As world leaders gather in New York this week for the 81st United Nations General Assembly, the Western Hemisphere has an opportunity to elevate a security conversation that too often receives attention only after a crisis: how the nations of the Americas can work together to confront transnational threats.

The U.N.’s High-Level Week runs Sept. 22-29, bringing heads of state and government to New York for discussions ranging from international security to development, migration, and global governance. The theme of this year’s General Assembly — “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All” — is particularly relevant to the question of whether countries in the Americas can build more effective mechanisms for addressing shared security challenges.