UNITED NATIONS — With global peace and progress under siege, the United Nations chief challenged world leaders Tuesday to choose a future where the rule of law triumphs over raw power and where nations come together rather than scramble for self-interests. UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock gavels the meeting open as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres listens during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. A U.N. official said the United Nations understands that someone from the president’s party who ran ahead of him inadvertently triggered the stop mechanism on the escalator. … We must draw closer, not drift further apart.”The General Assembly ’s big week of meetings began Monday with events including a conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Gaza already has seized attention at the General Assembly.