Council on Foreign Relations remarks
American Council on Foreign Relations President Michael Froman described the United Nations General Assembly week as “Much Ado About Nothing.” The main outcomes in New York emerged outside the UN: the US-Denmark-Greenland base agreement was concluded through bilateral negotiations, the 2.45 billion dollar reconstruction plan for Gaza was announced by the Peace Board, and the Trump-Xi Jinping tariff truce was extended by two months.
The General Assembly has no authority to adopt binding decisions; that authority lies with the Security Council, which is deadlocked because of the veto.
Gaza timeline
Seven draft resolutions were vetoed in 2024. Although a call for an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza was adopted with 149 votes in June 2025, there was no change on the ground.
The UN ended 2025 with 1.6 billion dollars in unpaid dues; approximately 95% of the debt is owed by the US.
US timeline
The US announced that it had withdrawn from 66 international organizations, 31 of them within the UN. The 2026 budget was reduced to 3.45 billion dollars; a 15% cut and the elimination of approximately 2,600 positions were planned. Mediation and preventive diplomacy were affected first.
Vanuatu’s trajectory
Personnel in peace operations fell to 78 thousand 633, a 49% decline compared with 2016. The number of people in need exceeded 252 million, while humanitarian funds fell by more than 30%. As the influence of small states also weakened, the viability of Vanuatu’s climate initiative is declining.