World leaders are meeting in New York this week for the UN General Assembly, with talks centering on the widening conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine and the risks of artificial intelligence. Nearly 130 heads of state are attending as the post-World War Two order comes under strain and the UN struggles to remain relevant, according to the source.

U.S. President Donald Trump is returning to the rostrum for a second year running. The source says the UN has weathered attacks from Trump, who has slashed America's contributions and withdrawn from dozens of UN bodies.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who last addressed the gathering via video in 2021, will skip New York in favour of one-on-one talks with Trump in Washington on Thursday. The source says this has fuelled debate about the UN's relevance in addressing global crises.