The UK and the United Nations 2018 General Assembly

The UK’s leading role in the UN reflects our steadfast commitment to the multilateral system.

  • we are a proud and proactive member at the heart of the organisation – a permanent member of the Security Council, a leading contributor to UN peacekeeping operations and the only major country to deliver on both NATO defence and UN aid spending commitments
  • we use our voice in the UN to address major global challenges and regional crises in the UK national interest

The UN General Assembly (UNGA) High Level Week is the highlight of the global diplomatic calendar. It brings together leaders from the UN’s 193 Member States, international media and civil society for a week of summits, debates and meetings. The unique convening power of UNGA gives the opportunity to bring together the whole of the international community in making commitments on global issues.

We use our voice in the UN to address the major global challenges and regional crises in the UK national interest.

Priorities for the UK include:

  • job creation and investment in Africa
  • strengthening the prohibition against the use of chemical weapons
  • preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons
  • building climate resilience and addressing the challenges of climate change
  • ensuring girls in developing countries receive 12 years of quality education
  • addressing the plight of the Rohingya in Burma and Bangladesh
  • pushing for humanitarian access and political solutions to the conflicts in Yemen and Syria
  • taking on the scourge of modern slavery