What is the UN General Assembly and what does it do?

September 26, 2018 by World Economic Forum Leave a Comment

UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe Wide view of the General Assembly Hall.

This article is brought to you thanks to the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum.

Author: Kate Whiting, Senior Writer, Formative Content

Every September, world leaders gather at the United Nations headquarters in New York to debate the most important issues facing the planet.

The meeting, known as the General Debate at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), is attended by representatives of all 193 UN Member States.

But just what goes on at the General Assembly and what does it actually set out to achieve?

What is the UN General Assembly?

The UNGA, the main policy-making body of the UN, was created under Chapter IV of the Charter of the United Nations, signed in San Francisco on 26 June 1945.

The Charter outlines its key functions, including “promoting international co-operation in the economic, social, cultural, educational, and health fields, and assisting in the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion”.

The Assembly meets from September to December each year and then again from January to August, if required. Representatives debate and make decisions on issues such as peace and security and the admittance of new members.

As outlined in the Charter, the Assembly may approve the UN budget, elect non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, and appoint the Secretary General, among other things.

A new President of the General Assembly is elected at the start of each session, which in 2018 was Ecuador’s Maria Fernanda Espinosa, the first female president from Latin America and the Caribbean.

What happens during the General Debate?

The main event at the UNGA, which generates most of the headlines, is the General Debate, this year scheduled from September 25 to October 1, and during which world leaders take turns to speak.

This year’s theme is ‘Making the United Nations relevant to all people: global leadership and shared responsibilities for peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies’.

Last year, US President Donald Trump’s debut speech to the UNGA led to many headlines after he famously labelled Kim Jong-un a “rocket man” and threatened to “totally destroy North Korea”.

Since then, the pair met at an historic summit in Singapore in June and Trump recently praised the North Korean leader as “very open and terrific”.

Trump is also due to lead a meeting of the UN’s most powerful body, the 15-member Security Council.

This year during the UNGA, there will be a high-level meeting, convened by Secretary General António Guterres, to renew commitments to UN peacekeeping operations, as well as meetings to promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons and on the fight against tuberculosis, among others.

Included in the provisional Agenda for the 73rd session is discussion on safeguarding the ocean for present and future generations and a report by the UNHCR on ‘questions relating to refugees, returnees and displaced persons’.

What big decisions has the General Assembly made?

The General Assembly is tasked with voting on resolutions brought forward by member countries, which can be referred to the Security Council to be made binding.

Perhaps the biggest win of the UNGA in recent years was in September 2015, when the Assembly agreed on a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved by 2030. All countries pledged to work together to eradicate poverty and hunger, protect the planet and foster peace.

One of the General Assembly’s earliest achievements was to agree on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, outlining global standards for human rights.

However, there has also been criticism of the Assembly, and some experts and leading donor nations say reform is needed in order to make it more powerful. In 2005, for example, the then Secretary-General, the late Kofi Annan, presented a report that criticized the assembly for focusing excessively on reaching consensus and passing resolutions that reflected “the lowest common denominator” of opinions.

Discover more from The European Sting - Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business & Technology - europeansting.com

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

© UNICEF Buildings are submerged in mud following flash floods in Rasuwa district in central-northern Nepal.

Deadly floods cause widespread destruction in China, Nepal

August 27, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Severe flooding in China and Nepal caused widespread destruction and mounting death tolls, UN agencies reported on Wednesday as aid efforts deployed to help provide emergency assistance. UN agencies and humanitarian partners are already providing support to local authorities, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. “The Secretary-General is […]

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.

As wars spread, the global food system unravels

August 26, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. A family with four children abandoned its farm in Somalia after armed groups arrived and demanded payments for the right to continue cultivating the land. They walked roughly 100 kilometers to a displacement camp. One of the children died along the way. Carl Skau, the acting head […]

Gaza: Children still at risk despite drop in acute hunger

August 25, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Among tent cities pitched on the rubble of destroyed homes in Gaza, children are, by one measure, finally getting enough to eat. By another, however, many of them may never fully recover, according to a new study by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released on Monday. Key points Hunger […]

UN Photo/Elma Okic Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Doreen Bogdan-Martin speaks at the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva. (file)

AI for Good: How the UN uses AI to advance human rights

August 24, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. For Ari, a six-year-old boy with learning difficulties in Jamaica, artificial intelligence (AI) opened the door to something many children take for granted: reading a book in his own language. Thousands of miles away, gold miners in Ethiopia are being screened more quickly for tuberculosis, while communities around […]

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Imane El Maimouni, a 22-year-old fifth-year Moroccan medical student at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Casablanca. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

Who heals the healers?

August 22, 2026

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Levina Kulembeka, a Medical Doctor from Tanzania passionate about global health. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on […]

© WFP/Mohamad Al Hinnawi Brothers sitting outside their family’s tent in Gaza.

Middle East: 94 per cent need shelter in Gaza, Israel ramps up demolitions in Lebanon

August 21, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Ninety-four cent of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents need shelter as Israeli gunfire and strikes continue inside the enclave, UN agencies and peacekeepers warned on Thursday. Key points More than four out of five families currently face critical or catastrophic living conditions, which lack fuel, energy and essential […]

© IOM/Lisa George Flooding in Sudan has displaced 20,000 people since June (file).

