UN General Assembly starts 81st session

The United Nations General Assembly opened its 81st session on Tuesday at the organization's New York headquarters with the theme of "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All".

Khalilur Rahman, president of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, or UNGA, said his main pledge for the session was to "work tirelessly to revive trust in this institution, upon which success of our collective action ultimately depends".

In his opening remarks, Rahman said the UN has "often fallen short of the expectations placed upon it" as conflicts continue to cause immense human suffering, development gains remain "feeble and fragile", and climate impacts intensify.

"Together, these challenges have brought trust in multilateralism under tremendous strain," he said. "A widening trust deficit is testing confidence in international institutions and collective action – a deficit that we must close by working together through dialogue, renewed cooperation, and delivery."

Rahman, who is also Bangladesh foreign minister, said the assembly would focus its work during the coming year on six priorities: strengthening peace and security, accelerating sustainable development, advancing climate action, promoting human rights, ensuring technological transformation serves people everywhere, and restoring trust in multilateralism.

"Today, our responsibility is not merely to defend this institution – there are good reasons to do so – but to strengthen it; not simply to invoke the trust on which multilateralism depends, but to earn it every day," Rahman said.

On the selection of the next secretary-general, Rahman said he will "ensure this process remains fair, inclusive, and transparent", noting that the secretary-general will be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.

He also urged all member states to pay their assessed contributions "in full, on time, and without conditions", while stressing that the UN itself must be held accountable for how it uses its resources.

"We have a solemn duty to ensure that every single resource – every penny – is used responsibly, transparently, and effectively," Rahman said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday's opening marked the last time he will attend the start of a General Assembly session as UN secretary-general.

"But as I join you in this opening of a General Assembly session for the last time as secretary-general, I have enormous hope thanks to the work that happens here," he said. "From the start, this has been the place where the world's toughest and most consequential problems are confronted head-on."

He warned that the international system is confronting conflicts, divisions, and the risk of nuclear escalation, alongside persistent poverty and inequality, worsening climate change, displacement, and slow progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.

"Human suffering is intensifying while funding for aid and development is being slashed," he said. "The institutions of the multilateral system, from the UN Security Council to the international financial architecture, are straining to meet the moment.

"International law and human rights, the core of our organization, are too often flouted with impunity. And geopolitical mistrust and suspicion continue to block the effective solutions we need and erode people's faith in the possibilities of global cooperation."

The opening of the 81st session followed the closing of the 80th session of the General Assembly, which was presided over by Annalena Baerbock.

In her closing remarks on Tuesday, Baerbock said the previous session had underscored the urgency of reforming the United Nations.

"This 80th session also made clear that without deep reform, this organization will not last," she said.

Baerbock also said the selection of the next secretary-general, a process that will continue during the 81st session, is a major test for the institution.

"The decision the Security Council and the General Assembly will take in the 81st session will define if the UN practices what it preaches," she said. "Indeed, it might be the credibility test of this institution for this decade."