Inside the UN High-Level Week: Chaos, Ceremony, and Diplomacy
Every September, the United Nations headquarters in New York becomes a crowded theatre of global power. Diplomats, presidents, journalists, protesters, and lobbyists descend on Manhattan for the annual high-level week. This year, the backdrop is shadowed by brutal wars in Ukraine and Gaza and a world order that appears to be in flux. Still, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre remains cautiously hopeful about what the UN can achieve when nations work together.
The Stage, the Security, and the Sirens
The UN building sits along the East River, a symbol that 193 member states convene to address conflicts and development. Hotels fill with delegations, and the city reels as security tightening and motorcades thread through the streets. On Tuesday, the United States’ president arrived amid a flurry of barriers and sirens, a reminder that the General Assembly is both a diplomatic arena and a logistical gauntlet. Even a routine entrance can resemble a carefully choreographed procession, where people momentarily freeze as a motorcade passes.
Macron on the Ground: A Short, Strained Moment
Even France’s president Emmanuel Macron found the security grid constraining. A widely shared clip shows him explaining to a police officer that a massive procession is blocking the route to the French embassy. Then, with cameras rolling, Macron pulls out his phone and calls Trump directly from the street, expressing a wish to discuss Gaza with representatives from Qatar. The scene underscored how the week tests not just policy but the human habits of diplomacy.
In the Hall: Voices, Frictions, and a Fragile Multilateralism
Inside the General Assembly chamber, Trump delivered a sharp, combative address attacking climate policy and UN reform, while Støre sat among the delegates, privately pushing back against several points. The atmosphere in the hall was a mix of formal ceremony and uneasy debate. The Norwegian leader later indicated that while he agrees on the UN’s potential, the current climate of disagreements complicates progress on Ukraine and Gaza.
The Netanyahu Moment and Norway’s Stance
Across from him, Benjamin Netanyahu spoke as part of a broader set of arguments about regional security. Norway stayed seated while some member states chose to leave in protest, illustrating how the assembly can quickly pivot from ritual to confrontation. The week revealed the paradox at the heart of multilateralism: the gathering is meant to reconcile diverse interests, yet it often exposes deep fault lines.
A Moment for a Veteran Voice: Brundtland and the Norwegian Perspective
Amid the pageantry, Gro Harlem Brundtland marked her 80th birthday with a subdued, dignified presence. The former prime minister and WHO director-general was honored in a program that included a quiet moment with Støre after a breakfast at a New York diner. “We have much to celebrate, but we also must fix a faltering system,” Brundtland told Dagbladet, highlighting the tension between pride and concern that characterizes today’s diplomacy.
The Tight Budget, the Tents, and the Realities Behind the Scenes
Beyond the speeches, the week unfolded in the Rose Garden press tents and in back-to-back bilateral meetings. Journalists waited in sweltering, crowded spaces as advisers shielded bosses and shaped messages. A longstanding financial squeeze also loomed: the UN has faced funding delays from its largest donor, the United States, prompting occasional reductions in elevator and escalator availability as a cost-saving measure.
Back Home in Economy: A Practical Week in a Global Enterprise
Støre’s delegation—foreign minister Espen Barth Eide, development minister Åsmund Aukrust, and climate and environment minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen—juggled a marathon schedule from dawn to dusk. With no state plane, the Norwegians traveled home on SAS economy class, a stark reminder that leadership at the UN is as much about logistics as it is about rhetoric. A small, human touch marked the trip: Støre handed a box of Norwegian chocolate hearts to a Secret Service colleague in Newark as a token of appreciation for the support that makes multilateral work possible.
Conclusion: A Week of Contrasts and a Shared Challenge
The UN’s 80th anniversary year—marked by Gro Brundtland’s reflections and a renewed emphasis on multilateralism—summed up the week’s paradoxes. Momentous speeches and solemn rituals sat next to budget lines and security checks. The message from Støre and Norway was clear: the world still needs the UN, even as it wrestles with disagreements, shifting power, and the urgent crises of Ukraine and Gaza.
