Brussels, 18 September 2026
From 20 to 25 September, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will travel to New York to participate in the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). This year’s Assembly marks a period of transition for the UN leadership. As the largest contributor to the UN system, the EU will reaffirm its unwavering support for renewed and strengthened multilateralism, with the UN at its core.
The programme includes notably:
On Monday, at 18:30 EDT (+1 00:30h CEST), President von der Leyen will participate in the Summit in support of Multilateralism, hosted by the Presidents of Kenya and the European Council, and the Prime Minister of Canada.
On Tuesday morning at 09:00 EDT (15:00 CEST), the President will join the opening of the 81st UN General Assembly. At 15:00 EDT (21:00 CEST), she will then participate in the High-level dialogue ‘Protecting Children’s rights facing Artificial Intelligence’, co-hosted by the Presidents of France and Kenya, as well as the Prime Ministers of Spain and Australia.
On Wednesday, at 10:00 EDT (16:00 CEST), President von der Leyen will co-host the OceanEye International Alliance Pledging event, together with the Prime Minister of Canada, to gather pledges to better monitor and protect our ocean. In the afternoon, at 15:00 EDT (21:00 CEST), she will participate in the High-level meeting on Climate Action and Just Transition, organised by the UN Secretary-General.
President von der Leyen, the President of the European Council António Costa, and High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas will host or participate in events and meetings with leaders from around the world. They will be joined by Executive Vice-Presidents Teresa Ribera and Roxana Mînzatu, and Commissioners Dubravka Šuica, Wopke Hoekstra, Jozef Síkela, Costas Kadis, Hadja Lahbib, Magnus Brunner, Michael McGrath, and Apostolos Tzitzikostas.
Commissioner Kadis and Commissioner Lahbib will respectively represent the EU at the UN-mandated high-level meetings on the existential threats posed by sea-level rise, as well as on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.
EU representatives have a full agenda of high-level debates and side events, as well as numerous bilateral meetings.
Find out more about the EU’s support to the UN in the factsheet: EU–UN: A partnership that delivers, factsheet: EU funding to the UN, as well as in the EU’s priorities at UN General Assembly over the next year.
Source – EU Commission