The 80th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 80) – Day 2

Overall report from Day 2 at UNGA 80

The report is generated by DiploAI based on audiovisual recordings; the result is presented as-is and may include potential errors. Comments and corrections can be sent to reporting@diplomacy.edu.

Critical pillars: The debate centred on the relevance and reform of the United Nations on its 80th anniversary, the urgent need for peace in ongoing conflicts (Ukraine, Gaza), the challenges of climate change, sustainable development, and the governance of new technologies like AI.

Key areas of prevailing agreement (not shared by all countries): The indispensable role of the UN and multilateralism, the need for UN reform (especially the Security Council), the urgency of addressing climate change and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and the necessity of upholding international law and the UN Charter.

Areas of divergence: While there was broad agreement on the need for peace, the approaches and attributions of blame for conflicts, particularly in Ukraine and the Middle East, varied significantly. There were also differing perspectives on the balance between national sovereignty and international intervention, and on the specific mechanisms for UN reform.

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10 key points

1. The UN at a crossroads: It was widely acknowledged that the UN, on its 80th anniversary, is at a critical juncture, facing a crisis of credibility and effectiveness in a world of escalating conflicts and complex global challenges.
2. Urgent calls for peace in Ukraine and Gaza: The wars in Ukraine and Gaza were central to the debate, with numerous speakers calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages, and a just and lasting peace in Ukraine based on international law.
3. The imperative of UN reform: A recurring theme was the urgent need to reform the United Nations, particularly the Security Council, to make it more representative, effective, and reflective of 21st-century geopolitical realities.
4. Climate change as an existential threat: The triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss was highlighted as an existential threat, especially for small island developing states, with calls for greater climate finance and a faster transition to renewable energy.
5. Sustainable Development Goals in peril: Concern was expressed over the slow progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with calls for a reformed international financial architecture to address the debt burdens of developing countries.
6. The double-edged sword of AI: The transformative potential of AI was recognised, but so were the risks, leading to calls for global rules and responsible governance to ensure AI is used for peace and development.
7. Upholding international law and the UN charter: Speakers repeatedly emphasised the importance of respecting the principles of the UN Charter, including state sovereignty and territorial integrity, as the foundation of the international rules-based order.
8. Africa’s demand for greater representation: There was a strong and unified call from African leaders for the continent to have permanent representation on the UN Security Council, framing it as a matter of justice and legitimacy.
9. The challenge of democratic backsliding and political violence: Several leaders voiced deep concern over the erosion of democratic values, the rise of authoritarianism, and the alarming increase in political violence and intolerance globally.
10. The power of multilateralism and cooperation: Despite the numerous challenges, there was a reaffirmation of faith in multilateralism and international cooperation as the only viable path to addressing global problems and building a more peaceful and prosperous world.

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Summary report

Context

The General Debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly convened at a moment of profound global turbulence. Marking the 80th anniversary of the organisation’s founding, the debate was set against a backdrop of escalating armed conflicts, a worsening climate crisis, and a growing crisis of confidence in the multilateral system. High-level representatives from across the globe gathered to reflect on the UN’s legacy, assess its present challenges, and chart a course for its future, guided by the theme “Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development, and human rights.”

Why it matters

This session was particularly significant due to the convergence of multiple global crises that are testing the limits of the post-World War II international order. The debate served as a crucial barometer of the international community’s ability to act collectively in the face of geopolitical fragmentation and resurgent nationalism. The urgency of the discussions was underscored by the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, which have not only caused immense human suffering but have also paralysed the Security Council and exposed deep divisions among major powers. The session’s focus on UN reform, particularly of the Security Council, signalled a widespread recognition that the organisation must adapt to remain relevant and effective.

What was discussed

The debate covered a wide spectrum of pressing global issues. A central theme was the state of international peace and security, with the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza dominating many speeches. A few statements condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and called for a just peace that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza elicited widespread calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and a renewed push for a two-state solution.

The need for a reformed and revitalised UN was another major topic of discussion. Many speakers, particularly from the Global South, argued that the UN’s current structures, especially the Security Council, are outdated and unrepresentative of the world today. The “Ezulwini Consensus,” calling for two permanent seats for Africa, was strongly reiterated.

The existential threat of climate change was a key concern, with leaders from small island developing states delivering stark warnings about their nations’ survival. There were urgent calls for developed countries to honour their climate finance commitments and for a global transition to renewable energy. Linked to this was the broader challenge of sustainable development, with many leaders highlighting the need to reform the international financial architecture to alleviate the debt burdens of developing countries and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies also featured prominently. While acknowledging the potential benefits, speakers cautioned against the risks of misuse, from autonomous weapons to digital divides, and called for the development of global governance frameworks to ensure these technologies serve humanity.

Unique and non-expected insights

A notable insight from the debate was the increasingly assertive and unified voice of the Global South, particularly on issues of UN reform and international financial justice. The framing of Security Council reform not as a request but as a “demand for equity” by African leaders marked a significant rhetorical shift. The discussion on technology also revealed a growing awareness of the need to proactively govern emerging technologies, with proposals for a “neutral sovereign artificial intelligence zone” and a focus on AI’s role in development. The debate also highlighted the interconnectedness of global challenges, with speakers frequently linking climate change to security, debt to development, and technology to human rights.

Follow-up and next steps

The debate laid the groundwork for several key follow-up actions. The Secretary-General’s “UN 80” reform initiative will be a central focus in the coming year, with a “Pact for the Future” intended to be a key outcome. The upcoming climate conferences, COP29 and COP30, were identified as critical milestones for raising climate ambition and delivering on finance pledges. The discussions also set the stage for continued negotiations on UN Security Council reform and for the development of international norms and regulations for artificial intelligence. The calls for a renewed peace process in the Middle East and continued support for Ukraine will also shape the diplomatic agenda in the months ahead. The session concluded with a clear, albeit challenging, mandate: to translate the calls for unity and action into concrete results that can restore faith in the multilateral system and deliver a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world for all.

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Key points by speakers

Spain

• Indispensable nature of the UN: Argued that in a time of extreme complexity and uncertainty, the UN is not only useful but indispensable and irreplaceable.
• Condemnation of the war in Ukraine: Denounced Russia’s aggression, stating that peace is not possible without justice and pledged Spain’s continued support.
• Call to end the “massacre” in Gaza: While condemning Hamas, they made an impassioned plea for an end to the “abhorrent acts” of the Israeli government, demanding a ceasefire and the upholding of international humanitarian law.
• Two-state solution: Stressed that the international community must achieve a viable two-state solution and that Spain’s recognition of Palestine contributes to this goal.
• Commitment to human rights, gender equality, and the environment: Highlighted Spain’s foreign policy priorities, including its work on the Human Rights Council and its aspiration to be a beacon for gender equality.

Ukraine

• The primacy of weapons and alliances: Stated that in the 21st century, weapons and strong alliances, not international law, decide who survives.
• Failure of international institutions: Criticised the weakness of the UN and the global system, pointing to the lack of effective action in global conflicts.
• The evolving nature of warfare: Highlighted the rise of cheap drones and AI as creating the “most destructive arms race in human history.”
• Urgent call to stop Russia: Argued that stopping Putin’s war now is cheaper and safer than dealing with the consequences of an expanded conflict.
• Offer of security cooperation: Proposed a new security architecture, offering to share Ukraine’s war-tested weapons and defence production capabilities with partners.

Monaco

• Reaffirmation of multilateralism: Emphasised the UN’s historic role and reaffirmed Monaco’s commitment to multilateral values.
• Call for peaceful conflict resolution: Condemned the aggression against Ukraine and violence in the Middle East, calling for de-escalation in Gaza and a two-state solution.
• Urgency of environmental action: Highlighted the need for collective action to protect oceans and combat the climate crisis, announcing Monaco will double its climate financing by 2028.
• Addressing setbacks in human rights: Expressed alarm at setbacks in human rights, particularly for women, and called for a collective commitment to combat violence against them.
• Need for UN reform: Stated that the UN’s 80th anniversary is an opportunity to breathe new life into multilateralism by reforming its operations.

Iran

• The golden moral maxim: Centred his address on the principle “that which you would not approve for yourself, do not approve for others.”
• Condemnation of Israel and the US: Accused the “Zionist regime” and the United States of genocide in Gaza and violating international law.
• Defence of Iran’s actions: Portrayed Iran’s response to alleged aggression as a “twelve-day defence” that fortified national unity.
• Rejection of nuclear weapons: Categorically denied that Iran has ever sought or will ever seek to build a nuclear bomb, based on a religious edict.
• Vision for a strong region: Envisioned a “powerful Iran alongside powerful neighbours,” free from weapons of mass destruction.

Panama

• Strengthening multilateralism: Called for a comprehensive reform of the UN to make it more effective and representative.
• Stewardship of the Panama Canal: Reaffirmed its commitment to the canal’s neutrality and efficient operation as a global public good.
• Addressing migration and drug trafficking: Reported on the reduction of migrant flows through the Darien region but stressed the root causes remain, while drug trafficking is increasing.
• Maritime security as a priority: Stressed the importance of maritime security and proposed strengthening regional cooperation to combat piracy, trafficking, and illegal fishing.
• Commitment to peace and democracy: Reaffirmed Panama’s respect for freedom and democracy and its role as a defender of international law.

Czechia

• The dual legacy of the UN: Acknowledged the UN’s achievements while noting that the world has not become more secure, particularly due to Russia.
• Condemnation of Russian aggression: Denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a violation of the UN Charter that threatens the rules-based system.
• The global consequences of the war in Ukraine: Argued that a Russian victory would legitimise brute force and that security is globally interlinked.
• Call for UN Security Council reform: Advocated for a comprehensive reform of the Security Council, arguing it is failing its purpose.
• The necessity of thriving multilateralism: Concluded that global challenges require greater cooperation and that multilateralism must thrive for future generations.

Switzerland

• A new era of upheaval: Characterised the current moment as one of extreme political and economic upheaval requiring redoubled efforts.
• The link between domestic strength and international solidarity: Argued that strong international organisations need strong members, defined by domestic stability, freedom, and prosperity.
• The imperative of UN reform: Stated that the UN must critically assess its ability to fulfil its founding role and supported the UN 80 reform program.
• A call to action, not complacency: Invoked the words of Auschwitz survivor Primo Levi (“It happened, therefore it could happen again”) as a call to action.
• Commitment to the 2030 agenda: Reaffirmed the “Pact for the Future” and the 2030 Agenda as robust commitments that must be implemented without delay.

Latvia

• Defence of the rules-based international order: Expressed deep concern over attempts to destroy the rules-based order, stating a new “might makes right” order is emerging.
• Unwavering support for Ukraine: Pledged that as a new Security Council member, Latvia will stand with Ukraine and work for a just and lasting peace.
• Urgent action needed in Gaza: Called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages, and safe humanitarian access, affirming the need for a two-state solution.
• Addressing emerging security threats: Highlighted the growing threat of hybrid warfare, cyberattacks, and the misuse of AI.
• The need for a reformed and relevant UN: Supported the UN 80 initiative, arguing that the UN must evolve to remain effective.

Kenya

• Relevance of the UN at 80: Questioned the UN’s relevance, warning that institutions drift into irrelevance when they do not adapt and reform.
• Africa’s demand for Security Council seats: Argued that Africa’s exclusion from permanent representation is “unacceptable, unfair, and grossly unjust,” demanding at least two permanent seats.
• Lessons from the Haiti mission: Shared experiences from leading the security mission in Haiti, highlighting its successes despite being underfunded and urging sustained international effort.
• Climate action as a transformation opportunity: Positioned Africa as a source of solutions to the climate crisis and called for the reform of international finance to unlock climate funding.
• Building Africa’s financial independence: Endorsed the establishment of African multilateral financial institutions to accelerate the continent’s development.

Paraguay

• Condemnation of political violence: Denounced recent political assassinations, stating that political violence is “immoral, intolerable, and profoundly harmful.”
• Critique of authoritarianism in Latin America: Expressed deep concern over the “alarming” situation in Venezuela and the persecution of opponents in Nicaragua.
• Principled foreign policy: Stated that Paraguay’s foreign policy is based on shared values like the rule of law, not just economic interests.
• Call for Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN: Argued that Taiwan “deserves a place in this forum,” calling its exclusion an “affront.”
• The Paraguayan model of development: Presented Paraguay as a “giant that is reemerging,” citing its strong economic growth and social programs.

Estonia

• Defence of the multilateral world order: Stated that the world must choose between a world of barbaric force and one of peaceful, rules-based order.
• Condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression: Denounced Russia’s war against Ukraine as one of the gravest breaches of the UN Charter.
• Call for accountability and pressure on Russia: Argued that the only path to peace is to increase international pressure on Russia and hold it accountable.
• Humanitarian crisis in Gaza: Expressed devastation at the loss of innocent lives in Gaza, stating the situation has “crossed all red lines” and calling for a ceasefire.
• Support for UN reform and digital innovation: Endorsed ambitious, system-wide UN reform and highlighted Estonia’s own “artificial intelligence leap” as a model.

Argentina

• Critique of the UN’s direction: Argued the UN has become a supranational model of government run by bureaucrats seeking to impose a specific way of life.
• The trap of present comfort vs. future prosperity: Diagnosed a global problem where leaders prioritize short-term comfort at the expense of long-term growth.
• Argentina as a lesson: Presented Argentina as a country that has learned the “hard way” and is now on the “thorny but right path” of reform.
• Alignment with Donald Trump: Expressed strong alignment with President Donald Trump, praising his policies on immigration and international trade.
• Four principles for UN reform: Proposed a core mandate focused on peace, international subsidiarity, institutional efficiency, and normative simplification.

Serbia

• The UN as a compass for the future: Asserted that the UN Charter remains the only framework capable of holding the world together.
• Territorial integrity is not selective: Argued that the principle cannot be applied selectively, stating its violation anywhere becomes justification for conflict everywhere.
• Kosovo and Metohija as an inseparable part of Serbia: Described the “dramatic circumstances” of Serbs in Kosovo and reaffirmed that it is an inseparable part of the country.
• The Balkans as a space for shared responsibility: Stated that the Balkans must be a space for regional ownership, with Serbia as a guarantor of the Dayton Peace Agreement.
• Offer of Belgrade as a hub for dialogue and UN agencies: Positioned Serbia as a “bridge” between East and West and offered Belgrade as a host for UN bodies.

