81st UN General Assembly in New York: Wars and AI in the focus of the UN summit

Despite Chancellor Friedrich Merz's renewed rejection, the world is looking to New York this week for the annual UN summit. Almost 130 heads of state and government are expected in the US metropolis this week for the annual UN summit.

At the top of the agenda are the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. But the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) and the demands for uniform regulations, which have been increasing in recent weeks, are also very popular. For UN Secretary-General António Guterres, whose term ends on December 31, it is the last general assembly of his term in office.

However, his expectations are clouded due to global threats and conflicts. "If we look at the war between Russia and Ukraine and at the entire Middle East, we see that the situation is getting a little worse day by day. There is no improvement in sight anywhere. And if things develop in such a way that it gets a little worse every day, there is a serious risk of escalation, which can lead to a catastrophic situation with devastating global consequences," Guterres told the press on Thursday.

On Saturday it became known that Chile's left-wing former president Michelle Bachelet has withdrawn her candidacy to succeed Guterres. The day before, the 74-year-old, who was UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2018 to 2022, is said to have landed in second to last place in a test vote in the UN Security Council.

The World Security Council will also address the issue of artificial intelligence (AI). Rapid developments in this area, including worrying security test results, have sparked much discussion in recent weeks. Leading American AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic even advocated slowing down the speed of AI development in order to contain possible dangers.

However, a real breakthrough is not expected on any of the topics. “I expect more superficial initiatives,” said former US diplomat Brett Bruen to the taz. And this is precisely the problem with the United Nations, which, due to its structure, can often provide little in the way of concrete results.

Bruen, who served in the White House under US President Barack Obama, expects that Trump will again criticize the UN for its perceived "inaction" in his speech on Tuesday and may try to revive his Board of Peace, which was launched last year.

According to Bruen, what was more interesting than Trump's speech was the reaction of other countries. “Will the rest of the world – and especially the Western democracies – try to go their own way and develop their own initiatives?” he asks. This year's general assembly will also show the extent to which Trump's international influence and reputation has shrunk, said Bruen.

Experts expect that Trump will also campaign in his speech. With less than two months to go before the US congressional elections, surveys indicate that the Republican Party could lose its majority in Congress.

In addition to Trump, speeches from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Iranian delegation are also eagerly awaited. They received the required entry documents from the US government. In contrast, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will again only speak via video.

According to media reports, Chinese President Xi Jinping will not appear in New York. But he will meet with Trump in Washington on Thursday. The exact program for this is still pending.

In view of the heat records set in many places this year and the increase in extreme weather events, climate protection is also on the summit agenda. The New York Climate Week, which is held at the same time, also ensures that the topic is not neglected.

The Greenland deal between the USA, Denmark and Greenland is also due to be signed on the sidelines of the UN summit. In addition to extensive road closures, dozens of demonstrations will again lead to traffic problems in the city.