Here's The UN General Assembly Meeting Room, Prabowo's Speech Stage

United Nations Headquarters (UN) which stands in the Manhattan area, New York, United States, Saturday (20/9/2025). (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The United Nations (UN) headquarters, which stands in the Manhattan area, New York, United States, has become one of the world's diplomatic icons.

The large complex on the banks of the East River, every September, turned into the center of global attention when the UN General Assembly was held.

This year, the 80th General Assembly session with the theme Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights, became an important stage for Indonesia, considering President Prabowo Subianto is scheduled to deliver a speech at the general debate session, precisely in third place after Brazilian President Luiz In towncio Lula da Silva and United States President Donald Trump.

This is the first time that the President of Indonesia has returned to the stage of the UN General Assembly. The 6th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, was the last to make a direct speech at the forum.

The 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, in his 10 years of leadership, chose not to attend the UN General Assembly and delegated the 12th Vice President Jusuf Kalla and then Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi for a speech representing Indonesia.

Monitoring by Antara on Saturday, September 20, local time, which had the opportunity to peer into the room of the UN General Assembly, the stage of a speech for the head of state which took place on Tuesday, September 23.

The short tour was facilitated by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia (PTRI) in New York, which accompanied a group of 11 journalists from Indonesia to trace a number of areas inside the historic building which was inaugurated in 1951.

The journey starts from the entrance to the United Nations Headquarters. Every guest is required to pass a strict inspection, from checking luggage to verifying the identity specifically used to attend the annual general assembly.

After the inspection was over, the group was directed to a media center or media center. The location is on the outside of the building, occupying a giant white tent set up on the banks of the East River.

From there, the panorama of the city of New York spread beautifully. On the left stand firmly the Queensboro Bridge. While across it is presented with the landscape of the Queens area decorated with towering buildings.

As for the media center, large workspace-like areas are prepared. Hundreds of chairs and tables are neatly arranged to accommodate journalists from various parts of the world.

Dozens of large television screens were also installed to broadcast the proceedings live. This allows journalists to report in detail even though they are not in the main courtroom.

UN public assembly space

After reviewing the media center, the group was directed to the UN General Assembly Building (United Nations General Assembly/UNGA). From here, Indonesian journalists get access to the third floor, precisely to the balcony area of the UN General Assembly room. The Balkon will later become a place to cover the speeches of the heads of state.

Before entering the balcony area, journalists can see various works of art displayed on the right and left of the aisle. Historical documentation is also seen, including humanitarian messages and peace that continue to be echoed by the United Nations.

Unfortunately, on this tour, a group of Indonesian journalists could not enter the balcony. The area is still sterile because the General Assembly Session will only be held in the next three days. The Indonesian group of journalists can only peek from a tight angle behind the glass which leads directly to the balcony and courtroom

From that spot, it appears that the balcony room is at the top, while below it is lined up with chairs and tables to be occupied by heads of state as well as representatives of 193 member countries. The chair and table face the big stage at the front.

At this meeting, around 150 heads of state are scheduled to attend in person. President Prabowo will later occupy the chair on the right side of the stage, precisely on the 14th row.

The placement of seats is determined based on the draw that has been carried out by the United Nations. The Republic of Niger received the first serial number draw, followed by the next countries which are determined alphabetically.

After Niger, the next country's order was Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, and beyond. The draw system became the UN's way of ensuring the deployment of the delegation fairly.

The existence of journalists on the balcony will be limited in nature. A group of journalists from Indonesia are only allowed to be there when President Prabowo delivers a speech.

The balcony area and the room of the UN General Assembly on the third floor of the United Nations General Assembly (UN) in the Manhattan area, New York, United States, Saturday (20/9/2025). (ANTARA/Fathur Rochman)

After that, it was his turn to give journalists from other countries whose heads of state were talking. This turnaround arrangement is intended to accommodate hundreds of media present from various countries.

In addition to seeing the room of the UN General Assembly, a group of journalists from Indonesia was also invited to review the bilateral space on the first floor. The room is in the form of a collection of small rooms measuring about 3.5 x 3 meters. Each room is only separated by partition barriers.

Each room is equipped with six face-to-face seats and two large seats. These rooms are provided by the United Nations and can be used by heads of state for bilateral meetings with other world leaders.

Important momentum

President Prabowo's speech at the General Debate session of the 80th UN General Assembly was not just a ceremonial agenda. This international forum is an opportunity for Indonesia to voice its commitment to maintaining peace, strengthening global cooperation, and fighting for national interests in the midst of geopolitical dynamics in the world.

President Prabowo, who will speak before world leaders, occupies a strategic position as a country leader who is scheduled to make speeches at the start of the session.

This order is an important momentum, considering that Brazil has traditionally always opened a session, followed by the United States as the host. This means that President Prabowo's speech will be one of the first to be heard by the world.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that one of the important issues that will be discussed in President Prabowo's speech is related to Palestine. The UN General Assembly stage is also an excellent opportunity for Prabowo to deliver Asta Cita's programs and visions.

In his speech, Prabowo will also encourage multilateral system reform and improve a more important role for countries that are part of the South Global with the spirit of Bandung as a guideline.

In addition to a speech at the UN General Assembly, President Prabowo's agenda also includes bilateral meetings with a number of heads of state. This meeting became an important space to strengthen Indonesia's relations with various strategic partners.

For the Indonesian people, President Prabowo's presence on the podium of the UN General Assembly is a symbol of the active involvement of the Red and White on the global stage.

In the midst of increasingly complex world challenges, from the issue of peace, climate change, to the economic crisis, Indonesia's voice in international forums is part of the contribution to a fairer, peaceful, and inclusive world order.