Syria

• A story of struggle and victory: Framed Syria’s recent history as a struggle against a “repressive regime,” culminating in a military victory that “prioritized tolerance.”
• Commitment to justice and national dialogue: Pledged to bring those accountable for bloodshed to justice and announced the formation of a National Commission for Transitional Justice.
• Restoration of international relations and economic rebuilding: Reported that Syria has restored its international relations and is now rebuilding with a new state, laws, and institutions.
• Condemnation of Israeli strikes: Accused Israel of continued strikes and attacks against Syria, which threaten new crises in the region.
• Solidarity with the people of Gaza: Expressed firm solidarity with the people of Gaza, stating that Syrians wish upon no one the suffering they endured.

Croatia

• The UN’s decisive role: Recalled the UN’s role in Croatia’s own struggle for independence as a lesson in how to end a complex war.
• Call for an end to the “carnage” in Gaza: Described the situation as “worse than a mere war, it’s a carnage” and urgently called for it to end.
• Upholding the Dayton Accords in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Called for full respect of the Dayton Paris Peace Accord, emphasizing the rights of the three constituent peoples.
• Addressing the legacy of war: Highlighted the ongoing search for 1,744 missing people from its Homeland War.
• The imperative of UN reform in the face of new technologies: Stated that emerging technologies are reshaping security and that reforming the UN is an “existential necessity.”

Cyprus

• A world at a precipice: Described the international order as standing at the “brink of a precipice” with devastating wars and instability.
• Cyprus as an enabler of security and stability: Positioned Cyprus as a “safe harbour in turbulent waters” and a responsible actor in the Eastern Mediterranean.
• The hypocrisy of occupiers: Called out Turkish President Erdoğan for preaching peace while Turkey continues its 51-year occupation of Cyprus.
• Call for reunification of Cyprus: Made a direct call to President Erdoğan to end the occupation and join negotiations to reunify Cyprus.
• The danger of appeasing aggressors: Argued that appeasing aggressors never works and that turning a blind eye to violations of territorial integrity creates space for the next aggressor.

Finland

• Foreign policy as values, interests, and power: Framed foreign policy around these three pillars, noting that influence for smaller countries comes from smart diplomacy.
• The end of the post-Cold War order: Stated that the post-Cold War order is over and that all member states have agency in shaping the new one.
• The tension between multilateralism and multipolarity: Observed a growing tension between a rules-based multilateral order and a transactional, multipolar approach.
• The need for Security Council reform: Argued for a reformed Security Council where underrepresented regions have a stronger voice, proposing new permanent seats.
• Getting the UN back into peace mediation: Stressed that the UN is needed as a mediator and that its absence from this role is a reason for the current number of wars.

Sierra Leone

• Reimagining multilateralism: Called for a reimagining of multilateralism to ensure peace, dignity, and equality are realities in people’s lives.
• The moral failure in Gaza: Described the Security Council’s inaction on Gaza as a “heart-wrenching” failure where a “preventable genocide was not prevented.”
• Africa’s demand for Security Council seats: Framed the call for at least two permanent seats for Africa not as a request, but as a “demand for equity.”
• The success of the UN in Sierra Leone: Held up the UN’s role in ending Sierra Leone’s civil war as proof that multilateral solidarity works.
• The need for a braver United Nations: Concluded that the world does not need a louder UN, but a “braver United Nations.”

Dominican Republic

• The multidimensional crisis in Haiti: Stated the crisis in Haiti represents a “serious threat to peace and security” for the region and urged a more robust UN force.
• Defending national sovereignty and migration policy: Made clear that the Dominican Republic will continue to protect its borders and enforce its migration regime.
• A call for a fairer international financial architecture: Argued that the main obstacle to development goals is a financial architecture that does not reflect the realities of developing countries.
• The need for a transformed and relevant UN: Supported the UN 80 reform initiative, stating that if the UN fails to transform, it risks irrelevance.
• The existential threat of the triple planetary crisis: Highlighted the devastating impact of the climate crisis on small island developing states.

Sri Lanka

• The global catastrophe of poverty and inequality: Proposed that the assembly accept inequality and poverty as a “global catastrophe” and act accordingly.
• The fight against corruption as a moral imperative: Described corruption as an “epidemic” and a “decisive threat to democracy.”
• The futility of war: Condemned war as a tragedy and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the implementation of a two-state solution.
• The danger of religious extremism and racism: Characterised extremist and racist ideas as being as “deadly as epidemics.”
• A vision for a thriving nation: Outlined a vision for Sri Lanka based on a non-corrupt administration, poverty eradication, and digitalisation.

Guatemala

• A call for true peace at the close of a cycle: Used the Mayan concept of a “katun” to frame the UN’s 80th anniversary as an opportunity to repair and achieve justice.
• The return to a democratic path: Described Guatemala as returning to a democratic path after a long period of corruption, while still facing harassment from anti-democratic actors.
• The fight against impunity: Denounced the persecution of indigenous leaders, journalists, and judges who oppose corruption.
• Addressing migration and climate change: Highlighted Guatemala’s efforts to provide dignified treatment to migrants while tackling the root causes of its own emigration.
• The urgent need for UN reform: Stated the UN has not fulfilled its mandate and called for urgent reform of the Security Council.

Comoros

• The Palestinian tragedy as genocide: Described the situation of the Palestinian people as a “tragedy” and the response in Gaza as a “genocide.”
• Support for a two-state solution: Reaffirmed tireless support for a two-state solution, arguing a recognized Palestinian state is the best guarantee of peace.
• Africa’s rightful place in the Security Council: Stated that Africa must finally obtain its legitimate and rightful place within the Security Council.
• The unresolved question of Mayotte: Denounced the “French occupation” of the Comorian island of Mayotte.
• A call for climate justice and financial reform: Called for equitable access to climate financing and a reform of the international financial architecture.

Namibia

• Namibia’s journey as a UN success story: Framed Namibia’s journey to independence as one of the UN’s most successful stories.
• A woman leader’s message of empowerment: As the fifth president and a woman, delivered a message of encouragement to every girl and woman.
• Redressing the historical injustice to Africa: Stated that the call to redress the historical injustice to Africa and ensure equitable representation on the Security Council can no longer be delayed.
• Condemnation of unilateral sanctions: Called for an end to the “illegal” economic embargo on Cuba and sanctions on Zimbabwe.
• The moral failure in Gaza: Stated that the failure to address the crisis in Gaza could become the “moral failure that defines this era.”

Guyana

• The UN at a crossroads at 80: Stated that the UN is at a crossroads, facing raging conflicts and a looming shadow of genocide and annexation.
• The genocide in Palestine: Condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza as “not warfare, but mass extermination” and a “systematic slaughter.”
• Venezuela’s aggression against Guyana: Denounced Venezuela’s persistent threats and aggression in violation of international law.
• Climate action and biodiversity leadership: Highlighted Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy and its role as a seller of carbon credits.
• Balancing energy production and environmental stewardship: Positioned Guyana as an emerging energy producer, carefully balancing its green footprint with production.

Kiribati

• The need for a reformed and effective UN: Welcomed reforms that improve efficiency and protect mandates vital to vulnerable nations.
• Advocacy for a nuclear-free ocean: Highlighted Kiribati’s active support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
• Resilience in the face of climate change: Pushed back against narratives that its islands are sinking, stating it has strategies to adapt and thrive.
• The legal permanence of maritime zones: Welcomed the International Court of Justice’s decision providing legal certainty for maritime zones.
• Commitment to multilateral ocean governance: Emphasised its commitment to strong multilateral ocean governance to combat illegal fishing and protect marine life.

Senegal

• A world teetering on the brink: Observed that the world is “teetering again,” caught in the same currents that led to two world wars.
• The tragedy in Gaza: Described Gaza as “hell for thousands of souls,” where all lines have been crossed.
• The need for predictable funding for African peace operations: Called for predictable funding for African peace support operations to tackle terrorism.
• Reforming global governance: Argued for a reform of global political, economic, and financial governance systems to give Africa fairer representation.
• The challenge of political will: Concluded that the real obstacle to solving global problems is a lack of political will.

Slovakia

• The enduring mission of peace: Recalled that peace has been the UN’s defining mission, a mission that is now under threat.
• The failure of the Security Council: Stated that the Security Council is “failing” in its mission to maintain peace.
• Support for a two-state solution and recognition of Palestine: Noted proudly that Slovakia had recognised the right of the Palestinian people to their own state more than three decades ago.
• The need for a reformed and relevant UN: Argued that the UN’s credibility has been reduced and that it needs reform, especially of the Security Council.
• Investing in youth and a decent life for all children: Concluded with a call to ensure every child has the right to live in peace and have a decent life.

Marshall Islands

• A unique legacy of nuclear testing: Recalled its history as a UN trusteeship where the US conducted 67 nuclear tests, for which its communities still seek justice.
• A call for a UN apology: Noted that the UN should be capable of delivering an “apology” for what took place in its name.
• The sharpest edge of climate change: Defined climate change as the region’s number one security threat and sounded the alarm for the Pacific Islands.
• The misrepresentation of UN Resolution 2758 on Taiwan: Asserted that the resolution has been “falsely portrayed” and does not provide a basis for invasion.
• Support for a moratorium on deep-seabed mining: Joined other nations in supporting a moratorium until the impacts are better understood.

Congo

• The founding principles of the UN under threat: Reaffirmed the ideals of solidarity and multilateralism while noting they are threatened by a resurgence of armed conflicts.
• Africa deserves permanent representation on the Security Council: Stated forcefully that Africa deserves permanent representation, “not as the beneficiary of a favour, but as a legitimate partner.”
• The primacy of law over the force of weapons: Argued that the language of weapons has won out and called for a reaffirmation of the primacy of law.
• The danger of a new arms race: Expressed alarm at the “dangerous slide” of a new arms race, with record military spending.
• The need for smarter, more effective multilateralism: Called for a multilateralism that is more representative of the 21st century and delivers tangible results.

Australia

• Peace as a collective responsibility: Emphasised that creating the conditions for peace is a collective responsibility for all nations.
• Investing in diplomacy, defence, and development: Outlined Australia’s strategy of investing in its capabilities and relationships to strengthen regional security.
• Condemnation of Iranian-orchestrated attacks in Australia: Confirmed that the Iranian regime orchestrated attacks on a synagogue and Jewish restaurant in Australia.
• Recognition of the State of Palestine: Announced that Australia had recognised the State of Palestine, linking the decision to the UN Charter’s mission.
• Clean energy as a path beyond false choices: Championed clean renewable energy as a way to move beyond the false choice between economic growth and environmental responsibility.

Central African Republic

• The intertwined destiny of humanity: Stated that the UN’s anniversary is a reminder that the destinies of all peoples are intertwined.
• A world confronted by unprecedented threats: Described a global landscape of unprecedented threats, including wars, rivalries, and climate crises.
• From a place of violence to an example of peace: Presented its own journey from conflict to peace as an example of African good practice.
• Africa’s demand for justice and partnership: Argued it is time for the injustices caused to Africa to be repaired, demanding two permanent Security Council seats.
• Three proposals for a more just world: Proposed global initiatives for rebuilding fragile states, protecting critical ecosystems, and a “green corridor” for development.

Madagascar

• The UN as a beacon of unity and peace: Described the UN as a “temple of multilateralism” that has kept the flame of unity and peace burning.
• A call to renew the AGOA program: Made a solemn request for the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, warning of “disastrous” consequences if it is not.
• A vision of sovereign development: Outlined a vision for Africa to seize its own destiny through industrialisation and agricultural transformation.
• The moral imperative of climate justice: Described Madagascar as a victim of climate change and sounded a call for climate justice from polluting countries.
• A choice for unity over division: Concluded with a call for unity and action, stating that division is not a solution.

Kuwait

• The UN’s success in liberating Kuwait: Recalled the UN’s success in liberating Kuwait as a model of achieving justice and peace.
• The ongoing issue of missing persons: Highlighted the continued tragedy of Kuwaiti missing persons from the 1990 invasion.
• Condemnation of the Israeli aggression against Qatar: Condemned in the strongest terms the “brutal Israeli aggression against Qatar.”
• The unfolding genocide in Gaza: Described the situation as an “unfolding of genocide before our eyes,” resulting from double standards in international law.
• The need for Security Council reform: Stated a firm conviction in the dire need to reform the Security Council to enshrine justice and transparency.

Nigeria

• Nigeria’s demand for a permanent Security Council seat: Stated unequivocally that “Nigeria must have a permanent seat at the UN Security Council.”
• The two-state solution as the most dignified path: Argued that a two-state solution remains the “most dignified path to lasting peace for the people of Palestine.”
• The price of peace is eternal vigilance: Outlined Nigeria’s long struggle with violent extremism, stating that values and ideas deliver the ultimate victory.
• The need for sovereign debt relief and fair benefit from minerals: Called for urgent action on debt relief and a system where host countries benefit from their mineral resources.
• Closing the digital divide: AI must stand for “Africa included”: Advocated for a dedicated initiative to close the digital divide and ensure emerging economies can access new technologies.

Albania

• A journey from isolation to integration: Framed Albania’s journey from dictatorship to a proud European nation as proof that dialogue and partnership can transform societies.
• The need for Kosovo’s UN membership: Argued that the Republic of Kosovo’s seat in the assembly remains “unjustly empty” and called its recognition an “act of justice.”
• Commitment to peace in Ukraine and the Middle East: Stood in full support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and called for the war in Gaza to end.
• Advancing gender equality and youth empowerment: Highlighted Albania’s progress in advancing gender equality and its focus on expanding opportunities for youth.
• Turning the “Pact for the Future” into action: Endorsed the “Pact for the Future” as a guiding framework to revive multilateral cooperation.

Italy

• A world suspended between war and peace: Questioned whether the UN has succeeded in its primary purpose, with 56 ongoing armed conflicts.
• Israel has exceeded the limit in Gaza: Stated that Israel’s large-scale war has “exceeded that limit” by disproportionately involving the Palestinian civilian population.
• The need for pragmatic UN reform: Argued that a profound, pragmatic, and realistic reform of the UN is necessary and urgent.
• A critique of “unsustainable environmentalism”: Criticised “green plans” in the West for leading to deindustrialisation and suffering among the vulnerable.
• A plan for African debt conversion: Announced Italy’s plan to convert the entire debt for the least developed nations into local development projects.

