World leaders gather in New York during the week of 18 September for the UN General Assembly’s annual high-level session. They will arrive to find a UN that is more constrained by major-power divisions, and less influential in managing international peace and security crises, compared to one year ago.

During that time, the Security Council has delivered lacklustre responses to a range of global crises, in part hampered by a breakdown in relations between Russia and the West. Developing countries have used the General Assembly as a platform to voice concerns about the global economy’s trajectory. The UN’s political leverage has decreased in many countries where it’s maintained long-standing operations, requiring it to pivot support to regionally-led efforts. And though millions depend on the UN’s humanitarian aid, donor countries cannot keep up with the pace of the UN’s needs around the world. These pressures are likely to persist over the coming year.

Nonetheless, the UN can still play a role in shaping international peace and security should world leaders work to make the organisation more flexible and adaptable. In some instances, the UN will need to be pragmatic about the value, and limitation, of its traditional peace and security tools. In others, its support to humanitarian efforts and collaboration with other multilateral partners will be the most it can reasonably achieve. Looking to the future, the UN still holds value as a platform for countries to debate, and find solutions to, global challenges such as climate change and artificial intelligence.

Many of these dynamics will be on display throughout the 78^th Annual Session of the UN General Assembly this September. Though international peace and conflict will not be the only issues under discussion at the General Assembly, many of the countries and regions that Crisis Group covers will be discussed in world leader’s speeches, in bi-lateral meetings, and in side-events.

This special coverage page will house all of Crisis Group’s work related to the UN General Assembly in 2023, as well as its broader work on the UN from the past year

Each day of the UNGA High-Level Week, Crisis Group is publishing brief notes on upcoming events at the UN, bringing the perspectives of our analysts to the General Assembly agenda which you will find below.

• Sunday 17 September: coming soon

It has been a hard year at the UN, with major-power tensions rising, and more difficulties likely lie ahead. Nonetheless, there are several important steps the body’s officials and member states can take in the interest of international peace and security.

Published 14 September 2023. Available here.

Millions of Palestinian refugees rely on the UN Relief and Works Agency for services and employment opportunities. But the agency’s finances are in dire straits, putting the refugees’ wellbeing at risk. Donors should step up with sustainable, predictable, multi-year funding.

Published 15 September 2023. Available here.

When world leaders meet in New York for the annual High-Level Week of the United Nations General Assembly in the week of Sept. 18, two items will top their agendas. One will be Russia’s war in Ukraine. The other will be the state of international development. There are likely to be some uncomfortable exchanges between Western and non-Western officials about the relative importance of these issues. African, Asian and Latin American diplomats have bridled at the amount of time Ukraine has absorbed at the U.N. in comparison to other international crises and challenges. The U.S. and its allies should use the General Assembly to show that they can focus on Ukraine and the concerns of the Global South simultaneously.

Published 11 September 2023 in Just Security and also available here.

Richard Gowan is Crisis Group's UN Director. He oversees the advocacy work at the United Nations, liaising with diplomats and UN officials in New York. In this video, he talks about what goes on behind the scenes.

Published 3 April 2023. Available here.

The UN Secretary-General has drafted a lengthy report about how world leaders can address looming global challenges. The document covers a remarkable range of topics, from peacekeeping missions and women’s rights to climate change and cyber-security.

Published 19 July 2023. Available here.

Talk of reforming the UN Security Council is gaining currency, due in part to Russia’s war in Ukraine. But the obstacles are many. A more modest vision of what the body should be and what it can achieve is probably best for now.

Published 13 July 2023. Available here.

At Bamako’s request, the UN Security Council has begun drawing down the UN peacekeeping operation in Mali. In this Q&A, Crisis Group experts Richard Gowan and Daniel Forti explore the implications for blue helmet missions elsewhere on the continent.

Published 10 July 2023. Available here.

On 16 June, Bamako asked the UN Security Council to withdraw the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). In this Q&A, Crisis Group experts Jean-Hervé Jézéquel and Ibrahim Maïga look at the reasons behind the Malian authorities’ decision as well as its consequences.

Published 27 June 2023. Available here.

In UN debates over Russia’s war in Ukraine, Western countries are still pledging to back Kyiv militarily, while non-Western states are more inclined to call for a negotiated peace. Thus far, however, the latter’s proposals for reaching that goal have been short on detail.

Published 9 March 2023. Available here.