Aoun in New York: A busy agenda and major diplomatic stakes

The 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, opening Monday in New York, carries particular significance: it marks eight decades since the U.N. was founded in 1945, conceived as a mechanism for preserving peace, promoting dialogue and giving member states an equal voice. The commemoration comes at a time marked by war and geopolitical fragmentation.

This is the backdrop for President Joseph Aoun's arrival in New York on Saturday evening, accompanied by his wife Neemat Aoun and a small delegation that includes Foreign Minister Joe Rajji — who arrived a few days earlier — and several advisors. Each has a prearranged schedule, although some meetings will be held jointly.

“Lebanon's participation in this 80th session clearly demonstrates a willingness to reconnect with the international stage after years of relative retreat,” a high-level Arab diplomatic source at the United Nations told L’Orient-Le Jour.

Rajji, who met with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday, told OLJ he's not optimistic about the state achieving a monopoly on arms in Lebanon, and that he feels Israel is determined to pursue its objectives in the region to the end.

Aoun busy about New York

On Sunday, the president and the First Lady attended a Mass in their honor at Our Lady of Lebanon church in Brooklyn, led by Maronite Bishop Gregory Mansour. Sunday afternoon, Aoun is scheduled to hold a "private meeting" in New York, the details of which were not made known. “The president's schedule for Sunday is quite busy,” the diplomatic source said.

On Monday, Aoun will be at the ceremony for the U.N.'s 80th anniversary. On the sidelines, Neemat Aoun, as president of the National Commission for Lebanese Women, will speak at a conference held by the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the primary intergovernmental body on the status and rights of women around the world.

On Monday afternoon, a meeting on the two-state solution is scheduled to take place, and is expected to include either Aoun or Rajji, the diplomatic source explained. France and Saudi Arabia prepared a text outlining a roadmap for the two-state solution for the U.N. that was adopted by the General Assembly on Sept. 12. On Monday, according to an announcement from the French candidacy, which led the initiative, 10 countries are expected to formally recognize Palestinian statehood, including Canada, the U.K. Belgium and Australia .

Lots of meetings, none with Trump

Among Aoun's many bilateral meetings, both confirmed and still under negotiation, one particular encounter certainly won't be appearing on his docket: a meeting with Donald Trump. “President Trump is not planning any face-to-face diplomatic meetings on the sidelines of the General Assembly,” the diplomatic source said.

According to press reports, however, Aoun will attend Trump's dinner on Tuesday. Lebanon's ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh, and the Lebanese permanent representative to the United Nations, Ahmad Arafa, will host a reception honoring the Aouns on Wednesday at the Union League Club of New York.

On Tuesday afternoon, Aoun's diplomacy circuit accumulates with a speech given to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday afternoon. While Aoun's at the podium, Rajji will be busy with several side-line meetings: Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and a climate summit.

On the other hand, “due to lack of resources, Lebanon will not be represented at the meeting on artificial intelligence,” the diplomatic source said. “For budgetary reasons, Lebanon's high-level representation is limited.”

Lebanon's delegation is hoping its active participation in various milieus and at high-level meetings in Washington will bring their country back into the realm of diplomacy after several years of absence, and Lebanon's presence at the General Assembly is intended as a strong political signal.

In 2023, Lebanon briefly lost its General Assembly voting rights for being in arrears on its minimum contribution to the international organization. After years of economic collapse and revelations of corruption, as well as crises of war — which kept Lebanon away from last year's U.N. General Assembly — and the 2020 Beirut blast, Lebanese authorities are seeking to reaffirm Lebanon's role, reposition itself in international debates, and fully rejoin the community of nations. The traditional meeting of Arab foreign ministers, scheduled for Monday, will also mark a symbolic step in Lebanon's return to regional circles.