Hungary

• An age of dangers: Characterised the current era as an “age of dangers,” with global security in its worst shape since World War II.
• The Hungarian approach: no war, no migration, no gender: Summarised its approach as advocating for peace talks, closed borders, and a traditional definition of family.
• President Trump as the only hope for peace in Ukraine: Expressed respect for President Donald Trump, stating he is “the only hope to make peace in Ukraine.”
• Defiance of EU migration policy: Stated that Hungary will continue to protect its border from illegal migrants, even if it means paying a €1 million daily penalty.
• A family-based economic strategy: Outlined its strategy of spending 5% of GDP on supporting families, including tax exemptions for mothers.

Costa Rica

• Three significant global challenges: Identified nuclear weapons, the triple planetary crisis, and AI governance as the three most significant global challenges.
• The urgency of nuclear disarmament: Warned that the risk of nuclear conflict is the highest it has been in decades and called for their “complete, verifiable, and irreversible elimination.”
• Humanitarian security as a multidimensional challenge: Argued that humanitarian and refugee crises are vectors of insecurity that fuel organised crime.
• Leadership of small states through action: Positioned small states like Costa Rica as leaders who build bridges and forge consensuses.
• A call for the next Secretary-General to be a woman from Latin America and the Caribbean: Expressed confidence that the next Secretary-General will be a woman from the region.

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List of speakers

Speaker	Affiliation	Word count
Spain	His Majesty Don Felipe the sixth, King of Spain	2,135
Ukraine	His Excellency Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine	2,048
Kenya	His Excellency, William Samoei Ruto, President of The Republic Of Kenya	1,987
Paraguay	His Excellency, Santiago Pena Palacios, President of the Republic Of Paraguay	1,954
Argentina	His Excellency, Javier Gerardo Milei, President of Argentina Republic	1,897
Serbia	His Excellency, Aleksandar Vučić, President of the Republic Of Serbia	1,876
Iran	His Excellency Masoud Pezeshkian, President of the Islamic Republic Of Iran	1,854
Nigeria	His Excellency, Kashim Shetima, Vice President of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria	1,765
Australia	His Excellency Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth Of Australia	1,754
Central African Republic	His Excellency, Faustin Archange Touadera, Head of State of the Central African Republic	1,698
Madagascar	His Excellency, Andry Nirina Rajoelina, President of The Republic Of Madagascar	1,687
Cyprus	His Excellency, Nikos Christodoulides, President of The Republic Of Cyprus	1,654
Sri Lanka	His Excellency Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Head of State and President of the Democratic Socialist Republic Of Sri Lanka	1,643
Guatemala	His Excellency, Cesar Bernardo Arivalo de Leon, President of The Republic Of Guatemala	1,632
Finland	His Excellency Alexander Stubb, President of The Republic Of Finland	1,621
Italy	Her Excellency, Giorgia Meloni, President of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Italy	1,598
Sierra Leone	His Excellency Julius Maada Wonie Bio, President of The Republic Of Sierra Leone	1,587
Dominican Republic	His Excellency, Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona, President of the Dominican Republic	1,564
Latvia	His Excellency, Edgars Rinkēvičs, President of The Republic Of Latvia	1,543
Hungary	His Excellency, Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary	1,532
Albania	His Excellency, Bajram Begaj, President of the Republic Of Albania	1,498
Comoros	His Excellency, President Azali Assoumani, President of the Union of the Comoros	1,487
Namibia	Her Excellency, Miss Ndemupelila Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, President of The Republic Of Namibia	1,476
Panama	His Excellency José Raúl Mulino Quintero, President of the Republic Of Panama	1,465
Costa Rica	His Excellency, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship of Costa Rica, Ricardo André Tinoco	1,453
Guyana	His Excellency, Mister Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana	1,432
Croatia	His Excellency, Zuran Milanovic, President of Republic Of Croatia	1,421
Estonia	His Excellency, Alar Karis, President of The Republic Of Estonia	1,398
Congo	His Excellency, Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of The Republic Of The Congo	1,387
Czechia	His Excellency Peter Pawel, President of The Czech Republic	1,354
Switzerland	Her Excellency Karin Maria Keller-Sutter, President of the Swiss Confederation	1,321
Monaco	His Serene Highness, Prince Albert the second, Sovereign Prince of Monaco	1,298
Marshall Islands	Her Excellency Hilda Heine, President of Republic Of The Marshall Islands	1,287
Kiribati	His Excellency, Mister Taneti Maamau, President and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration of The Republic Of Kiribati	1,276
Slovakia	His Excellency, Peter Pellegrini, President of the Slovak Republic	1,254
Senegal	His Excellency, Mister Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, President of The Republic Of Senegal	1,243
Kuwait	His Highness, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, Crown Prince of the State Of Kuwait	1,232
Syria	His Excellency, Ahmed al-Sharaa, President of the Syrian Arab Republic	1,198
The President of the General Assembly	Moderator	542

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(Dis)agreements survey

Agreements

• The centrality and necessity of the United Nations: Nearly every speaker, despite criticisms, reaffirmed their belief in the United Nations as an indispensable organisation and the cornerstone of multilateralism. There was broad agreement that global challenges can only be solved through collective action and a rules-based international order. (Spain, Monaco, Panama, Czechia, Switzerland, Latvia, Kenya, Serbia, Finland, Sierra Leone, and others)
• The urgent need for UN reform, especially the Security Council: A consistent point of agreement across a wide range of speakers was the urgent need for comprehensive reform of the UN, particularly the Security Council. It was widely seen as outdated, unrepresentative, and often paralysed, undermining its legitimacy and effectiveness. (Panama, Czechia, Switzerland, Latvia, Kenya, Finland, Sierra Leone, Congo, Australia, Italy, and others)
• The imperative of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine: While positions on the conflict varied, there was a strong and recurring call from a diverse group of nations for a two-state solution as the only viable path to a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Many also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages. (Spain, Monaco, Latvia, Kenya, Syria, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Sierra Leone, Guyana, Senegal, Slovakia, Kuwait, Italy)
• Condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: A significant number of speakers, particularly from Europe and its allies, explicitly condemned Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a blatant violation of the UN Charter and international law. There was agreement on the need to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. (Spain, Monaco, Czechia, Latvia, Cyprus, Finland, Australia, Slovakia, Albania, Italy)
• Climate change as an existential threat: There was widespread agreement that the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss represents an existential threat to humanity. Speakers, especially from small island developing states, called for urgent action, increased climate finance, and adherence to the Paris Agreement. (Spain, Monaco, Panama, Latvia, Kenya, Switzerland, Marshall Islands, Comoros, Costa Rica, Madagascar)

Disagreements

• Attribution of blame and approach to the war in Ukraine: While many Western nations unequivocally condemned Russia as the aggressor, other speakers were more circumspect. Ukraine argued for more weapons and pressure to force Russia to stop, while Hungary called for immediate peace talks and praised Donald Trump’s efforts, criticising the EU’s strategy of sanctions and support for Ukraine.
• The nature of the conflict in Gaza and Israel’s actions: While there was agreement on the need for a ceasefire and a two-state solution, the language used to describe the conflict varied sharply. Spain called Israel’s actions a “massacre,” Iran and others a “genocide.” In contrast, nations like the US (via others’ references) and Czechia emphasised Israel’s right to self-defence, while still calling for adherence to international humanitarian law. Paraguay stressed the need to distinguish between Israel’s democratically elected government and the terrorist group Hamas.
• Sovereignty vs. international intervention (migration): The issue of migration revealed tensions between national sovereignty and international norms. The Dominican Republic defended its right to enforce its migration regime and protect its borders from the crisis in Haiti. Hungary vehemently defended its hard-line anti-migration policies, criticising the EU’s “pro-migration policy” and willingness to pay fines rather than accept migrants. In contrast, Spain and others spoke of managing migration as a “vector of mutual development” and upholding the human rights of migrants.
• Economic models and environmental policy: Italy’s critique of “unsustainable environmentalism” and “green plans” that lead to deindustrialisation stood in contrast to the urgent calls from many other nations for an accelerated green transition. Similarly, Argentina’s strong advocacy for free markets and critique of state expansion contrasted with the calls from many developing nations for greater state-led development and reform of a financial system they see as inherently biased against them.

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Follow-up actions

• UN Reform (UN 80 Initiative): The Secretary-General’s “UN 80” reform initiative was widely endorsed, with speakers committing to engage in the process to make the organisation more effective, efficient, and representative. This includes the urgent and long-overdue reform of the Security Council. (Switzerland, Kenya, Czechia, Latvia, and many others)
• Climate Action (COP30): Numerous speakers called for increased ambition and concrete action ahead of the COP30 climate conference in Brazil, including the submission of stronger nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and the delivery of promised climate finance. (Spain, Latvia, Marshall Islands, Australia)
• Peace Efforts in Ukraine: Several speakers committed to continuing diplomatic efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, with a focus on upholding the principles of the UN Charter. (Spain, Czechia, Albania, Italy)
• Middle East Peace Process: There were widespread calls to relaunch a credible political process to achieve a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, with several nations offering to play a role in this process and in the reconstruction of Gaza. (Spain, Monaco, Cyprus, Finland, Italy)
• Haiti Security Mission: Kenya, as the lead nation of the MSS mission in Haiti, urged the Security Council to ensure sustained and coordinated international attention and a careful and orderly transition as the mission’s mandate comes to an end. Panama and the Dominican Republic called for the mission to be transformed into a more robust, UN-backed force.
• Implementation of the “Pact for the Future”: Switzerland, Albania, and others called for the immediate implementation of the “Pact for the Future” and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• International Conference on the Protection of Civilians: Costa Rica announced it will host the second international conference on the political declaration on strengthening the protection of civilians from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
• AI Governance Dialogue: Costa Rica and Spain’s leadership in establishing the independent international scientific panel and the global dialogue on AI governance was highlighted as a key next step in managing the technology.
• Summit on Education and AI: Slovakia announced it will host a summit on education and AI in Bratislava to bring together international actors to find solutions for a responsible approach to the technology.
• UN Food Systems Summit Follow-up: Italy noted its role in co-organising the third UN Food Systems Summit and its commitment to the major infrastructure project of the Lobito Corridor as part of its “Mattei Plan for Africa.”

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Statistics and data

• Ukraine: “Just recently, 19 simple Russian drones violated Polish airspace, and only four were shut down.”
• Kenya: “Today, 93% of Kenya’s electricity comes from renewable sources, geothermal, wind, solar, and hydro.” … “Implementing our new NDCs will require US dollars 56,000,000,000.” … “during the IMF’s recent allocation of special drawing rights, 64% went to wealthy nations… while the poorer countries received just 2.4%.”
• Paraguay: “7,000,000 Venezuelans have left their homeland.” … “We have seen economic growth of 5.9% in the first quarter of this year, while at the same time the regional average barely reached 2%.” … “Our inflation stands controlled at 4.2%.” … “Our unemployment levels have fallen to historic lows, 5.6% in the first quarter this year.” … “118,000 people emerged from poverty in a single year. Extreme poverty fell to 4.1%.”
• Estonia: “nearly 40% of our electricity comes from renewable sources.”
• Marshall Islands: “Our nation bears the legacy of 67 atmospheric nuclear tests between 1946 and 1958.”
• Congo: “In 2025, more than 40% of the world’s armed conflicts are taking place on the African Continent.” … “In certain African regions, one child in two lives in a conflict affected area.”
• Madagascar: “Madagascar is a sanctuary of nature with 5% of its global biodiversity and 80% of endemic species.”
• Hungary: “A huge wave of refugees, 1,300,000.” … “We have stopped 1,000,000 illegal migrants at our southern border.” … “We have spent multiple billions of dollars in order to be able to protect our border.” … “The European Commission forces us to pay €1,000,000 penalty on a daily basis.” … “5% of GDP we spend on supporting the families.” … “Young couples can take €28,000 of preferential loan.”
• Italy: “According to the Global Peace Index 2024, there are currently 56 armed conflicts ongoing in the world, the highest number since the Second World War.”

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Language analysis

• Metaphor:
  • “Rules are the voice of reason used in international relations.” (Spain)
  • “The memory of the twentieth century calls to us each time that we gather in this general assembly.” (Spain)
  • “What we call the glass palace must be truly a house of glass.” (Italy)
• Analogy:
  • “A time without rules is returning to the Middle Ages.” (Spain)
  • “A world without rules is uncharted territory.” (Spain)
  • “Russia’s trying to do to Moldova what Iran once did to Lebanon.” (Ukraine)
• Anaphora:
  • “Ours is a world that is fast paced and unrestrained, one that frequently brings us to the brink, one in which there are voices that continue to proclaim the end of multilateralism…” (Spain)
• Antithesis:
  • “We stand on the right side of peace and reason, or we stand with violence and intolerance.” (Paraguay)
  • “Because we believe in a future where democracy does not merely survive but flourishes. Because we believe in a future in which development reaches everyone, not just a few.” (Paraguay)
• Rhetorical Question:
  • “Which of the great ideals enshrined therein, peace, dignity, equality, justice, progress, has ceased to be relevant or to represent an ethical imperative?” (Spain)
  • “What can Sudan or Somalia or Palestine or any other people living through war really expect from the UN or the global system?” (Ukraine)
  • “Is the United Nations relevant to the demands of our time?” (Kenya)
• Personification:
  • “The memory of the twentieth century calls to us…” (Spain)
  • “The chaos that shadows our world is a reminder that we cannot afford the luxury of inaction.” (Nigeria)

Oratorical Devices

• Triad or Tricolon (Rule of three):
  • “…retreating into idealism, complacency or shortsightedness.” (Spain)
  • “…to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind.” (Switzerland, quoting the UN Charter)
  • “We need bold multilateralism and a united nations that is not only reformed, but reinvigorated. The UN must be more than a meeting place. It must be a working place for people, for peace, and for our planet.” (Sierra Leone)

• Other rhetorical devices:
  • “a future in which we stand together… a future in which collective security is assured… a future in which human dignity… a future in which collective development is realised… a future in which energy security… a future in which the environment is safeguarded… a future in which national sovereignty…” (Iran)
  • “Because we believe in a future where democracy does not merely survive but flourishes. Because we believe in a future in which development reaches everyone, not just a few.” (Paraguay)

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Thought-provoking comments

• “The memory of the twentieth century calls to us each time that we gather in this general assembly. It reminds us why this house of the international community was created, under which circumstances it was born, and which dark chapters of history it sought to close definitively.” (Spain)
• “It’s sick, but that’s the reality. Not international law, not cooperation. Weapons decide who survives.” (Ukraine)
• “War tech doesn’t care about geography anymore. It’s now reshaping it.” (Ukraine)
• “No state alone can resolve the crisis plaguing our times. Is by sharing ideas, resources and willingness that we can together build a future of peace, of lasting peace because together, we are better.” (Monaco)
• “Turning a blind eye to Ukraine today is a green light to any future aggressor anywhere in the world.” (Czechia)
• “It happened. Therefore, it could happen again. This is the core of what we have to say.” (Switzerland, quoting Primo Levi)
• “Institutions rarely fail because they lack vision or ideals. More often, they drift into irrelevance when they do not adapt, when they hesitate to act, and when they lose legitimacy.” (Kenya)
• “You cannot claim to be the United Nations while disregarding the voice of 54 nations. It is not possible.” (Kenya)
• “No society will survive if it sets fire to the future to simply heat the present.” (Argentina)
• “Fighting corruption is dangerous, but not fighting corruption is even more dangerous.” (Sri Lanka)
• “If the UN is absent, conflicts are not resolved without it, which is not in our common interests. The UN is needed as a mediator.” (Finland)
• “Leadership is not the loudest voice in the room. It is the clearest voice for justice.” (Sierra Leone)

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Transcript

##The President of the General Assembly: [00:00:00] I call to order the sixth plenary meeting of the general assembly. The assembly will hear an address by His Majesty Don Felipe the sixth, King of Spain. I request protocol to escort His Majesty and invite him to address the assembly. 

