United Nations: General Assembly High Level Week, 22-30 September 2025

The High-level Week 2025 (22-30 September) coincided with the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, focusing on the theme “Better Together: 80 Years and Beyond for Peace, Development, and Human Rights”. This year’s high-level week highlighted the urgency of delivering on the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals and reinvigorating global cooperation.
The High-level Week is an important annual opportunity in the international framework held in New York, where Head of States and Governments and Prime Ministers meet in order to discuss ongoing challenges and future steps for the people and the planet’ sake.

The main events carried out during those days were as follows.

22 September 

• Commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the United Nations - UN officials and Heads of State and Government reflected on the achievements of the past eight decades and the path ahead for a more inclusive and responsive multilateral system.
• SDG Moment - held every year, as mandated by the 2019 SDG Summit, to highlight inspiring action on the Sustainable Development Goals. The Assembly President underlined financing continues to be a clear obstacle towards delivering SDGs by 2030.
• International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution - reaffirmed international commitments to the two-State solution and sought to mobilize support for its implementation. During the Conference, 10 countries announced their recognition of an independent State of Palestine.
• High-level Meeting on the 30th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women - highlighted achievements, best practices, gaps, and ongoing challenges in advancing gender equality worldwide.

23-27 and 29 September

• General Debate - an annual gathering of world leaders at the start of the UN General Assembly session, provided a platform for Heads of State to articulate their positions and priorities amidst a backdrop of complex, interconnected global challenges. During its opening, the Secretary-General António Guterres outlined “five critical choices”: the choice of peace over war, to uphold human rights, to use technology for humanity, the need to choose climate justice and, finally, the appeal to strengthen the United Nations.

24 September

• Climate Summit - a platform for world leaders to present their new national climate action plans while capturing the positive effects of these measures. For the first time, several major economies including China announced economy-wide emission reduction targets covering all greenhouse gases and all sectors.
• First Biennial Summit - mandated by last year’s Pact for the Future, represented a platform with leaders of multilateral institutions and Heads of State and Government around the shared goals for sustainable development. 

25 September

• Meeting on prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases and the promotion of mental health and well-being - world leaders set a new vision through a new political declaration.
• High-level meeting to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth
• High-level meeting to launch the global dialogue on Artificial Intelligence governance

26 September

• High-level meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons - it provided an occasion for the whole world community to recommit to global nuclear disarmament as a priority for all.

30 September

• High level conference on the situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar - with the goals to gain more international attention, reviewing the situation and proposing concrete sustainable resolution. 

Each event was live streamed on UN WebTV, where they are still available and accessible.