The UAE will arrive at the UN General Assembly focused on advancing multilateral priorities, including conflict resolution through dialogue, de-escalation and adherence to international law, the country's UN ambassador has said.
Mohamed Abushahab told The National before the annual gathering of world leaders in New York that the delegation will also focus on co-operation on UN reform, artificial intelligence, climate action and sustainable water solutions.
“Despite everything that is happening in the region, we are coming ready to work and ready to advance and play our part in supporting stability, supporting peace and security, advancing tolerance and peaceful co-existence, and looking at a UN that needs to be reformed,” Mr Abushahab said.
He acknowledged the paralysis that had frequently gripped the UN Security Council, but said the concentration of world leaders in New York offers an opportunity for high-level diplomacy that could help to reduce tension over a range of issues.
“Having space to advocate for what we believe is the way to bring about greater stability and to de-escalate and to resolve challenges through diplomacy” means countries can “find common ground where we can agree and what can be done", he said.
Mr Abushahab said the UAE was particularly focused on the security of international supply chains, energy and trade amid disruptions to the global economy due to the Iran war.
“Respect for freedom of navigation and the rules-based international order are principles that the Security Council and broader international community need to defend,” he said. He added that the free flow of goods is integral to maintaining peace and security.
He also touched on other regional conflicts likely to appear on the agendas of member states over the course of the week, including those in Sudan and Gaza.
“There is no military solution to the conflict in Sudan,” Mr Abushahab said. “We have always advocated for dialogue and a peaceful diplomatic solution, and a political process that returns Sudan to the path that it was on when it was undergoing a transition to a civilian government.”
The UAE wants the warring parties to agree to an urgent and unconditional humanitarian truce that would lead to a permanent ceasefire and eventually a political process resulting in a civilian-led government independent of the warring parties, he said.
“More than three years on, and after grave violations and atrocities have been committed by both warring sides, unfortunately, they continue with pursuing a military solution,” he said.
Mr Abushahab called for the Security Council to take a more active role, including considering an arms embargo covering not just the Darfur region but the whole country.
“The Security Council has tools available,” he said. “Among those actions that the council can take is to have an arms embargo across all of Sudan, and we believe that such action will put pressure on both of the warring parties to end the conflict and to pursue a political process that, of course, leads to a civilian government.”
Mr Abushahab said divisions among council members should not become an excuse for inaction as the humanitarian crisis continues.
“If they are unable to agree on any action, they are allowing the dire humanitarian situation to continue without really trying to change the dynamics,” he said. “If it’s been going on for three years this way with no end in sight, inaction is not going to help resolve it.”
He said the international community and the Security Council should be saying "enough is enough, and we have to do something about it”.
Mr Abushahab said the scheduled meeting between US President Donald Trump and Gulf Co-operation Council leaders could contribute to de-escalation efforts and conflict resolution in the region.
“I do expect that this engagement and others that our delegation will be having throughout this week will bring about steps that can bring greater stability," he said.
Mr Abushahab said real progress can eventually result from such meetings, noting that the Comprehensive Plan for Gaza came about after the high-level meeting between Mr Trump and the eight Arab-Islamic leaders, including the UAE, who met at UN headquarters during last year’s high-level week.
Water security
Beyond the region’s conflicts, the UAE will use the General Assembly to build momentum for the 2026 UN Water Conference it will co-host alongside Senegal in Abu Dhabi this December.
“There’s no life without water, and there are very serious challenges. There are solutions also, but they require innovation, finance, they require international co-operation," Mr Abushahab said.
With less than three months until the conference, the UAE plans to use meetings in New York to encourage countries to increase their ambitions and develop initiatives.
Part of that momentum will come with the release of "Crosscurrents", a report produced by the UAE that examines the water demand of artificial intelligence while highlighting new AI solutions across the water sector and innovations that can reduce the technology's demand.
“The water conference will be an opportunity to advance those solutions and to create partnerships for advancing the water agenda,” Mr Abushahab said.
The UAE is also pushing to make UN water conferences recurring. The most recent conference was held in 2023 after a 46-year gap.
AI and the UN
AI will also feature prominently on the agenda, with the UAE advocating for wider access to the technology by closing the digital divide and ensuring developing countries have access to it.
“We really believe in the potential and transformative promise of AI,” Mr Abushahab said. “But we’ve always said we have to do this with safe and responsible use of AI.”
The UAE has become a global leader in AI innovation. He said protective measures should not be developed by governments or technology companies in isolation, and called instead for a “multi-stakeholder partnership” bringing together industry, the private sector, academia, governments and civil society.
Mr Abushahab said AI could help the UN become more efficient, including through cost savings and better modelling of where humanitarian needs may emerge, while accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
He emphasised the potential for AI in this regard and said the UAE is investing in the technology for development in the Global South.
Broader UN changes
The UAE will also push for broader changes at the UN. Mr Abushahab said the institution needs to become more effective at preventing, mediating and resolving conflicts.
The question of reform is also shaping the UAE’s view of the race for the selection of the next secretary general.
Mr Abushahab declined to express a preference among the candidates but said the selection was “extremely important and consequential", as the next UN chief will need to continue efforts to modernise the institution and rebuild confidence in multilateralism.
“There are capable candidates in the field,” he said.
The UAE wants the eventual choice to be “a strong partner with the member states” and someone willing to undertake “the very difficult work that is necessary in order to strengthen the UN”, particularly its ability to prevent, mediate and resolve conflicts.
“We are very hopeful that the council will agree on a candidate that is suitable for the moment and for where the UN needs to be,” he said.
