
On Sept. 9, 2025, more than 140 world leaders attended the 80th session of the United Nations (U.N.) in New York. On Sept. 23, representatives of the countries were allowed to enter the high-level General Debate to discuss wars, treaties and other international issues.
Some key debate topics included conflicts such as the Israel-Gaza conflict, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and recent criticism that the U.N. was facing from both countries and social media.
Regarding Gaza, many nations called for a humanitarian ceasefire to halt the greatly escalating death toll. Other nations, such as France, formally recognized Palestine as an independent state, a move opposed by Israel and the United States. As of September 2025, 157 U.N. member states recognize Palestine as a sovereign state, representing approximately 81% of U.N. members.
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rose to speak, several nations walked out of the debate room, leaving it fairly desolate. Outside the U.N. building, multiple protests were formed to oppose Israel’s attacks on Gaza. According to The Guardian, more than 100 diplomats exited the hall during Netanyahu’s address, and 77 countries were absent from the session, including Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
Regarding the war in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned the assembly that Ukraine was only an initial target for Russia. Zelensky used most of his time speaking to call for help and to question whether international law could effectively respond to an invasion such as the one in Ukraine, according to Reuters. Attendance during his speech appeared sparse compared with other leaders, with many seats in the U.N. assembly hall left empty.
For Russia’s response, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned other nations that any aggression against Russia would be met with a countermeasure, according to The Associated Press.
President Donald Trump began his speech with multiple criticisms of the U.N., saying it was unable to stop wars or help with other global issues. Trump continued with claims such as climate change being a lie, that immigration and clean energy were destroying other countries and he also opposed external recognition of a Palestinian state.
The meeting will end on Sept. 29 with hopes of creating treaties for both the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Outside the building, protests over Trump’s claims on climate change, the war in Gaza and immigration continued.