As world leaders prepare to gather at the United Nations General Assembly from September 22-30, 2025, they should commit to shielding the UN from powerful governments seeking to undermine its capacity to promote human rights and international justice. That’s according to Human Rights Watch.

On the eve of the General assembly’s annual general debate, world leaders will hold a summit on the situation in Palestine, which French president Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are expected to preside over.

“Human rights and the UN itself are in the crosshairs of powerful governments to an unprecedented extent,” said Federico Borello, interim executive director of Human Rights Watch. “World leaders should pledge action to ensure the world body has the resources and political support it needs to carry out its lifesaving human rights and humanitarian work around the world – in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Haiti and elsewhere people are in need.”

Human Rights Watch added that governments should also act to halt what it described as Israel’s escalating atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. They should condemn and take steps to counter US sanctions against International Criminal Court (ICC) officials,prominent Palestinian organizations and a UN expert.

They should rally behind institutions like the ICC, which is combating impunity for war crimes and other atrocities in Myanmar, Israel/Palestine, Sudan, Ukraine and elsewhere around the globe, the organization said.

Leaders to Discuss Palestine

World leaders should use the September 22 Palestine conference to publicly commit to action aimed at ending decades of impunity for Israeli authorities’ violations of international humanitarian and human rights law against Palestinians. This summit, a response to the landmark July 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territory, is a continuation of a high-level meeting in July.

“Human rights and the UN itself are in the crosshairs of powerful governments to an unprecedented extent.”

That ICJ advisory opinion determined that Israel’s decades-long occupation is unlawful, breaches Palestinians’ right to self-determination, and is marked by serious abuses, including apartheid. At the September 22 conference, France, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and others have said they would recognize a Palestinian state.

However, Human Rights Watch warned that those declarations risk being empty gestures unless states commit to concrete actions to stop Israel’s extermination of Palestinians and expansion of unlawful settlements.

The organization is urging governments to suspend arms transfers to Israel,ban trade with illegal settlements,and impose targeted sanctions on Israeli officials responsible for ongoing crimes against Palestinians,including crimes against humanity and acts of genocide.States should also press Hamas and Palestinian armed groups to release all civilian hostages.

human Rights Watch noted that the UN is in the throes of an existential financial crisis.