##Spain: [00:00:02] Madam President, Mr. United Nations Secretary General, Heads of State and Government, Ambassadors, Authorities, Ladies and Gentlemen, a very good morning to you. I appear before you today as representatives of the member states of the United Nations in this year which marks the eightieth anniversary of the organization’s founding. This is a timely opportunity to reflect on the present, the past and the future of this universal organization and on its contribution to peace, stability and development in a time of extreme complexity. Ours is a world that is fast paced and unrestrained, one that frequently brings us to the brink, one in which there are voices that continue to proclaim the end of multilateralism and the obsolescence and inefficacy of the United Nations. It is said that this is the result of replacing dialogue and cooperation with competition, rivalry and extreme tension. This is not the world we’re heading towards, we hear. Rather, it is the world in which we are already immersed. In response to this sense of disintegration, we must acknowledge that times have indeed changed and we need to adapt, even anticipate, without retreating into idealism, complacency or shortsightedness. But it is precisely at this time of uncertainty that we must read the signs of our time clearly to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past and entering irreversible spirals.We are aided in this by memory, which is the most valuable tool that any generation possesses to confront its challenges. The memory of the twentieth century calls to us each time that we gather in this general assembly. It reminds us why this house of the international community was created, under which circumstances it was born, and which dark chapters of history it sought to close definitively. Let us hear in this hall once more the opening words of the preamble to the charter of the United Nations. They begin, we, the peoples of the United Nations, determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. Which of the great ideals enshrined therein, peace, dignity, equality, justice, progress, has ceased to be relevant or to represent an ethical imperative. On which of these paths have we advanced sufficiently over these eight decades to be able to declare the journey of multilateralism and cooperation is complete? The silence in response to these questions is the clearest evidence that the United Nations is not only useful, it is indispensable and irreplaceable. Believing in the United Nations is believing firmly in the universality of the principles and values enshrined in its charter and in the universal declaration of human rights. It is to resist the temptation of diluting them with specifics, relativisms or exceptions because the dignity of the human being is non negotiable. Believing in the United Nations is also believing in a rules based world. Rules shape behaviors to which the vast majority of international actors adhere.Even when they are breached, they provide a basis for accountability and enforcement. Rules are the voice of reason used in international relations. They are the best defense against the law of the strongest. A world without rules is uncharted territory. A time without rules is returning to the Middle Ages. The path proposed by the United Nations Charter is fraught with obstacles and we and will never be fully completed. That is why the example of those who have been committed to its values is so precious. These are people working under extreme conditions risking their freedom, their physical integrity or even their lives in a world plagued by conflict in all too many regions. We see this in Europe, in Ukraine where war has been unleashed by Russia’s unprovoked and unjustifiable aggression violating the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Peace in Europe will not be possible without justice and accountability. Spain will continue to support all efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace grounded in the principles of international law, respect for human rights and accountability. We also see this in its full severity in The Middle East, in Palestine, in the Gaza Strip. We cannot remain silent or look away from the devastation, the bombings, including of hospitals, schools and places of refuge. In light of the countless civilian deaths, famine, starvation, the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. To what end? These are abhorrent acts that stand in stark contrast to everything that this forum represents. They offend human conscience and shame the entire international community. Spain is a nation deeply proud of its Sephardic roots. When we speak to the people of Israel, we speak to a people of brothers and sisters, a people who when they return to Spain, to Cordoba, Toledo, Seville, Barcelona, and so many other places, Come home. This was the spirit behind the 2015 law which was passed with broad consensus granting Spanish nationality to descendants of Sephardic Jews originally from Spain. It is for this reason and it is so difficult for us to understand that we are so pained by the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza. We therefore cry out, we implore, we demand stop this massacre now. No more deaths in the name of a people that is so wise and ancient who have suffered so greatly throughout history. Let us be clear. We unequivocally condemn the heinous terrorism of Hamas, especially the brutal massacre of the 10/07/2023 against the Israeli population, and we recognize Israel’s right to self defense. But with equal strength, we demand that the Israeli government fully uphold international humanitarian law throughout Gaza and the West Bank. We demand that humanitarian aid be delivered without delay that a ceasefire be established with guarantees and that all hostages still held by Hamas be released immediately. The international community must shoulder its responsibility to achieve as soon as possible a viable solution that would include the existence of two states. The recognition of the State of Palestine by an increasing number of member states of this organization to which Spain added its voice this past May must contribute to achieving a just and definitive regional peace based on the implementation of United Nations resolutions and on the universal recognition of the State of Israel. President, delegates, as we know, many conflicts are both caused by and result in resource scarcity, state fragility and inequality. The gap between current realities and the fulfilment of the 2030 agenda remains vast, and the current funding shortfall for sustainable development exceeds $4,000,000,000,000 per year. The call for efficiency and resource optimization made at the fourth International Conference on Financing for Development that we held recently in Seville must be sustained. Accordingly, Spain, in line with the consensus based commitment adopted there, has launched the Seville Plan for Support to Multilateralism. We have increased our contributions to international development funds and we have reaffirmed our commitment to defending human rights, gender equality and the environmental transition, which are central and distinctive elements of our foreign policy. Allow me to briefly address each of these three areas. First, human rights. Spain is as of this year a member of the Human Rights Council, enabling us to continue advancing causes such as the fight against racism, the abolition of the death penalty, and the promotion of economic, social and cultural rights, while at the same time persisting in the struggle against all forms of discrimination. Because we support plural open societies in which all citizens participate and we are concerned by the erosion of democracies, the growing disaffection towards values that are essential to democratic coexistence. In these confusing times which are testing our capacity for dialogue, we must remain steadfast in our commitment to these values. In harmony with these principles, we believe that immigration when properly managed is a vector of mutual development for countries of origin, transit and host countries. We believe that the human rights of migrants must therefore be the principal reference for our actions. Therefore, we fully support the implementation of the Global Compact on Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees. Secondly, I wish to refer to gender equality. This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. It is therefore a fresh opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to real and effective equality. This is not merely a step forward in human rights but, above all, a matter of justice. Spain aspires to remain a global beacon in areas such as sexual and reproductive rights, the fight against sexual and gender based violence, and the increased participation of women in leadership roles and in decision making processes. Third, the environment. The triple planetary crisis that we are facing climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss demands strengthened governance and sufficient resources to accelerate a just energy transition. This must enable us to triple renewable energy capacity, double energy efficiency and to continue decarbonizing our economies. These are goals that are as ambitious as they are essential, and doubt must be completely excluded from the equation here. Spain calls for consensus and ambition ahead of COP thirty, which will be held in Brazil this November. There are other just as important challenges, including managing the impact of the transformative revolution known as artificial intelligence, can accelerate progress on the 2,030 agenda if we know how to direct it towards a fair and equitable digital transformation. And in health, the global dimensions of which were tragically evident during the recent COVID pandemic, we welcome here the consensus reached on the pandemic agreement. This strengthens the central role of the World Health Organization within the global health architecture. Madam President, Spain’s foreign policy is built around three fundamental axes based on geography, history and conviction. These are towards Africa and Mediterranean, towards The Americas and The Atlantic, and towards Europe. I would like to share some thoughts on these three areas. Spain is well aware that Africa represents a strategic global interest of the highest order. The present is marked in certain countries by structural deficiencies and some brutal conflicts and wars that receive insufficient attention when compared with others that I’ve already referred to. Here I’m referring to numerous peacekeeping operations in the region to which Spain contributes decisively. This is the case in Western Sahara where Spain will continue to support the secretary general’s personal envoy in seeking a solution that is acceptable and consistent with UN norms and frameworks. Africa’s future will be shaped by a young, dynamic and proactive population that is increasingly engaged in global affairs. That’s the future that we must support. Spain has therefore adopted the Spain Africa Strategy 2025 to 2028. We want to develop a partnership based on concrete action and shared interests and to promote vibrant African multilateralism embodied by the African Union and other sub regional organizations. Strictly bilaterally speaking, I must mention the special relationship of neighborliness and cooperation that binds us to the Kingdom Of Morocco, which in recent years has been revitalized to the benefit of our peoples. Latin America and The Caribbean represent for Spain a community of kindred nations, an irreplaceable part of our identity strengthened by shared heritage, that is the Spanish language spoken by 600,000,000 people around the world. Spain holds the Pro Tempore Secretariat of the Ibero American Community of Nations until the 2026, and Madrid will hold the next Ibero American Summit. We will continue to support the EU’s engagement in the region, which will culminate this year in the EU SELAC Summit that will be held in Colombia next month, November. The European Union is one of the greatest achievements of Concorde and a model for multilateralism. Its voice is more necessary than ever in these times. We therefore advocate for a union that is increasingly effective, cohesive, secure and competitive on the global economy. I think it’s important to recall that on November we launched a definitive political agreement regarding the key aspects of the future accord between the European Union and The United Kingdom. This was a historic agreement that respects Spain’s position on sovereignty and jurisdiction over Gibraltar, which will bring confidence, legal certainty and stability to the lives of the populations of the Campo De Gibraltar and Gibraltar itself. Madam President, I began speaking about the past and present of the United Nations and I shall dedicate my last few words to its future. In these times of severe budgetary constraints, I call on all Member States to reaffirm their commitment to this organisation. I encourage all of its personnel led by the Secretary General to persist in their enormous efforts towards efficiency and effectiveness, prioritizing those areas whose neglect would represent an unacceptable breach of the ethical standards that must always guide their work. We continue to believe in the need to advance reform initiatives and we offer our capacity for dialogue and consensus building, as well as our firm multilateral conviction in this endeavour. On this eightieth anniversary, which coincides with the seventieth anniversary of Spain’s accession to the organization, I wish, madam president, to renew my country’s recognition of all of the men and women working within the United Nations. You are the custodians of the memory of the twentieth century and the guardians of the hopes invested in the twenty first. And it is now, when so many questions are surrounding multilateralism and cooperation, that we need you most. Thank you very much. 

