New York: Europe and the Arabs

194 senior leaders and officials—including 24 women—addressed the world during the six-day general debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, addressing several issues, including Gaza, Ukraine, the climate crisis, UN reform, and other pressing matters. According to the UN Daily News, "A busy week of high-level speeches and meetings officially concluded on the morning of September 29. But there are many more numbers and milestones to highlight below.
80th Session
The 80th session of the UN General Assembly coincides with the organization's 80th anniversary in 2025. Annalena Baerbock is presiding over this year's session, which began in September, under the theme "Better Together: 80 Years and Beyond for Peace, Development and Human Rights."
Baerbock is only the fifth woman to hold the presidency of the General Assembly since the UN was founded 80 years ago.
Attendees: 12,296
This is the number of people who attended during the high-level week, where official speeches were delivered in the General Assembly, along with hundreds of other meetings involving delegations and UN agency officials.
Speakers in the General Debate: 194
This number includes 189 representatives of Member States and the Secretary-General. The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and the President of the Assembly, Annalena Baerbock (opening and closing remarks count once). It also includes the three permanent observers—Palestine, the Holy See, and the European Union—who are invited to speak alongside the 193 Member States.
Absent: 4
Afghanistan, El Salvador, Myanmar, and Seychelles.
Afghanistan and Myanmar did not attend due to disagreements over official representation by their governments.
Seychelles was absent due to a conflict between the Assembly's agenda and its national presidential election.
As for El Salvador, its President, Nayib Bukele, wrote on X, sharing a video of last year's speech: "I missed the UN General Assembly this time; I felt it was pointless this year."
As for Palestine, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas recorded his speech via video after being denied a US visa to attend the General Assembly meetings in New York.
First Speaker: Brazil
By tradition, Brazil is the first member state to speak in the general debate (regardless of its level of representation). This tradition began at the tenth session in 1955, with the exception of 1983 and 1984.
This year, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva delivered Brazil's speech.
Speakers
Heads of State: 83
Vice Presidents: 6
Crown Prince: 1
Heads of Government: 41
Deputy Prime Ministers: 4
Ministers: 45
Deputy Minister: 1
Heads of Delegations: 8
Gender: 168 men, 24 women
Women's participation is still limited, but it is increasing. In 2024, 19 women leaders spoke, including only 5 heads of state. However, this year, participation was on The following is the list:
8 female heads of state: Dominica, Marshall Islands, Namibia, North Macedonia, Peru, Slovenia, Suriname, Switzerland
2 female vice presidents: South Sudan, Uganda
3 female heads of government: Italy, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago
1 female deputy prime minister: Liechtenstein
8 female ministers: Austria, Ecuador, Sweden, Iceland, Romania, Philippines, United Arab Emirates, Canada
1 female head of delegation: Denmark, Malawi
Several delegations expressed their support for a woman to serve as UN Secretary-General, with Chile even announcing the nomination of former President Michelle Bachelet for the position after the current Secretary-General's term ends.
Longest speech: United States
US President Donald Trump spoke for 57 minutes and 16 seconds.
Trump criticized the UN and European allies, describing their immigration and energy policies as destructive. He highlighted his achievements in trade, security, and conflict resolution, and said he had succeeded in neutralizing the Iranian nuclear threat.
While the formal rules of the General Assembly specify the length of the speech, the General Assembly's terms are limited. 15 minutes per speaker, although many speeches take longer in practice, given the general flexibility of the General Assembly presidency.
Shortest speech: Belgium
The Prime Minister of Belgium spoke for 6 minutes and 44 seconds.
Bart De Wever addressed challenges facing the UN's work but expressed support for UN Agenda 80, highlighting Belgium's growing defense investments, close European cooperation, and efforts to combat transnational crime through global partnerships.
Meetings of the Secretary-General: 148
UN Secretary-General António Guterres held 148 bilateral meetings with world leaders and officials.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov joked with the Secretary-General about the absence of the Russian flag in their photo, with Guterres explaining that UN protocol assigns national flags to heads of state, not foreign ministers.
Speeches of the Secretary-General: 20
The UN Secretary-General delivered 20 speeches during the week, including at the 80th anniversary celebrations, the opening of the General Assembly, and other high-level meetings. Level.
Media Coverage: 3,300 Press Releases
The United Nations Liaison Office issued more than 3,300 press passes (cards) to journalists from nearly 150 countries.