The 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations might ideally present a moment for joyous celebration. But leader after leader speaking at the 2025 UN General Assembly High-level Week focused instead on the sobering challenges facing the current global order.

“It was really a moment for deep reflection,” said Bani Dugal, Principal Representative of the Bahá’í International Community (BIC). “This year’s theme of ‘Better Together’ is a beautiful sentiment, but one that calls us to very honest consultation as to what will enable humanity to reverse so many of the negative trends facing us today.” 

“There is growing recognition that the needs of the moment compel the international community to find creative pathways forward in what is an increasingly fragile and fracturing global order,” Ms. Dugal continued.

Parallel to the proceedings in the General Assembly, the BIC co-hosted five side events, and its representatives offered remarks or moderated discussions at six other gatherings. Several dozen organizations hosted events in the BIC offices, welcoming the participation of several hundred attendees, from grassroots actors to current and former global leaders.  

Youth leadership, environmental justice, human rights, gender equality, the Global Ethical Stocktake leading up to the COP30 climate conference in Brazil, and the future of multilateralism and global governance were among the themes addressed at these events. 

“This year, behind the headlines, there are profound shifts taking place. International actors are speaking about the need for renewal, and they are speaking about it in a more inclusive and reflective way. The challenges before us are creating space for the emergence of greater creativity. And, with this creativity, comes a sense of optimism and excitement,” said BIC Representative Daniel Perell.

BIC Representative Liliane Nkunzimana also published a short essay, Justice is a Concept We Must Return to Again and Again, connecting this High-level Week to next year’s Commission on the Status of Women.

“Justice must be accessible through the courts, but it also finds expression in many other ways,” Ms. Nkunzimana wrote. “There can be justice in how an employer treats employees, in the way populations are portrayed in the media, and in the distribution of resources. What might it look like to approach justice as a quality or capacity inherent and continually evolving in each individual, community, and institution?”

The High-level Week unfolded in the context of Secretary-General António Guterres’s UN80 Initiative, focused on structural reform within the United Nations system. Other notable events included the UN’s Climate Summit 2025 and the High-level Meeting to Launch the Global Dialogue on AI Governance.