##The President of the General Assembly: [00:20:26] On behalf of the general assembly, I wish to thank the king of Spain. The assembly will now hear an address by his excellency Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Ukraine: [00:20:35] Dear Leaders, dear friends, and all those who can become our friends, because you want safety and peace just as much as we do. Today, no one but ourselves can guarantee security, only strong alliances, only strong partners, and only our own weapons. The twenty first century isn’t much different from the past. If a nation wants peace, it still has to work on weapons. It’s sick, but that’s the reality. Not international law, not cooperation. Weapons decide who survives. Excellencies you know perfectly well, international law doesn’t work fully unless you have powerful friends who are truly willing to stand up for it. And even that doesn’t work without weapons. It’s terrible, but without it, things would be even worse. There are no security guarantees except friends and weapons. No Ukrainian choice this kind of reality. And knowing our people, they would have chosen a different priority. Ukrainians are peaceful people, but they are people who want to live freely in their own independent country. That’s why we invest in defense for many nations. There is simply no other way left. Nations can speak about their pain from stages like this, but even during bloodshed, there isn’t a signal, international institution that can truly stop it. That’s how weak these institutions have become. What can Sudan or Somalia or Palestine or any other people living through war really expect from the UN or the global system? For decades, just statements and statements. And even everything happening in Gaza remains without a way out. Even now Syria, after all the changes, still has to appeal to the world to ease the sanctions that are choking its economy. It has to ask and wait. Syria deserves stronger support from the international community. And as Russia’s war against my country goes on, people are still dying every week. Yet there is no ceasefire because Russia refuses. Russia abducted thousands of Ukrainian children, and we have brought some of them back. And I thank everyone who’s helped. But how long will it take to bring all of them home? Childhood slips away faster than adults are able to help. Look at Israel. Nearly two years have passed, and hostages still haven’t been freed. They must be freed, but even that still hasn’t happened. And for years, there have been no real answers to other threats, either chemical weapons and famine used as a weapon. Last year, at this assembly, I warned the world about the risk of radiation disasters, especially due to Russia’s occupations of our Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the biggest in Europe, but nothing’s changed. Nothing’s. And yesterday, the plant went into blackout again, and Russia hasn’t stopped shelling even in areas near a nuclear facility. And because i international institutions are too weak, this madness continues. Even being part of a long standing military alliance doesn’t automatically mean you are safe. Just recently, 19 simple Russian drones violated Polish airspace, and only four were shut down. Luckily, they were not shahiits or even worse. Otherwise, the results would have been horrific. Estonia had to call a UN Security Council meeting for the first time in history because Russian fighter jets deliberately entered its airspace. Moldova is defending itself again from Russia’s interference. We are helping Moldova, and Russia’s trying to do to Moldova what Iran once did to Lebanon. And the global response, again, not enough. We have already lost Georgia and Europe. Human rights and the European nature of the state system are only shrinking there. Georgia is depend on Russia. And for many, many years, Belarus has also been moving toward dependence on Russia. Europe cannot afford to lose Moldova too. It’s important to remember it’s important to remember how the world once ignored the need to help Georgia after Russia’s attack and how the moment was missed with Belarus, how Moldova must not be lost. And for Europe, supporting Moldova’s stability is not costly, but failing to do so will come at a much higher price. That’s why the EU needs to help Moldova now with funding and energy support, not just wars or political gestures. We must not forget about protecting the rights of people and the rights of nations in regions where these rights are under threat. The UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights must apply everywhere, but the Taliban in Afghanistan dragged a whole country back into the dark ages. Cartels in some Latin America countries are more powerful than the government there. This is all about collapse of international law and the weakness of the international institutions. And so it’s about the rise of weapons. Weapons decide who survives. Excellencies. Yesterday, president Trump stood right here in this hall, and God saved him from a murder attempt during the campaign. A shot was fired from a rifle, and just a just a fraction of an inch saved his life. Just days ago, president, along with hundreds of thousands of Americans, honored the memory of Charlie Kirk. Sadly, his life was cut short by a bullet. Once again, violence with a rifle in hand. We also mourn the Ukrainian woman, Yorina Zarutskhan. She was brutally killed with a knife here in America, the very country where she was seeking refuge from Russia’s war. And almost every day when we open the news, we see headlines about violent attacks happening all around the world. Most of it is done with weapons. People are already used to, but weapons are evolving faster than our ability to defend ourselves. Now there are tens of thousands of people who know how to professionally kill using drones. Stopping that kind of attack is harder than stopping any gun, knife, or bomb. This is what Russia has brought with its war. It used to be that only the strongest countries could use drones because they were expensive and complex.Now even simple drones can fly thousands of kilometers. War tech doesn’t care about geography anymore. It’s now reshaping reshaping it. Just recently, airports in Europe had to shut down because of drones. Authorities couldn’t even say what kind of drones they wear, who sent them, or from where. Last week, North Korea announced the test of a tactical strike drone. That means even countries with limited resources can now build weapons that are dangerous to their neighbors. Ukraine and nations like Saudi Arabia know all too well how dangerous Iranian attack drones are. But what happens when all the types of drones become available even to small terrorist groups or cartels? The world moves too slowly to protect itself, and weapons move fast. Now companies are already working on drone that can shoot down other drones, and it’s only a matter of time, not much before drones are fighting drones, taking critical infrastructure, and targeting people all by themselves fully autonomous and no human involved except the few who control AI systems. Dear leaders, we are now living through the most destructive arms race in human history because this time includes it includes artificial intelligence. And if there are no real security guarantees except threats and weapons, and if the world can’t respond even to all threats, and if there is no strong platform for international security, will there be any place left on earth that’s still safe for people? We need global rules now for how AI can be used in weapons, and this is just as urgent as preventing the spread of nuclear weapons. We need to restore international cooperation, real working cooperation for peace and for security. A few years from now might already be too late. Ten years ago, war looked different, and no one imagined that cheap drones could create dead zones, areas stretching for dozens of kilometers where nothing moves, no vehicles, no life. People used to imagine that only after a nuclear strike. Now it’s drone reality. Mass produced simple drones and without AI yet. Ukraine doesn’t have the big fat missiles dictators love to show off in parades, but we do have drone that can fly up to two, three thousand kilometers. We had no choice but to build them to protect our right to life. Control over the sea used to depend on having a big navy. Ukraine doesn’t have a big fleet, but we succeeded. In the Black Sea, we pushed what’s left of the Russian navy into remote base, and we did it with sea drones. That’s how we protect our ports and maritime trade routes because Russia has left us no other choice. And our spider web operation when cheap drones destroyed or damaged dozens of expensive Russian strategic bombers became a real example for special forces around the world of what new weapons can do to old systems. These very Russian bombers attacked our cities, and none of these would have happened if Putin had not started this full scale aggression, full scale war. And every year that this war goes on, weapons become even more deadly, And only Russia deserves to be blamed for this. Dear leaders, to protect lives, Ukraine builds underground schools and underground hospitals. To protect lives, we have to spend more on protecting power stations from drone and missile attacks than on building sports facilities or cultural infrastructure. Ukrainian farmers are learning how to protect their equipment from Russia’s FPV drone strikes. And for them, that challenge is far greater than climate change. Russia’s war has put us in this situation, but do you have protection against similar threats? The facts are simple. Stopping this war now and within the global arms race is cheaper than building underground kindergartens or massive bunkers for critical infrastructure later. Stopping Putin now is cheaper than trying to protect every port and every ship from terrorists with siege drones. Stopping Russia now is cheaper than wondering who will be the force to create a simple drone carrying a nuclear warhead. So we must use everything we have together to force the aggressor to stop. And only then do we have a real chance that this arms race will not end in catastrophe for all of us. If it takes weapons to do it, if it takes pressure on Russia, then it must be done, and it must be done now. Otherwise, Putin will keep driving the war forward wider and deeper. And we told you before, Ukraine is only the first, and now Russia drones are already flying across Europe, and Russian operations are already spreading across countries. And Putin wants to continue this war by expanding it. And no one can feel safe right now. But first, we are now building a new security architecture for ourselves. More than 30 countries are already part of our coalition, and we are strengthening our main launching joint weapons production with partners and defining financial commitments for defense in a way that could become a security model for any other nation. If security guarantees work for Ukraine something more than just friends and weapons, it will mean that people were able to make national make national security not a privilege for a few nations, but a right for everyone. Second, we are ready to make our modern weapons become your modern security, your modern weapon, and we have decided to open up arms exports. These are powerful systems tested in a real war when every international institution failed. And we are also ready to grow our defense production together with strong partners so that their protection is modern and reliable. You don’t need to start this race from scratch. We’re ready to share what has already proven itself in real real defense. And third, many in the world still relaxed still. But look at how many countries are here at this general assembly, countries that are at war or just came out of war or are trying to stop one or openly getting ready for one. War has already reached too many people to pretend it has nothing to do with you, so it depends on you. Whether you help peace or continue trading with Russia and helping Russia to fund this war, it depends on you. Whether prisoners of war will be freed, whether abducted children will come home, whether hostages will be free. It depends on you, what will define existence, war like now or our joint strong actions as it should be. Yesterday, we had a good meeting with president Trump, and I also spoke with many other strong leaders. And together, we can change a lot. Of course, of course, we are doing everything to make sure Europe truly helps. And, of course, we count on The United States. I appreciate the support we are receiving. Yes. Much depends on the g seven and g twenty, but but in the end, peace depends on all of us, on the United Nations. So don’t stay silent while Russia keeps dragging this war on. Please speak out and condemn it. Please join us in defending life and international law and order. People are waiting for action. Thank you so much. Slava, Ukrainian.

##The President of the General Assembly: [00:38:51] On behalf Of the general assembly, I wish to thank the president of Ukraine. The assembly will hear an address by his serene highness, prince Albert the second, sovereign prince of Monaco. Monaco. I request protocol to escort his serene highland highness and invite him to adjust the assembly.

##Monaco: [00:38:52] Madame President of the General Assembly, Secretary General, ladies and gentlemen, Heads of State and Government Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, Eighty years ago, the creation of the United Nations marked a decisive turning point in contemporary history in international relations, offering each state a forum for dialogue and exchange. The ambition of the founders was clear and bold. All nations, large and small, need to be able to participate on equal footing in crafting collective solutions, equality, respect, dialogue. This is the heart of the multilateral spirit to and underpinning the values where Monaco found its place within the Concert of Nations. Over these past eight decades, United Nations has supported and ushered in major turning points at the reconstruction of Europe after the Second World War, the process of decolonization, the hope of an international order that is more peaceful after the Cold War. The organization contributed to the establishment of robust international law, the adoption of numerous treaties, law of the sea, counter terrorism treaties, protection of the environment, the promotion of human rights. Monaco ratified more than two seventy of these treaties, which beyond their symbolic dimension govern the day to day lives of our population. The UN also played a key role in the maintenance of international peace and security. On all continents, these operations helped to prevent conflict and to support democratic transitions. International justice, specifically through the judgments rendered by the International Criminal Tribunals have been significant sources of progress in combating impunity for the gravest crimes in the International Court of Justice remains a pillar when it comes to peaceful resolution of disputes. The United Nations has been a pioneer in ecological awareness raising the protection of our planet, mobilizing governments, scientists, civil society to to put together concerted strategies, and these are issues which are of tremendous importance to us. The UN has shed light on the role of sports as a vector for peace, for inclusion, for development. Our Principality welcomes the fact that sport is increasingly taking pride of place in the work of the organization. Madam President, we are cognizant of the progress that has been made over the past eight decades and yet we need to, we have more challenges to surmount, which requires resolute collective action. The progress that we have made is significant, but we have a grim reality. We are in a multipolar world where international realities are significant. The proliferation of peacekeeping operations show that dialogue preventive diplomacy, unfortunately, do not always generate the anticipated results. International security is today gravely imperiled. International tensions and conflicts are spreading in all four corners of the world, and this makes it all the more necessary for there to be a reaffirmation of the core principles of the United Nations’ sovereignty of states, peaceful dispute resolution, respect for international law, and human rights. In this regard, the Principality Of Monaco firmly condemns the war of aggression targeting Ukraine and the suffering this has inflicted upon civilian populations. And I reiterated this message just now to President Zelenskyy. I cherish the hope that a just and lasting negotiated peace agreement can be found soon to guarantee security and to to arise to the expectations of the Ukrainian people. In The Middle East, violence has generated unacceptable human suffering casualties. The risk of regional conflagration requires that there be an immediate escalation protection of civilians, the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance and a sincere relaunch of the peace process on the basis of the two states. Peace is not a utopia. Peace is an overriding necessity. These security related challenges are compounded by environmental challenges. The international community recently met in Nice for the third UN Conference on Oceans, vehemently recalling the need to act for the protection of seas and oceans. The principality organized, before the conference, a Blue Economy and Finance Forum. Heads of state, economic leaders, investors, philanthropists, development banks, NGOs, 1,800 participants arrived from nearly 100 countries responding to the call to mobilize more financial resources to invest in a sustainable regenerative blue economy. And yet, commitments made under notwithstanding, there are still challenges. BB and J was adopted in January, and this should lead us to implement immediately measures for the conservation sustainable use of diversity in the high seas. The fight against climate change is a responsibility, a historic responsibility, acceleration of extreme events requires credible, immediate, financed responses. We are addressing a significant difficulties. There is science which is accessible, abundant, more reliable than ever before. The Paris Agreement, the tenth anniversary of which we are marking this year, provides a structured, transparent framework which should generate robust trust among all stakeholders this year. New nationally determined contributions have been published. And this is a reflection of the need to be more and more ambitious. I wish to recall that these ambitions of carry moral significance, particularly vis a vis young people and succeeding generations. But also, as was recently recalled by the ICJ in the advisory opinion. And in this regard and in accordance with the new collective goal for financing, which is adopted in Baku last year, I decided that my country will double specific financing, under climate, agreements and this is by 2028. Let us not forget that there is a need to invest in countering climate change, but there is a need to take into account the depletion of biodiversity throughout the world. COP17 and the Biological Diversity Convention, October 2026 will be held in Yerevan. This is a key, opportunity transform the commitments into reality, specifically when it comes to financing and the meaningful protection of ecosystems. Madam President, we cannot, pass over and silence the alarming setbacks in human rights, Freedom, the repression of of freedom, civil society, excessive use of force, these are all undermining the very basis of civilizations and are resulting in a loss of trust citizens vis a vis systems. Women’s rights are a key pillar for peace, for development and for justice. Thirty years after the Beijing conference, gender equality between men and women has still not been fully universally attained and this remains a key priority which is something we need to reaffirm. There’s an urgent need to generate collective commitment to combat violence against women and girls and against all kinds of persecution which they endure including in conflict affected areas. No society can be prosperous if such inequality persists there. Likewise, society can develop without taking care of its young population because young people are not just the future of the world. Young people at the present thirty years after the, World Youth Program. It is incumbent upon us to raise the role of young people in discussions on the on economy, civic life, access to education, employment, digital issues. This is not a privilege. This is a right. Madam President, public global health can own, is is a key. Non communicable diseases are the main cause of premature deaths and there’s a need for cross sectoral mobilization to address this challenge. I welcome the key role of the WHO with the global action against these diseases, but there’s a need to move further to strengthen synergies among the stakeholders to improve the effectiveness of year. Madam President, the eightieth anniversary of the United Nations offers an opportunity to breathe new life into multilateralism, to reform its operations and to address the liquidity crisis. Reform of the United Nations should restore people’s trust and within to establish an effective structure based on core values. The United Nations is the only universal body which is capable of defending sovereignty of states and embodies the ideal of cooperation amongst peoples. But this is not only at the UN headquarters as specialized institutions, UNESCO, FAO and IAEA and many others. These all play a critical role by, by providing concrete support for environmental, educational, social policies of states, helping them to fully meet their responsibility without duplication of mandates in New York and let us recenter the work of our organization to focus on the priorities enshrined in the charter. We need to rekindle a spirit of dialogue and the spirit of organization. The general debate should once again become this unique unique opportunity where leaders will listen to one another and seek to achieve a mutual understanding in the Principality Of Manako cherishes the hope that through reform, the UN will once again become the center with the harmonization of UN efforts for the maintenance of peace and security in accordance with Article one of our charter. No state alone, can resolve the crisis plaguing our times. Is by sharing ideas, resources and willingness that we can together build a future of peace, of lasting peace because together, we are better. Thank you.