Sudan war: 200,000 newly displaced as fighting and floods intensify

August 20, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Intensifying fighting in Sudan has displaced at least another 200,000 people since late 2025, while destructive seasonal floods are compounding the massive humanitarian emergency there, the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday. In an alert, the agency also warned that relief access has been […]

© UNRWA/Kazem Abu-Khalaf A girl looks out the window of her home in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, where she and other family members were trapped during an Israeli military operation.

Raising alarm over new illegal Israeli outposts, UN condemns attacks, incitement against Palestinians

August 20, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Reports of new illegal Israeli outposts in the occupied West Bank raised alarms at UN Headquarters on Wednesday while the UN rights office called on Israel to condemn its national security minister’s words that incite “violence amounting to atrocity crimes” against Palestinians. Key points “The Secretary-General is […]

Sudan war: 200,000 newly displaced as fighting and floods intensify

August 19, 2026

Gaza: Only three per cent of cropland available to grow food

August 19, 2026

Amid ongoing deadly hostilities in Gaza, the enclave’s farmers face the increasingly difficult challenge of finding safe land to grow their crops. Satellite images published on Tuesday in news analysis from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UNOSAT, the UN Satellite Centre, indicate that just three per cent (448 hectares) of the shattered enclave’s […]

© UNOCHA/Themba Linden A UN team inspects an unexploded bomb lying on a main road in Khan Younis, Gaza.

Qusra siege eases as UN reaches trapped families, but crisis deepens in Gaza

August 18, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Humanitarian workers have reached Palestinian families who had been trapped for days by Israeli settlers in Qusra village in the northern West Bank, the UN said on Monday, as officials warned that the standoff must not become “the new normal.” UN teams on the ground reached the […]

© UNFPA Palestine A woman and two children walk near the city of Jenin in the West Bank.

900 obstacles and counting: West Bank families trapped as aid access shrinks

August 17, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Humanitarians continue to provide life-saving assistance to people across the Occupied Palestinian Territory despite facing obstacles such as checkpoints, instability and access restrictions, the United Nations said on Friday. In the West Bank, aid partners warn that their work “is being delayed and limited by a network […]

© UNICEF/Eyad El Baba A nine-year-old girl outside her damaged home in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.

Gaza: Destruction of buildings rises by nearly 10 per cent since ceasefire

August 14, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. New satellite assessments show the destruction of buildings in Gaza has climbed by nearly 10 per cent since October’s faltering ceasefire between Hamas and Israeli forces aim to end the two-year war, which reduced cities to rubble and displaced more than one million people, UN agencies said […]

© SOS Méditerranée/Anthony Jean A team completed a rescue mission, saving 98 people from a dangerous journey in the central Mediterranean region in 2020. (file)

Migrant deaths climb sharply in 2026, new UN data shows

August 13, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Severe weather, war, economic pressure and shifting policies reshaped migration journeys across multiple regions in the first four months of 2026, driving a surge in deaths, according to new data released on Wednesday by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The agency’s newest route-based data shows a […]

© UNFPA Emergency responders walk through a debris-strewn street in Quibdó in northern Colombia following the earthquake.

UN continues scaling up response to earthquake in Colombia

August 13, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN on Wednesday continued scaling up assistance to areas affected by the deadly earthquake that hit Colombia two days earlier. Tweet URL https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=UN_News_Centre&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2087424955390865660&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.un.org%2Fen%2Fstory%2F2026%2F08%2F1168128&sessionId=9eb4055aa89180f054a0f5e31c06fbfd46ddaf0c&siteScreenName=UN_News_Centre&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px According to latest official figures, the 7.4 magnitude quake has left more than 200 dead and injured over 2,500, said UN Deputy Spokesperson […]

© UN News/Isaiah Steinberg Participants gather at the Youth and AI Summit at UN Headquarters in New York.

Youth advocates gather in New York to launch new AI standards

August 13, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly transforms everything from how we learn, to the job market, children are adopting the technology more than three times faster than adults – exposing them to unique opportunities and risks. The UN hosted more than 600 young people from around the world on […]

© ILO/Marcel Crozet A street seller in Kisumu, Kenya. "“A generation that cannot find decent work cannot build its future with confidence,” said UN labour agency chief Gilbert Houngbo.

After post-pandemic improvement, youth unemployment is rising again

August 12, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Frustrated by skyrocketing youth unemployment, among other issues, tens of thousands of Gen Z activists took to the streets of Nepal last year, demanding a stake in the country’s economic growth. The protest worked and the prime minister resigned. A new report published Tuesday by the UN’s International […]

World marks second warmest July on record

August 12, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. As multiple regions contend with unbearable heat, drought, wildfires and other extreme weather, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Tuesday underlined the crucial need for stronger forecasts and early warning systems to protect lives and livelihoods. The UN agency said the past month was the second warmest July on record worldwide, according to the […]

UNIFIL UNIFIL continues to supply local communities with essentials.

Lebanon: UN peacekeepers count hundreds of Israeli strikes and incursions in a single weekend

August 11, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Israeli forces fired 455 projectiles into south Lebanon and breached Lebanese airspace 97 times between Friday and Sunday, the UN’s peacekeeping mission in the country reported Monday – among the heaviest fire seen in months. UNIFIL said Saturday alone accounted for 229 of those projectiles, the highest […]