UN General Assembly High Level Meetings

 

Dear friends and colleagues, High-level Week is just around the corner! 🌎 From 18 to 28 September, New York will become a hub for global dialogue as world leaders, civil society, and partners gather at the United Nations to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges and advance international cooperation. From climate action and sustainable development to public health, peace and security, and human rights, this year’s programme will bring together diverse voices and perspectives to shape conversations and drive action on issues that affect communities around the world. Please Note: Access to UNHQ will be restricted to NGO badge holders from 20-28 September 2026. This year's featured High-level Meetings will include:       🇺🇳SDG Moment  18 September  10 a.m. - 1 p.m. EDT  General Assembly Hall  All Grounds Pass Holders are Permitted to Attend! Please enter through the ceremonial staircase.  The annual SDG Moment – convened by Secretary-General as mandated under General Assembly Resolution 74/4 — highlights inspiring action on the Sustainable Development Goals. It showcases stories of transformation from communities, countries, and regions driving change across the various goals. The event will bring together a constellation of transformative global and national efforts and discuss how progress can be accelerated, even in the face of growing global challenges.       🌱 High-level Event on Climate Action and the Just Transition 23 September   3 p.m. - 6 p.m. EDT   Trusteeship Council   This Climate Summit, convened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, will bring together leaders from major economies, developed and developing countries, vulnerable nations, and major energy producers and consumers to strengthen cooperation at a pivotal moment. Ten years after the Paris Agreement, the climate crisis has entered a new phase in which overshoot is now inevitable, while the energy transition accelerates. Leaders will take stock of progress and set out how they will work together to accelerate the transition, strengthen energy security, advance climate justice, and protect people from an accelerating climate crisis.        🌎 High-level Meeting to Commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development 23 September  10 a.m. - 1 p.m. & 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. EDT  Conference Room 4   Adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1986, the Declaration on the Right to Development broke new ground in the universal struggle for greater human dignity, freedom, equality and justice. It called for every member of society to be empowered to participate fully and freely in vital decisions and demanded equal opportunities and the equitable distribution of economic resources. For the past four decades, the Declaration has provided a framework for advancing inclusive, sustainable, and participatory development at all levels, while shaping related laws and policies.        🌊 High-level Plenary Meeting to Address the Existential Threats Posed by Sea-level Rise 24 September   10 a.m. - 1 p.m. & 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. EDT  Conference Room 4  The High-Level Meeting on Sea Level Rise will convene global leaders, experts, and other stakeholders to address the urgent and escalating threat of rising sea levels. This meeting will focus on building common understanding, mobilizing political leadership, and promoting multisectoral and multi-stakeholder collaboration and international cooperation towards the objective of "addressing the threats posed by sea-level rise”. Participants will work towards developing comprehensive solutions and actionable commitments to combat sea level rise, ensuring a resilient and sustainable future including for small island developing states and low-lying coastal areas.        🩺 High-level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response 25 September  10 a.m. - 6 p.m. EDT  Conference Room 1   The President of the United Nations General Assembly will convene a one-day meeting aimed at mobilizing political will at the national, regional and international levels for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Guided by the theme, “Fostering a multilateral and intergenerational approach to prevent, prepare for and respond to pandemics and public health emergencies, through the principles of equity and solidarity,” the meeting will culminate in the approval of a concise, action-oriented political declaration agreed upon by consensus through intergovernmental negotiations.        🕊️ High-level Meeting to Mark the 25th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action 28 September  10 a.m. - 1 p.m. & 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. EDT  Trusteeship Council Chamber The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action is a global blueprint for racial justice and equality. Adopted at the 2001 World Conference Against Racism in South Africa, it laid the foundation for much of today’s international work against racial discrimination. Marking the 25th anniversary, this meeting serves as an opportunity to accelerate collective efforts to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance under the theme: "Mobilizing global public support for the full and effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action."        🤝 High-level Plenary Meeting to Commemorate and Promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons 29 September  10 a.m. - 1 p.m. & 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. EDT  Trusteeship Council Chamber  Achieving global nuclear disarmament is the highest disarmament priority of the United Nations. It was the subject of the General Assembly’s first resolution in 1946, which established the Atomic Energy Commission (dissolved in 1952), with a mandate to make specific proposals for the control of nuclear energy and the elimination of atomic weapons and all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction. This annual High-level plenary meeting commemorates and promotes the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.      The General Debate will take place from 22 to 28 September. 📺 See All Events on UN Web TV 🌐 Link for Further Information on the High-level Meetings Sincerely, The Civil Society Unit Team UN Department of Global Communications