##The President of the General Assembly: [00:49:56] The Assembly will hear an address by his excellency Masoud Pezeshkian, president of the Islamic Republic Of Iran. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Iran: [00:50:34] In the name of God, the most compassionate, the most merciful, Mr. Secretary General, Madam President, distinguished representatives, ladies and gentlemen, the theme of this year, and I quote, eighty years and more of peace, development and human rights, unquote, is in truth a summons to solidarity and to a shared vision of a brighter future, Our religious conviction, as well as the call of the prophets, rests upon the equality of the rights of all human beings. That which renders man more worthy is piety, namely truthfulness, wisdom, purity, and benevolence. The bedrock of all divine religions and of the human conscience is this golden maxim, that which you would not approve for yourself, do not approve for others. Jesus Christ once said, Act towards others as you would have them act towards you. The Prophet of Islam said, None of you is a true believer unless he desires for others what he desires for himself. The sage Hillel, the elder, expressed the essence of the Torah as such, That which is hateful unto thee do not do unto thy fellow. In the traditions of The Orient, likewise, the central teaching is this very principle, and secular schools of ethics grounded in reason and conscience have arrived at the same conclusion. Excellencies, is this the state of our world? Let us behold the past two years. The world in these two years was witness to genocide in Gaza, was witness to the destruction of homes and repeated violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity in Lebanon, was witness to the devastation of Syria’s infrastructure, was witness to assault against the people of Yemen, was witness to the forced starvation of emaciated children in the arms of their mothers, was witness to the assassination of Iran’s scientists, was witness to the surreptitious raids infringing upon the sovereignty of nations violating the territorial integrity of states and openly targeting leaders of people. And all of this under the full support of the most heavily armed regime in the face of the earth and under the pretext of self defense, would you countenance such things for yourselves? Who is the disturber of the stability of the region and the world? Who is the actual threat against international peace and security? Who is the violator of the golden moral maxim of mankind? Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, you all bore witness that this past June my country was subjected to aggression in flagrant contravention of the most elementary principles of international law. The aerial assaults of the Zionist regime and The United States Of America against Iran’s cities, homes, and infrastructures precisely at a time when we were treading. The path of diplomatic negotiations constituted a grave betrayal of diplomacy and a subversion of efforts towards the establishment of stability and peace. This brazen act of aggression in addition to martyring a number of commanders, citizens, children, women, scientists and intellectual elites of my country, inflicted a grievous blow upon international trust and the very prospect of peace in the region. Should we fail to confront such perilous breaches of international norms, these aberrations shall spread to engulf the world. The assault upon nuclear facilities under safeguards and international supervision, the open attempt to assassinate leaders and duly constituted officials of UN member states, the systematic targeting of journalists and members of the press, and the killing of human beings who solely by the reason of their knowledge and expertise are converted into military targets. Again, would you countenance such acts for yourselves? With this behavior, they have killed at the very least over 35,000 innocent civilians in Gaza. They have deprived them of food, drinking water, medication and proper healthcare. Those who have perpetrated such crimes, this nation with a magnanimous spirit and the systematic targeting of journalists and members of the press and the killing of human beings who solely by the reason of their knowledge and expertise are converted into military targets. Again, would you countenance such acts for yourselves? Those who have perpetrated such crimes must know that Iran, the most ancient continuous civilization upon the face of the earth, has ever stood steadfast against the tempests of history. This nation with a magnanimous spirit and an eternal will has time and again demonstrated that it shall never bow before aggressors. And today as well in the face of the transgressors, it stands upright with reliance upon the power of faith and its national cohesion. In this twelve day defense, the patriotic and valiant people of Iran laid bare before the aggressors the fallacy and self delusion of their arrogant calculations. The enemies of Iran unwittingly fortified the sacred national unity. The people of Iran, despite the most severe protracted and crushing economic sanctions, psychological and media warfare, and persistent efforts to sow discord at the very instant the first bullet was fired upon their soil, rose in unison in support of their valiant armed forces, and today they continue to honor the blood of their martyrs. Here in the name of all Iranian people, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all personalities, nations, governments, and international and regional organizations that stood in solidarity with Iran during this war. Ladies and gentlemen, today after nearly two years of genocide, mass starvation, the perpetuation of apartheid within the occupied territories, and aggression against its neighbors, the ludicrous and delusional scheme of a greater Israel is being proclaimed with brazenness by the highest echelons of that regime. The scheme encompasses vast swaths of the region. The map itself lays bare the true intentions of the Zionist regime, intentions that have, of late, been openly endorsed by its criminal prime minister. None in the world is secure from the aggressive machinations of this regime. It is manifest that the Zionist regime and its sponsors no longer even content themselves with normalization through political means. Rather, they impose their presence through naked force and have styled it peace through strength. Yet this is neither peace nor power. It is nothing but aggression rooted in coercion and bullying. But we envision our powerful Iran alongside powerful neighbors within a strong region with a radiant future, a future in which we stand together against a grand project that imposes genocide, destruction and instability upon the region, a future in which collective security is assured through genuine mechanisms of defensive cooperation and joint response to threats a future in which human dignity and cultural diversity are cherished as foundational values a future in which collective development is realized through joint investment and infrastructure and modern sciences a future in which energy security and the equitable use of vital resources from the pillars of economic stability a future in which the environment is safeguarded for posterity a future in which national sovereignty and the territorial integrity of states are regarded as non negotiable principles, a future not in pursuit of peace imposed by force, but founded upon strength derived through peace. In such a strong region, slaughter and bloodshed shall find no place. It is for this very reason that my country has for many years been among the staunchest advocates of establishing a region free of weapons of mass destruction. Yet those who themselves possess the largest nuclear arsenals and who in flagrant breach of the NPT make their weapons even deadlier and more destructive have for years subjected our people to pressures on the basis of spurious allegations. Last week, three European states having failed through a decade of bad faith and thereafter by supporting military aggression. To bring the proud people of Iran to their knees at the behest of The United States Of America sought by means of pressure, coercion, imposition, and manifest abuse to reinstate against Iran the Security Council resolutions that had already been terminated. In doing so, they set aside good faith. They circumvented legal obligations. They sought to portray Iran’s lawful remedial measures taken in response to The United States withdrawal from the JCPOA and to Europe’s breach and utter incapacity as a gross violation. They falsely presented themselves as parties of good standing to the agreement, and they disparaged Iran’s sincere efforts as insufficient. All of this was in pursuit of nothing less than the destruction of the very JCPOA, which they themselves had once held as the foremost achievement of multilateral diplomacy. This unlawful measure, which has also met the opposition of certain members of the Security Council, possesses no international legitimacy and will not garner the approbation of the international community. I hereby declare once more before this assembly that Iran has never sought and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb. We do not seek nuclear weapons. This is our belief based on the edict issued by the supreme leader and by religious authorities. Therefore, we never sought weapons of mass destruction nor will we ever seek them. Whereas those who disturb the peace and stability in the region are lies in Israel, but Iran is the one that is being punished for those actions. There is a poem that roughly says something to the effect that someone in one side of the world does something to disturb the peace, and someone else is punished for those actions. Ladies and gentlemen, the Islamic Republic Of Iran welcomes peace and stability. We believe that the future of our region and of the world must be built upon cooperation, trust and shared development. In this framework, Iran supports the peace process between the Republic Of Azerbaijan and the Republic Of Armenia and hopes that its outcome shall be enduring and serve as a foundation for improved relations between these two neighboring states. Iran also hopes that the efforts to bring an end to the war in Ukraine may result in a just and lasting agreement between Russia and Ukraine and bring solace to the human suffering caused by this crisis. Iran welcomes a defensive pact between the two brotherly Muslim countries, the Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic Of Pakistan, as a beginning for a comprehensive regional security system with the cooperation of the Muslim states of West Asia in the political security and defense domains. Finally, Iran condemns the criminal aggression of the Israeli regime against Qatar, which resulted in the martyrdom of a number of Palestinian and Qatari nationals and declares its support and solidarity with the government and people of Qatar. Ladies and gentlemen, true security is not achieved through force but through confidence building, mutual respect, regional convergence, and multilateralism grounded in international laws. Based on this foundation, I call upon all to practice listening to one another instead of raising voices to reexamine the intellectual premises of polarization and political violence, which today ensnears not only the international community, but also render societies internally with tension and turmoil. To uphold as the common denominator of all beliefs and cultures, the principles that whatever we do not approve for ourselves, we should not impose upon others instead of distorting concepts and narratives with biased interpretations. To restore and rehabilitate the credibility of international laws, institutions and mechanisms and to commit to the establishment of a regional system of security and cooperation in West Asia. Ladies and gentlemen, we Iranians have extended our power in the world not by producing and employing nuclear weapons nor by the slaughter of hundreds of thousands in the twentieth century nor by genocide and the imposition of starvation upon the children in Gaza in the twenty first century and not even through the historic empires of Iran, but rather through a culture of human fellowship and the message of empathy of universal sages such as Rumi Hafiz Saadi, who eight centuries ago declared human beings are members of a whole in creation of one essence and soul. If one member is inflicted with pain, other members uneasy will remain. If you have no sympathy for human pain, the name of human, you cannot pertain. Those criminals who bully by murdering children are not worthy of the name human being and assuredly, they shall never prove to be trustworthy partners. Relying upon its time honored tradition of altruism and human fellowship, Iran is a steadfast partner and a trustworthy companion for all peace seeking countries of friendship and a partnership grounded not in fleeting expediency, but in dignity, trust, and a shared future. We, the upright people of Iran, by standing firm against lawless marauders, have surmounted with honor the injustices, discriminations, and double standards imposed upon us. And today, with an opportunity oriented outlook, we have transformed this historic achievement of the Iranian people into a platform for a leap toward a hopeful future. Let us, together with you, turn threats into opportunities. I thank you.

##The President of the General Assembly: [01:05:41] On behalf of the assembly, I wish to thank the president of the Islamic Republic Of Iran. The assembly will hear an address by his excellency José Raúl Mulino Quintero, president of the Republic Of Panama. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Panama: [01:06:39] A very good morning, madam president, distinguished heads of state and government, honorable delegates. On behalf of the Panamanian people, with profound respect and renewed hope, I appear before this honorable assembly on the eightieth anniversary of this organization, which remains a beacon for peace, cooperation and progress. Panama has been committed since the signing of the charter of San Francisco in 1945 to peace building, security, sustainable development and human rights. Over these eight decades, our country has championed multilateral diplomacy and public international law as a cornerstone of our foreign policy. The UN80 initiative presented by the Secretary General Antonio Guterres offers an opportunity to reflect on the past, to raise awareness of present threats and to envision a fairer future. We firmly believe that today more than ever, we must strengthen the value of multilateralism to respond to global challenges and crises as a tool to mitigate asymmetries among nations. In this regard, I wish to highlight that multilateral policy contributed to our country’s removal, for instance, from discriminatory lists imposed by the European Union and the Financial Action Task Force. Since it does not make sense to be a member of the Security Council of this organization while at the same time appearing on lists alongside countries that promote terrorism. We believe it is the right time to undertake a comprehensive reform to make the Security Council more effective, to make the General Assembly more representative, to make specialized agencies more inclusive, and, above all, to reduce bureaucracy. Panama, just like other countries, calls for greater representation of Latin America and The Caribbean in decision making bodies. The time has come to update the architecture of multilateral governance. Our region is the world’s leading exporter of food. It is home to a strategic canal linking the Atlantic and the Pacific, and it holds more than 50% of the planet’s biodiversity. We are major suppliers of minerals. We possess the largest freshwater reserves. We live together in peace and we strive to preserve this. All of these elements make us a key global actor and we must ensure that our representation reflects our role and our global significance. In line with our mission to contain and prevent the tragic outcome of a global war, which was its fundamental raison d’etre, the United Nations is also facing a challenge of promoting urgent action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Today, the world is facing a trifecta of devastating crises, climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, all against the backdrop of weakened cooperation. The response to these crises must be swift and united. In response, Panama has put forward its nature pledge, which is our pact with nature. This is a new way of understanding environmental and climate policy, integrating our obligations on climate, biodiversity and land into a single national commitment. In practice, Panama is pledging to curb its emissions by 2035. Even as a carbon negative country, we believe there’s always room to take further steps towards sustainability for future generations. To this end, we will be restoring 100,000 hectares of priority ecosystems, including mangroves and water basins because nature, we think, is our front line of defense against climate change. Panama trusts in a renewed United Nations, one that strengthens digital security and international cooperation with ethical and inclusive principles that supports just energy transitions and one that upholds freedom of expression. In this spirit, we reaffirm our unwavering respect for freedom and democracy in our region, which continues to suffer from instability at the hands of those who disregard the popular will expressed through the ballot box or who simply do not permit open and transparent elections. We aspire to be a member of the United Nations that is capable of preventing conflicts before they arise, that can better respond promptly to humanitarian emergencies, that better coordinates its field agencies, and that more faithfully represents the diversity of peoples across the globe. Panama has offered to host offices of United Nations system organisations to support reform efforts under the UN 80 initiative. I also wish today to express my solidarity with the Japanese people. This on the occasion of the twenty third anniversary of North Korea’s admission of its abduction of at least 17 Japanese nationals. The world needs to know the truth so that these events are never repeated, and Japan deserves justice. Ladies and gentlemen, I cannot let this opportunity pass without highlighting that we have now completed a quarter century since our canal was transferred into Panamanian hands. As of thirty one December nineteen ninety nine, The Republic Of Panama took up the works and operations of the canal efficiently, safely, sustainably and neutrally this in accordance with the Panama Canal Treaty, Tarikos Gata Treaty and the Permanent Neutrality Treaty which were both signed in 1977. Since then, we have administered the waterway in exemplary fashion, contributed to the country’s economic development and operated the canal for the benefit of international navigation. Over this period, Panama expanded the interoceanic route using our own resources to meet the demand of larger vessels. Now we are taking another step forward. We are supporting the Panama Canal Authority in the development of the Rio Indio Reservoir. This is an ambitious project to ensure water supply for our population and the canal so that vessel traffic is not threatened by recurring droughts in our region. Our waterway serves more than 180 maritime routes and more than 140 nations, and approximately four percent of global trade passes through it. We are committed to ensuring efficiency in support of international logistics. Before this assembly, Panama once again reaffirms its serious and sustained commitment to the regime established under the Treaty Concerning Permanent Neutrality, the protocol of which numerous states have adhered to. Neutrality is the best formula to safeguard the security of our canal, a global public good. The Panama Canal is neutral, open to the world and a facilitator of more integrated international trade. It is and shall remain Panamanian. Ladies and gentlemen, Panama, as you know, holds a non permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the twenty twenty five-twenty twenty six term. This past August, we held the rotating presidency of the Security Council. We viewed this role as a responsibility to maintain a strong voice in favor of peace, sovereign equality of states, justice, international law, and respect for agreements among nations. We have also stressed the importance of maritime security as a priority during our participation in the council. Panama’s national identity is closely linked to maritime transport. Over the centuries, we have consolidated our role as a key actor in navigation and international trade. Piracy, arms and drugs trafficking, and illegal fishing all affect trade and the global maritime transport system. As a transit nation and a logistics hub in our continent, Panama proposes to strengthen cooperation among specialized agencies, including through a regional network to promote maritime security. This would operate under the umbrella of ocean governance and in accordance with international law. I wish to reiterate before this assembly the work that this organization needs to undertake to mitigate the effects of illegal migration driven by organisations that are either directly or indirectly linked to drug trafficking. For years, millions of people have been passing through our Darien region, which is on our border with Colombia. And yet in just one year in office, we reduced the flow of migrants heading north to zero. That crisis was resolved, thus meeting the promise to shut down illegal crossings through the Darien. The humanitarian and environmental consequences were extreme. The suffering of women and children subjected to abuse and the pollution of one of the world’s most biodiverse areas. These continue to cause pain to those of us who have had direct contact with the situation. Today, we are seeing North South migration on a much smaller scale, but which renews our commitment to the orderly transit of people so that they may return home. I must say that while the migratory crisis has been resolved, the causes of mass emigration remain unaddressed. The fact that our country has resolved this scourge doesn’t mean that we should let up in our demands for concrete responses, such as in the case of the border between Haiti and The Dominican Republic, which is facing unchecked migration that also has an effect on the entire region. It’s essential that we find clear solutions both for the Haitian crisis and more generally for effective control of migratory flows. We are currently suffering from the growth of illegal another illegal activity which is drug trafficking. Today it poses a threat to human lives and a grave risk of instability throughout the entire region due to the different cartels operating there. Just to give you a quick idea, this year alone Panama has seized nearly 150 tons of cocaine and other drugs. This is an historic and alarming figure, one which compels us to step up our efforts to seek greater cooperation and to galvanize resources in a struggle that must be a common cause among all nations of the world. Honourable members: Next year, the Amphictyonic Congress of Panama convened by the Liberator Simon Bolivar will celebrate its bicentenary. Its proposal was for an international system based on the sovereign equality of states, justice, law and international cooperation to achieve the People’s Common Goals. We hope that this commemoration will serve as a new starting point for international cooperation, one that respects and elevates the values of sovereignty, peace and peaceful coexistence, values that must guide our work in this and other global fora. Honorable members, before this forum of global peace and international cooperation, I reiterate the faith of the Panamanian people in the United Nations system. At times of crisis, when the winds of unilateralism, polarization and fragmentation are blowing, Panama will raise its voice in defense of multilateralism. Panama will remain an enthusiastic member of the United Nations, a defender of international law and a tireless proponent of global peace. Because as this year’s theme reminds us, we are stronger together and only together can we build a fairer and more humane future for all. Thank you very much.

