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View all search resultsUNGA High-level Week: Calling for a resilient multilateral system
Beyond the theatrical spotlight of global superpowers, Indonesia faces the vital diplomatic challenge of ensuring that its voice delivers lasting substance on the world stage.
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Indonesia exercises its right of reply on Sept. 28, 2026, in response to statements by representatives of the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu on the situation in Papua during the general debate of the 81st United Nations General Assembly at the UN Headquarters in New York, the United States.
(Courtesy of/Foreign Ministry)
“Get ready, get set, camera rolling, action!”
One might think this was a scene from a movie set in Hollywood or Bollywood where the director assigns the lead actors, supporting cast and crew their respective parts. Yet to a certain extent, a similar scene unfolded during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-level Week 2026.
One by one, heads of state and government and other high-level representatives addressed the assembly, presenting their countries’ views and positions on a wide range of global issues, many of them closely tied to their respective national interests.
Some speakers, including United States President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, attracted particular attention from the audience and the international media. Journalists covering the proceedings from the gallery carefully scribbled on their notepad the highlights of the remarks.
Such attention was hardly surprising, given the ongoing conflict involving the US and Iran as well as Israel’s role in the broader regional tensions.
Soon after the two leaders delivered their speeches, pundits and analysts began offering in-depth assessments through mainstream and alternative media, including social media. They sought to unpack the arguments presented, examining both the explicit messages and those conveyed more subtly between the lines.
It is rather unfortunate, however, that statements delivered by other representatives toward the end of the general debate are often treated as little more than part of an assembly line of speeches. Once regarded as business-as-usual statements, their contents are recorded by the UN Secretariat, the documents are filed, and life goes on in New York.
