14/09/2026
Dear friends and colleagues,
Every September, the world comes to First Avenue. This year, it comes for the last General Debate of Secretary-General António Guterres' tenure, and we still have tickets.
For three more afternoons, anyway.
His second term ends on 31 December. The tenth Secretary-General takes office on 1 January 2027. So, when leaders step up to that green marble rostrum from 22 to 28 September, they close a chapter that opened in 2017 and open the question of what comes next.
Ten years of build-up.
One week of speeches.
You want to be in the room.
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GRAB YOUR TICKET
🗓️ Tuesday 15, Wednesday 16, Thursday 17 September
🕐 13:00–16:00, on the dot
📍 Civil Society Resource Centre, UNITAR Building, 2nd Floor
801 First Avenue, New York, NY 10017
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And there's something in it for your bookshelf!
Every representative picking up tickets for the Debate will also take home a copy of the coffee table book reviewing the historic 80th Session of the General Assembly, presided over by Annalena Baerbock. The year the UN turned 80 and the race for the next Secretary-General began. One session, bound and on your shelf.
While supplies last, and supplies are finite, so the early arrivals get the pick.
Then we shut the doors. The Resource Centre closes from 18 September and reopens 6 October, so Thursday at 16:00 is the actual, genuine, no-really last call. We will not be hiding a spare ticket under the desk. (We checked.)
Three things before you come:
Bring your pass. Tickets go only to CSO representatives holding a valid UNHQ New York grounds pass issued by DGC.
Please know that grounds pass issuance is paused until 5 October, so there's no way to sort it out this week. Tickets are for current passholders.
ECOSOC passholder? You're in the right spirit, wrong queue. Contact DESA’s ECOSOC and NGO Support Branch at [email protected] for their availability and distribution.
First come, first served, and there are only so many seats in that hall. Bring the colleague who says every year that they'll finally go.
Questions? Reach out at [email protected] with " " in the subject line.
All the details are on our website.
See you at the Resource Centre! Preferably before Thursday. 😉
Sincerely,
The Civil Society Unit Team
UN Department of Global Communications
UN DGC Civil Society Twitter
UN DGC Civil Society Instagram
UN DGC Civil Society Website
United Nations
Department of Global Communications
Civil Society Unit
Our mailing address is:
[email protected]
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