Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel has signed three new strategic partnership agreements with major United Nations (UN) agencies in New York, covering 2027 to 2030. The deals were concluded with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
According to a government statement, these partnerships boost Luxembourg’s support for tackling global hunger, protecting refugees, and improving the coordination of humanitarian assistance worldwide.
The need for humanitarian aid continues to grow relentlessly, while the risks facing aid workers are also rising. The UN reports that since the start of the year, 82 humanitarian workers have been killed, 97 injured, and 39 kidnapped around the world.
The annual general debate of the UN General Assembly will open on New York on Tuesday, gathering 130 heads of state and government to New York City in the coming days. UN Secretary-General António Guterres will open the session on Tuesday morning local time.
Guterres will be followed by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and then US President Donald Trump, whose address is especially anticipated. Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Guillaume is scheduled as the 14th speaker in the morning session, 14 years since his father, Grand Duke Henri, addressed the Assembly.
The Grand Duke’s speech will focus on outlining Luxembourg’s positions and priorities in response to current international challenges, according to the Grand Ducal Court. Other notable speakers on the opening day include French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
One of the most anticipated moments for Tuesday is US President Donald Trump’s speech. The US conflict with Iran is once again in the spotlight due to escalating tensions, in addition to US military action in Venezuela in January 2026, which drew international criticism.
Apart from his address, President Trump’s itinerary includes a series of bilateral meetings, among them talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He is also expected to sign an agreement on Greenland with representatives from Denmark and Greenland.
Meanwhile, the UN is facing a challenging financial situation. While the US has recently made a payment of $725 million, Washington still owes the organisation more than $1.3 billion. As a result, expenditure has been reduced across UN operations and humanitarian missions, and about one in five UN jobs has been cut.
