Africa: The Takeaway Day 6 - General Debate Ends With Call to Turn Words Into Action
Leaders said 128 delegations raised artificial intelligence this year, while General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman urged governments to turn speeches into action.
- On Monday, September 28, 2026, the 81st United Nations General Assembly concluded its general debate, with world leaders confronting themes of peace, inequality, and rapidly accelerating technological change.
- Artificial intelligence 'has arrived at centre stage,' General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman said, with 128 delegations raising the topic compared to only five four years ago.
- UN Women's 2026 Gender Snapshot reports women account for around 22% of AI professionals and fewer than 14% of senior leadership positions, while funding for women's rights organizations declined 28% between 2023 and 2024.
- Following the debate, the 193-member body begins substantive work within six Main Committees addressing global challenges from international security to the United Nations budget.
- The General Assembly will appoint the next UN Secretary-General to succeed Antonio Guterres on January 1, 2027, following a recommendation from the Security Council.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Strategic Blindness at UNGA 81: “Super Intelligence” and “Killer Robots” Take Center Stage as Women’s Rights Take a Back Seat
“Artificial intelligence (AI) must be shaped by humanity, with humanity, and for all humanity… Life-and-death decisions must never be surrendered to machines. Killer robots must have no place in our future.” With those words, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres opened the high-level debate of the 81st session of the General Assembly (UNGA 81). He also […]
Africa: The Takeaway Day 6 - General Debate Ends With Call to Turn Words Into Action
After six days of speeches from the UN General Assembly podium, one word rose above all others: peace. This final edition of The Takeaway distils the messages he said reverberated through the Assembly Hall and looks at where the 193-member body goes from here.
AI was the focus of Day 5 of the UN General Assembly. Developing countries rejected being mere technology markets and demanded fair control and regulation.
EXPLAINER: UNGA 81: 5 Key Takeaways From General Debate
The 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) concluded on Monday and the general debate was dominated by discussions on artificial intelligence (AI), the Israel-Palestine conflict, Iran, global security and calls for reform of the international system. World leaders used their addresses to outline their positions on some of the most pressing global challenges, while […]
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