Heads of state gather at UN assembly in sombre mood

22 September 2025

World heads of state are gathering in New York this week for the UN General Assembly. Prime minister Bart De Wever is attending the diplomatic summit for the first time alongside ministers and Queen Mathilde.

The UN turns 80 this year, but the organisation, founded to bring peace and stability after the Second World War, is finding it difficult to remain relevant in a world where the superpowers care less and less about international law or cooperation.

Wars and humanitarian crises are raging around the world, in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and the DRC. And with the re-election of Donald Trump, the global fight against climate change, development cooperation and the rules-based trading system are suffering.

Belgium cannot issue diplomatic passports to Palestinians for UN assembly

Belgium cannot issue diplomatic passports to Palestinian politicians and diplomats to enable their participation in the United Nations General...

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Trump will again be in the spotlight on Tuesday during the high-level week of the assembly. He will take the podium after Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who kicks off a series of speeches by heads of state and government. Belgium’s turn will be on Thursday.

Sustainable development goals

Numerous bilateral and informal meetings also take place at UN headquarters, embassies and hotels. De Wever and Foreign minister Maxime Prévot will meet Congolese president Félix Tshisekedi on Tuesday and UN secretary general Antonio Guterres on Thursday.

In addition, there are high-level conferences on topics such as AI and women’s rights. Queen Mathilde will speak at the latter. The Queen, who has been an ambassador for the UN’s sustainable development goals for many years, will attend a meeting of the international coalition for the return of Ukrainian children and hold meetings with UN officials.

Organised crime

On Monday evening, De Wever will speak at an event on energy and logistics, organised with grid operator Elia and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges.

Belgium, Jordan and the EU will host an event on children in Gaza, and De Wever and Justice minister Annelies Verlinden will speak at an event on the fight against organised crime, which Belgium is hosting with Panama and Thailand.

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Belgium also hopes to bring the secretariat of the BBNJ treaty and its approximately 15 employees to Brussels and is hosting a pitch event.

This treaty for the protection of biodiversity in the high seas aims to ensure that 30 per cent of the ocean is effectively protected from the harmful effects of human activities by the end of the decade.

^{UN secretary general Antonio Guterres at United Nations headquarters in New York, 19 September 2025 © PHOTO ANGELA WEISS / AFP}

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