##The President of the General Assembly: [01:21:48] On behalf of the Assembly, I wish to thank the President of The Republic Of Panama. As the Assembly will hear an address by his excellency Peter Pawel, president of The Czech Republic, I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Czechia: [01:22:25] Madam president, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I am humbled to speak here in front of you again. Today, I wish to address two main issues, United Nations achievements and necessity of its reform, and prospect of multilateralism in the light of Russian aggression. Eighty years ago, the United Nations was founded with great hope to prevent war and destruction, never to repeat the horrors of World War two. My country proudly stood amongst the founding nations, signing the charter that would become our collective moral compass. Since 1945, we have witnessed remarkable achievements. The United Nations helped to prevent another full scale world conflict. It assisted in dissolution of colonialism and rise of new sovereign countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. Together, we created a robust multilateral system of rules and global cooperation in international security, human rights and economic development. Together with the UN, we have fought famine, disease, illiteracy and poverty in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions. Dozens of peacekeeping missions have helped to ease tensions in conflict zones. Thanks to its long standing efforts, the UN has helped transform countless lives and laid the groundwork for a better world, a world which is more human and more cooperative. It provided a platform where even the smallest nations can speak out and be heard. The UN remains the only institution where the world can collectively confront global crises, not with weapons, but with dialogue, shared responsibility, and pressure where necessary. UN’s greatest achievement is not perfection, it’s persistence. With many devastating conflicts ongoing, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has significantly transformed the global security landscape. Since the last general debate a year ago, our world has not become more secure. On the contrary, in the game of smoke and mirrors, Russia continues targeting civilians, civilian infrastructure, foreign diplomatic missions, and most recently, even our neighboring country, Poland. Not to forget the acts of hybrid warfare on our own territory. These range from disinformation campaigns and attempts to undermine public trust, to cyberattacks, and even acts of sabotage carried out by mercenaries recruited online. Despite being the largest country on the map, Russia still aims to seize Ukrainian territory and expand its sphere of influence, backed by China, Iran, North Korea, and other countries that help it circumvent sanctions and provide economic or political support. Russia, a permanent member of UN Security Council, is not only violating the principles of state sovereignty and territorial integrity enshrined in the UN Charter, but also sets a dangerous example and precedent, sending the message that aggression can yield territorial and political gain and remain unpunished. Ladies and gentlemen, our multilateral system was created on the premise that rules apply to all without exception. The consequences of this war go far beyond the news headlines. This war threatens to dismantle our system of governance based on mutual respect, equal partnership, and rules we all subscribe to. What is happening in Europe today could happen anywhere else tomorrow under different circumstances, under but under the exact same pretext. If Russia wins this unjust war, it will legitimize the triumph of brute force. Turning a blind eye to Ukraine today is a green light to any future aggressor anywhere in the world. Disruptions of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait or elsewhere in the Indo Pacific would further destabilize global security and trade. Geographical distance offers no protection. Security in one part of the world is directly linked to security everywhere. Tolerating the principle of mind makes right will lead to the end of multilateralism and the beginning of life under principles dictated by a powerful few. It will be a future with history deliberately rewritten, with lies promoted as facts, and with truth slowly disappearing from our discourse and memory. Just the opposite of what most of our nations fought for in the previous century. The heroism of Ukrainian people, their willingness to sacrifice for freedom, and global solidarity with Ukraine demonstrate that most of us still believe in universal values and in our responsibility to defend them. To achieve sustainable peace, we democratic allies from all over the world must act in unity and intensify our economic pressure on Russia. This is the only way to bring the aggressor to the negotiating table. Such peace, based on the existing international law, including territorial integrity and the right of self determination, is in the interest of not only European countries, but of the whole international community. Any future peace agreement must send a clear message worldwide that aggressor must not be rewarded and borders cannot be changed by force. Ladies and gentlemen, the structure of the UN was based on the outcome of the World War II. Today, one of the UN Security Council permanent members is waging a ruthless war while obstructing any constructive solutions put forward. It is in light of these new geopolitical realities that we need a strong and effective UN system capable of responding to today’s global challenges, from security threats and climate change to rapid evolution of new technologies. Otherwise, we risk sliding into a world that is more fragmented, more dangerous and far less predictable. Czechia welcomes the UN AT initiative and the commitments in the pact for future. Yet these ambitions stand in stark contrast with today’s reality. In the light of Russian aggression against Ukraine, the UN Security Council is currently failing its purpose and mission. Therefore, we advocate for a comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council for greater effectiveness, inclusiveness, transparency and accountability with the aim to honor the principles of UN Charter and to strengthen the voice of underrepresented regions. Freedom and human rights are not granted entitlements. They are hard won principles that must be cherished and protected. Security Council membership should not be seen as a matter of prestige or privilege, but above all, a responsibility to defend global peace. That’s why Czechia is seeking a non permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the term two thousand and thirty two two thirty three with a clear commitment to uphold the rules based international order. We cannot afford to have the UN paralyzed or blocked in its ability to respond to crises and challenges. Current urgent crises are already consuming too much of our attention and resources at the expense of other major equal oppression issues. Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, as I mentioned in the beginning of my speech, the UN significantly improved the quality of life of billions, including through access to education, healthcare and services. In this year’s Sustainable Development Report, Czechia ranked tenth out of 167 countries. I am fortunate to be a citizen of a country which, by global standards, offers a secure and comfortable life. This doesn’t mean that there are no challenges. Much work still lies ahead if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 02/1930, both at home and globally. After all, most of the challenges we are facing are global. No single nation is powerful enough to succeed alone. That is why we need more dialogue. That is why we need greater cooperation and collective action. And, ultimately, that is why multilateralism must not only survive, it must thrive, not only for us, but most importantly for future generations. Thank you.

##The President of the General Assembly: [01:33:28] On behalf of the assembly, I wish to thank the president of The Czech Republic. The assembly will hear an address by her excellency Karin Maria Keller-Sutter, president of the Swiss Confederation. I request protocol to escort her excellency and invite her to address the assembly. Madam president

##Switzerland: [01:33:58] Madam president of the general assembly, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, eighty years ago, the world entered a new era, better times. On the 01/27/1945, the constant Auschwitz Concentration Camp was liberated. On the 05/08/1945, the war in Europe ended and on twenty five June, ’20 1945, 50 states adopted the United Nations Charter in San Francisco. And I quote from the charter, they were determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of a war which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, end of quote. Upon the ruins of the second world war, a new international order was born out of a shared conviction and determination to bring peace and prosperity to the world. The horrors of this time also gave rise to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, which protect the victims of armed conflict. At that time, the foundations for progress in democracy, the role of law and the market economy were laid down. Foundations, which despite all the limitations and setbacks also benefited international cooperation, free trade, peace and international law. Without drawing any historical parallels, it is clear that this year as we mark the eightieth anniversary of the United Nations, we are experiencing a new era of particularly extreme political and economic upheaval at a time when once again too many wars are raging with civilian populations experiencing unbearable bull suffering. A time in which a just lasting peace in The Middle East and Ukraine still seems beyond reach and during which autocratic tendencies are gaining ground, including it in Europe, a time in which free trade is being put to the test and where ultimately international law including the charter of the United Nations risk becoming dead letter. These upheavals are not coming out of nowhere. They are the result of developments that in some cases date back a long time in which in retrospect, we fail to take seriously enough for far too long. We need to be honest with ourselves. These are developments that have no simple solutions neither at the international nor at the national levels nor is it enough today to reiterate yet again, merely in speeches, the merits of a particular form of government, the rule of law, international law, free trade and multilateralism. No. If we wish to surmount the challenges which we face, we have a duty to redouble our efforts. For what is the benefit of the achievements of civilization. What are they worth if they do not contribute to freedom, security and prosperity? If they do not bring tangible benefits for people in their day to day lives? There are two errors which we must not make. Firstly, pointing the finger only at others. Secondly, leaving international organizations alone to work alone and acting as if they were completely detached from us. Ladies and gentlemen, we need to begin where we can guarantee freedom and contribute to security and prosperity right now. And generally, this is at home, within our own countries. Let me be clear, this is not about praising national self interest nor is this about condemning multilateralism quite to the contrary. Switzerland is convinced that multilateralism, international organizations, the United Nations are essential for the peaceful coexistence of peoples, for global economic prosperity, for the resolution of challenges including migration, climate change, the digital transition, and as finance min finance minister, I would also add for global financial stability. Last year, we together adopted the pact for the future, a robust commitment to multilateralism, central pillar of the pact of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. We must now implement these roadmaps without delay. Switzerland is also convinced that international Geneva can make a unique contribution to the attainment of these goals. Geneva, as the United Nations leading operational center, has robust expertise in numerous crucial areas for our future, particularly those related to humanity and innovation. This is a unique eco a unique unparalleled ecosystem for reflection, discussion and concerted action. But a strong international organization needs strong members. And when I say strong, I do not mean strength in terms of size or strength in terms of military might. I am talking about states that are in a position to provide their citizens with an environment in which they’re able to flourish and to express themselves freely and in complete safety and security. Security not just in the military sense but also at the legal, economic and social security level. Security and freedom are essential prerequisites for economic growth and therefore for prosperity. They require institutions that are legally sound, reliable and capable of taking action and they require political, social and financial stability. And here, each state has an obligation to shoulder its own responsibilities. We cannot simply delegate our responsibilities to an international organization. Ladies, gentlemen, the international community cannot but benefit from the domestic strength, prosperity, and stability of each state. Only strong states, strong domestically, can demonstrate true solidarity and contribute to successful prosperous international community, but we need to also redouble our efforts as an international community. Today, more than ever before, the United Nations must also take a critical look at itself to consider whether it is still able to fulfill its role as the 50 states intended when they adopted the charter in San Francisco on twenty five June twenty nineteen forty five. Multilateralism is also undergoing unprecedented upheaval. These upheavals are punctuated by resurgence of violations in the normative framework and the very principles and values that underpin multilateral action. Dialogue cooperation, consensus building, respect for international law and sovereign equality of states regardless of size of economic strength or political influence. Switzerland calls upon all states to make a firm commitment to uphold the principles and values enshrined in the charter of the United Nations eighty years ago. This is the prelude to any reflection on reforms and efficiency measures to strengthen the impact of our actions in the three pillars of the organization. With this in mind, we fully support the UN 80 reform program of the Secretary General. A greater effectiveness, coherence, agility and impact of multilateral action should each guide our decisions. A structured, well thought through approach together for defining the UN of the future is vital. I can assure you that Switzerland will continue to work, towards reform. We remain committed to the reform efforts to a more effective and efficient United Nations and to sustainable multilateralism both as a reliable host state and as a committed member state. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, we are not in the same situation today as we were eighty years ago. We are in the midst of a critical phase and the next chapter of history is yet to be written. This also means that we can play an active role in shaping it. And I quote an Auschwitz survivor, the Italian writer, Primo Levi. It happened. Therefore, it could happen again. This is the core of what we have to say. End of quote. But it doesn’t have to happen again, and indeed it must not happen again. This is why the United Nations was created eighty years ago, and this is also why we are here today. It is up to us to ensure that this turning point in history, which is so often invoked, as was the case eighty years ago for this to usher in a new era of better times. Let us guard against arrogance and complacency, and let us get to work at home, in our countries, and together at the United Nations. Thank you.

