New York – Human Rights Watch stated that world leaders participating in the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, from September 22 to 28, 2026, must commit to defending human rights. They should counter attempts to undermine accountability for serious international crimes and the work of the United Nations and other vital international institutions. Dozens of leaders and foreign ministers from the 193 member states will attend the General Debate.
Key Speakers and Agenda
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is scheduled to deliver the first speech on September 22, followed by US President Donald Trump. Other speakers on the first day include leaders from Turkey, France, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to participate remotely for the second consecutive year, after the United States refused to grant travel visas to him and other Palestinian officials to visit the UN headquarters.
Issues anticipated to dominate the agendas of many leaders include the global repercussions of the war between the United States and Israel with Iran; ongoing violations by Israeli forces against Palestinians in Gaza and support for settler violence in the West Bank; Russia’s violations of war laws in Ukraine; concerns about artificial intelligence risks; and climate change. World leaders are urged to call for accountability for atrocities and ongoing human rights violations in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Haiti, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.
Attacks on International Justice
Louis Charbonneau, Director of the UN Division at Human Rights Watch, said: “The United Nations and other organizations established to protect human rights are under attack by countries that pledged to defend them. All UN member states must condemn attempts by the United States, Russia, China, and others to dismantle the international human rights system and eliminate avenues for accountability for violations.”
The report highlights that the United States has launched a campaign to “dismantle” the International Criminal Court (ICC), as the Trump administration seeks to protect American and Israeli officials from the court’s scrutiny. In 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The US campaign, including punitive sanctions against ICC officials, judges, and three Palestinian human rights organizations and a UN expert, threatens victims’ access to global justice.
The ICC’s investigations cover crimes against humanity and other atrocities related to Myanmar, Sudan, Afghanistan, the Philippines, and Ukraine. It also issued arrest warrants against Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior Russian officials for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine. Human Rights Watch called on governments to use the General Debate and side events to reaffirm support for the ICC and commit to measures mitigating the impact of US attacks on justice.
Funding and Institutional Integrity
Human Rights Watch, along with three other human rights organizations, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in a US federal court over sanctions targeting the ICC. Member states are urged to resist efforts by the US and other governments to undermine the rights of refugees, migrants, women, girls, LGBTQ+ individuals, and others, while defending existing protections for equality and non-discrimination.
The organization noted that the UN has suffered from a liquidity crisis for years, largely due to the US refusal to pay its full mandatory assessments and the cancellation of most voluntary contributions. The US recently paid $800 million of its dues, a small fraction of the approximately $4 billion it owes. China has repeatedly exacerbated liquidity problems by failing to pay its obligations on time. Together, the US and China account for nearly half of the UN’s regular budget and peacekeeping budgets.
Charbonneau concluded: “World leaders should use the UN platform to strongly denounce efforts by some major powers to crush human rights and facilitate impunity for atrocities and other serious crimes.”
This report was produced by the HuMedia newsroom.
