The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, taking place in New York from 18 to 28 September, will once again convene world leaders to revitalize global cooperation, give a critical push to the Sustainable Development Goals and drive collective action for peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet. 

At the UN General Assembly, UNAIDS will call on countries to turn the political commitments they made at the June High-Level Meeting on AIDS (HLM) into results. UNGA81 is a critical milestone for sustaining momentum from the HLM through to World AIDS Day 2026 – and beyond. 

UNGA81 takes place at a moment of significant transition in the multilateral system with the impending election of a new UN Secretary-General and ongoing discussions on UN reform – including future evolutions to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV.

The overall objective for the week is to secure high-level political support for the future of UNAIDS while positioning the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS as an indispensable partner for global health, the fight against inequalities, health security and sustainability and to highlight it as an example of success in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. 

UNGA81 offers a unique platform for positioning HIV not as a standalone issue, but as part of the solution to some of the world’s most pressing challenges, including: 1) pandemic preparedness, 2) equitable access to medicines, 3) health sovereignty, 4) inequalities, 5) the need to protect community leadership, service delivery and funding and 6) building sustainable health systems capable of delivering quality, mainstream healthcare on once-specialized issues, such as HIV.  
 
Three Political Asks 

At UNGA81, UNAIDS will call on world leaders and ministers to: 

1. Reflect the targets of the Political Declaration in national plans, ensure adequate financing is available, laws are enabling and accountability is transparent so results may be measured.
2. Protect HIV financing and continuity of services, especially prevention, community-led services and support for populations most exposed to HIV (noting the majority of budget cuts in the last 12 months have adversely impacted these efforts).
3. Back a transformed and strong United Nations Programme on AIDS, recognizing its essential and unique contributions to the global AIDS response and that its country and regional support are required to turn political commitments into results. 

EVENTS 

Tuesday 22 September
13:00–16:00
OAFLAD: A Legacy of Leadership – Delivering for Women and Girls

In 2027, the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) will commemorate its 25th Anniversary, marking a quarter-century of visionary leadership, continental solidarity, and transformative advocacy for the health and well-being of African women, children, and young people. This high-level side event will provide an opportunity to reflect on OAFLAD's remarkable journey, celebrate its enduring partnerships, and articulate a shared vision for the organization's next chapter.

Venue: Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice
 
Wednesday 23 September
08:00–10:00
African Leadership & Regional Production of Frontier AIDS and other Pandemic Medicines

A high-level event co-organized by UNAIDS, African Medicines Agency, African Union Development Agency-NEPAD, Perry World House-University of Pennsylvania, Global Council on AIDS, Inequality, and Pandemics, on the sidelines of the 2026 UN General Assembly to advance one of the most consequential goals of the African health sovereignty agenda: dramatically expanding the production of cutting-edge pandemic medicines on the African continent, for the African continent.

Venue: Penn Club
 
10:30–12:30
High-Level Event on “International Panel on Inequality: Addressing the Global Inequality Crisis”

This high-level side event is convened by Brazil, Norway, South Africa and Spain. It will bring together Heads of State and Government, Ministers and leaders of International Organizations, on the need to address the global inequality crisis, an issue of great concern for Member States and the UN.

The event shall provide an opportunity to exchange views and offer inputs on the proposed international panel, and build broad international political support for its establishment. An IPI would be a body anchored in neutral, science-based and objective analysis, situated within the multilateral system. The event will discuss how an IPI could work effectively and lay the groundwork for a future UN resolution. 

Webcast link 

Venue: Conference Room 2, UNHQ
 
14:30–15:30
NGIC panel 3 – debt, development and future of emerging economies

For many developing and emerging economies, the debate about the future international order is not abstract. It is experienced through debt-service payments, restricted fiscal space, inadequate infrastructure, unemployment, food insecurity and the enormous financing requirements of development and climate adaptation.

Venue: Harvard Club
 
Thursday 24 September
08:00–09:30
High-Level Breakfast Side Event and Round-Table Discussion "From Forerunner to Future-Maker: A transformed Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS for a Sustainable Global HIV Response" 

Co-hosted by the Governments of Botswana, the Netherlands, and UNAIDSThe objective of this event is to showcase how a transformed Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS - as part of the UN80 reforms - remains fit for purpose to mobilize political and financial support and accountability for the global HIV response.

Venue: Labouisse Hall, 3 UN Plaza
 
Friday 25 September
 
15:00–17:00
High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR) – thematic panel 2

Equitable access through sustainability and predictability: capacities and financing for strengthened pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

Venue: UNHQ
UN Web TV