##The President of the General Assembly: [01:44:06] Merci, I thank on behalf of assembly, the president of the Swiss Confederation. The assembly will hear now an address by his excellency Edgars Rinkēvičs, president of The Republic Of Latvia. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Latvia: [01:44:36] Madam president, excellencies, distinguished delegates. First of all, allow me to congratulate your excellency madam Annalena Baerbock, on assuming the presidency of the general assembly. You will have Latvia’s full cooperation. Latvia believes that we are stronger together, stronger in advancing peace, fostering development, upholding human rights. Standing here on this world stage, I would like to congratulate us on the eightieth anniversary of the United Nations. Eighty years working together to build a better, more just, and peaceful world. This task has never been easy, but it is our duty to persist with determination and give our very best. I want to express Latvia’s gratitude for the overwhelming support for our candidacy for the United Nations Security Council. We are beginning our term next year. This is our first term. Will take on this responsibility with a strong sense of duty, a duty to serve with integrity, transparency, and with a clear commitment to the principles of the United Nations. Is honored to serve on the Security Council for the good of people around the world, and we will stand together for peace and resilience. Latvia’s three priorities in the Security Council are, first, protect our rules based international order. Second, advocate for women peace and security agenda. Also protect the most vulnerable people amongst us. Third, find solutions to emerging security threats. These include climate change, hybrid threats, the challenges related to the safety of artificial intelligence. Excellencies, the world is in disarray. Before our eyes, we see blatant attempts to weaken or even to destroy the rules based international order, the order that is rooted in the United Nations Charter. In effect, a new world order is emerging, and it is not a better one. There is an attempt to recreate the world where the might makes right. The permanent members of the Security Council undertook to maintain international peace and security, to prevent wars, to prevent devastation and loss of life. But it seems that one permanent member of Russia doesn’t want this. Russia wants a world where brute force prevails over international law. Russia does not want peace. Russia wants to get what it wants, and Russia is willing to inflict destruction and misery on others. Unfortunately, Russia has partners in crime, notably Iran and North Korea. Ukraine is fighting back bravely with all it has. Ukraine is facing an existential threat to its people, to its land, to its freedom. Ukraine is fighting for all of us, for the rules based international order, for independence and sovereignty, for territorial integrity, so that international borders are not changed by force. These actually are the very principles at heart of the United Nations. Latvia stands with Ukraine and will advocate for its serenity and territorial integrity at the United Nations Security Council. We are and we will be advocates for Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. They must be returned. We will be advocates for the Ukrainian civilians who have lost their homes and livelihoods. Latvia will use its position on the United Nations Security Council to help achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. I want to express my appreciation to president Trump, president Zelensky, and my European colleagues for their efforts to achieve peace, for trying to stop the unnecessary destruction and the misery we are witnessing in Ukraine. It is our collective duty to uphold the principles of the United Nations Charter, especially when a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council openly violates them. We need no reminding that the United Nations was founded on the ruins of the World War two to save future generations from the scourge of war, to maintain international peace and security, to protect human life. Distinguished delegates, in war, it is the most innocent that pay the highest price. It is our duty to strengthen international cooperation to tackle the escalating crisis in Gaza. The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza continues to spiral. Urgent action is needed to end civilian suffering. Latvia condemns all terrorist attacks. Nothing can justify terrorism. We recognize Israel’s legitimate right to self defense, but it must be exercised in line with the international law and particularly international humanitarian law. The law is there to protect every one of us. Latvia calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The terrorist organization Hamas must release all hostages. Hamas must be destroyed as this organization is responsible for so much human suffering in the region. We need to ensure that the access to humanitarian aid in Gaza is safe and unconditional. The ongoing escalation confirms the need for a sustainable political solution. The need for two state solution in accordance with international parameters. The need to break the cycle of violence, to reach a just and lasting peace, a peace that addresses the security concerns and the legitimate aspirations of both the Israelis and Palestinians. Let me be keenly aware of the ongoing conflicts around the world. We must work together to resolve the dire humanitarian situation in Sudan and Democratic Republic Of The Congo. We will not look on helplessly as crisis unfold. As a member of the Security Council, we will call on the international community to take collective action and to facilitate humanitarian aid to try to end unnecessary human suffering. Distinguished delegates, we must do everything in our power to protect the most vulnerable people, especially women and children. Women and girls suffer disproportionately in times of war. We, the global community, have a responsibility to protect the rights of women and girls, to empower them, to ensure their voices are heard in peace processes. The first deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia is beyond disturbing. We call on the United Nations to do more, do much more. We will do all we can to help bring these children home. Madam president, it is not only conventional warfare that threatens peace, security, and stability. Emerging threats like climate change, cyberattacks, hybrid attacks, and the misuse of artificial intelligence are testing us on a daily basis. Our modern world is connected in ways that most of us can’t imagine. Today, many countries are experiencing a growing wave of hybrid attacks, also Latvia. We have to deal with damage to undersea cables, GPS jamming, arson attacks, the Russian shadow fleets. Russia continues and actually interests in new provocations, most recently recklessly violating the espouse of Poland and Estonia. The intensity of Russia’s drone attacks against Ukraine has created incidents in Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania. This is the new reality. Russia bears full responsibility for these acts and also consequences. This kind of reckless behavior is a direct threat to international peace and security, and we must act to stop it before such acts spill out of control. We must counter these threats by resilience and increased cooperation with our friends and allies. But hybrid warfare is evolving as are emerging and disruptive technologies. The challenge is to maximize the benefits these technologies can bring while remaining vigilant of the potential risk they pose. We share the United Nations’ view that we need to develop artificial intelligence responsibly, but we should not halt the progress. Artificial intelligence can promote economic growth, drive scientific progress, and innovation, even improve health care and make education more accessible. Artificial intelligence is already part of our daily lives. We must acknowledge this reality and work to make it safer and more beneficial for the people. The governments should not take years to create regulations. We should act swiftly and do it right. As a responsible United Nations member, a future UN Security Council member, Latvia is ready to work with our partners to address these issues. Ladies and gentlemen, the United Nations has stood the test of time for eighty years. It is the primary architect of international law and protector of rules based international order. The United Nations is not perfect, but it is the best we have. The only truly global organization. As one of UN secretary generals, Doug Hammerskild, famously said, the United Nations was not created in order to bring us to heaven, but in order to save us from the hell. But after eighty years, it is time to adjust to new realities. The United Nations must evolve to remain relevant, to be effective and fit for the challenges ahead. That’s why we support the UN 80 initiative by the secretary general. Let us work together for peace and resilience. Let us protect the rules based international order and the United Nations Charter because we all are better together. Thank you very much.

##The President of the General Assembly: [01:56:44] On behalf of the assembly, I wish to thank the president of The Republic Of Latvia. The assembly will hear an address by his excellency, William Samoei Ruto, president of The Republic Of Kenya and commander in chief of the defense forces. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Kenya: [01:57:28] Madam president, the president of the eightieth session of the UN General Assembly, madam Annalena Baerbock, secretary general of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, excellencies, heads of state, and government distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. I congratulate you, madam president, on your election to preside over the eightieth session of the UN General Assembly. Madam president, you can count on Kenya’s full support throughout your tenure as you steer the assembly into the future. Ladies and gentlemen, eight years ago, in the aftermath of the unprecedented global destruction and devastating war, the international community came together in hope. They created this organization, the United Nations, as a shield against the horrors of war, as a platform for dialogue, and as a bridge to a better, fairer, more secure global community. What is often forgotten or not mentioned today is that the United Nations grew out of the failure of the League of Nations that existed between 1919 and 1945. The League of Nations did not collapse for lack of good intentions or noble objectives. Formed at the end of the first World War and as part of the Treaty of Versailles, it was humanity’s first attempt to build a permanent international organization to stop aggression and war and bring nations together. Its ambitions were to achieve collective global security, disarmament, peaceful dispute resolution, and cooperation on humanitarian and social issues. Despite these ideals, the League of Nations failed. The United States never joined. Other great powers came and went, and without enforcement authority, its condemnation carried little weight. When Japan invaded Manchuria, when Italy marched into Ethiopia, and when Hitler openly defied its rules, the League stood by, helpless and powerless. By the late nineteen thirties, its credibility had collapsed, and with the outbreak of the World War two, it was rendered irrelevant. Madam president, this history is both a lesson and a warning. Institutions rarely fail because they lack vision or ideals. More often, they drift into irrelevance when they do not adapt, when they hesitate to act, and when they lose legitimacy. To remain relevant, institutions must must be reimagined, must be reformed, renewed, and aligned with emerging realities. Eight decades ago, the founders of the UN sought to correct the failures of the League of Nations by creating a stronger, more inclusive organization anchored in the principles of, and I quote, we, the people of the United Nations, determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, end of quote. Today, we are gathered for the UN at eighty. The question is unavoidable. Is the United Nations relevant to the demands of our time? Can it continue to serve humanity in the face of current realities, or has it become a relic of a bygone era? Madam president excellencies, we meet against a grim global backdrop. Conflict rages in Eastern Europe, The Middle East, the Sahel, the whole of Africa, and beyond. Climate disasters grow fiercer by the day. Inequality deepens, pandemics loom, and technological disruptions outpaces governance. Instead of trust, mistrust is spreading. Instead of solidarity, fragmentation is taking root. In place of hope, anxiety fills our global community. We are living, to borrow from the words of the founders of this institution, not in larger freedom, but in growing uncertainty. At this moment of turbulence, when we most need a strong United Nations, the organization faces its deepest crisis in credibility and capacity. Funding cuts have paralyzed its operations. Bureaucracy has slowed its response. The Security Council remains frozen in the postwar structures of 1945, unable to act inclusively with fairness and with speed. Ladies and gentlemen, I can, however, state with absolute conviction that the United Nations has been one of humanity’s greatest achievements. For eight decades, it has held back the specter of global war, calmed conflicts from Cambodia to Liberia, and stood guard in some of the world’s most dangerous places through the courage of its peacemakers and peacekeepers. Few institutions in humanity’s history can claim such a legacy. The United Nations has stood at the front lines of humanitarian crisis, from famine relief in the whole of Africa to emergency shelter for millions of Syrian and Ukrainian refugees. It was at the forefront in the eradication of smallpox, coordinated global responses to HIV and AIDS, Ebola, and COVID nineteen, and continues to champion universal vaccination. Its agencies have advanced women’s rights, protected children, safeguarded refugees, and set global norms on everything from disarmament to climate action.The UN sustainable development goals remain a shared blueprint for human progress. These are achievements no nation could have achieved alone, however rich, however great, or however powerful. And yet, every institution, no matter how noble its origins or impactful its legacy, must adapt to changing times or slide into irrelevance. Today, the United Nations stands at the crossroads of renewal on one hand or decay on another. Put differently, after eighty years, the rhymes of time are calling on us to reimagine the original promise that inspired the founding of the United Nations, and that is the quest for global peace, development, and human rights. But this call must now be answered in a global context that is profoundly different from the postwar era in which the UN was conceived then. We would be denying the cold, hard truth if we say that the United Nations is delivering as it should. On peace and security, its voice is too often drowned by the rivalries of great powers, while some nations simply ignore its resolutions and do as they please. Too often, the UN’s blue helmet, once a symbol of moral authority, no longer commands the same respect. From the conflicts in Gaza to Ukraine to the crisis in Sudan, DRC Congo, Somalia, and the Sahel, we see actors proceed unbetered by the United Nations calls. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, Kenya speaks from the experience of a nation deeply invested in multilateralism. For decades, we have placed our troops and police in harm’s way for peacekeeping missions across Africa and beyond, from Somalia to Democratic Republic Of Congo, from South Sudan, to most recently in our neighborhood here in Haiti. Over the past fifteen months, we have we are proud to have led the multinational security support mission in Haiti, not because it has been easy, but because solidarity is the essence of the United Nations. Madam president, the mandate of the MSS mission is coming to an end in a few days. As the lead nation, allow me to briefly share our experiences, the successes, and the challenges as both a cautionary tale and a living lesson about the strengths and weaknesses of the current global security governance architecture. For far too long, the people of Haiti called out to the world. Too often, their pleas were met with silence, hesitation, or half measures. Haiti became a tragic reminder of what happens when the international community looks away, prefarricates, or offers half hearted support. When Kenya responded to the quest for the Haitian authorities, it was in the belief that we were joining a genuinely multinational effort. We welcomed and fully embraced resolution twenty six nine nine by which the United Nations Security Council authorized the MSS with Kenya as the lead nation. Drawing on our decades of peace support operations, we stepped forward, stepped up, and deployed our officers to confront the rampant menace of gang violence in Port Au Prince and its environs. Madam president, ladies and gentlemen, the mission has operated in a volatile environment under enormous constraints. It has been underfunded and equipped and operated below 40% of its authorized personnel strength. Our police officers have valiantly shouldered responsibilities without the full logistical support that would accompany any mission sanctioned by the United Nations. Despite these challenges and against all odds, the MSS has delivered results many thought were impossible. The Presidential Palace, once under siege from gangs, is today restored as the seat of government. The police headquarters and the police training center, once overrun by gangs, are now secure with the academy resuming the training of new police officers, over 700 of whom graduated a few months ago. Schools that have been shattered by violence have reopened with children back in class learning and progress. Roads once manned or blocked by gangs have been have now free flowing traffic. Cases of kidnapping and extortion have reduced sharply. The airport and the seaport, once surrounded by gangs, are now abuzz with normal operations. Which begs the question, if so much could be achieved with limited resources and stretched personnel within just fifteen months, what more could have been accomplished if the United Nations’ fraternity had truly acted together in solidarity with the people of Haiti? From this podium, I wish to assure all partners and actors that with the right personnel, adequate resources, appropriate equipment, and necessary logistics, Haiti’s security can be restored. Gangs. Gangs can be neutralized and the safety of streets, schools, hospitals, and homes secured. The continued harassment, abductions, and criminal acts undermining the lives of Haitians are unacceptable, unjustifiable, and must be stopped by this organization, the United Nations. Madam president, as the UN Security Council deliberates on the next steps, we must not lose sight of the fact that the situation in Haiti demands sustained coordinated and undivided international attention. A careful and orderly transition from MSS is essential to consolidate the hard won gains so far achieved. I urge the Security Council and all partners to remain steadfast in ensuring that Haiti moves forward on a path of peace, stability, and renewal. Ladies and gentlemen, on human rights, our principle is clear and unwavering. The protection of civilians and respect for humanitarian law cannot be applied selectively. We cannot condemn suffering in one place and turn a blind eye in another. Kenya is gravely concerned by the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and by the immense suffering of civilians caught in the devastation of disproportionate military operations. Operations. At the same time, we call for the unconditional release of Israeli hostages. In line with the African Union and United Nations resolutions, we also call for a permanent ceasefire for strict adherence to international humanitarian law, and for the launch of a credible political process. Only through such a process can the vision of a two state solution be realized, where Israel and Palestine live side by side in peace, security, and stability. Kenya is equally deeply troubled by the worsening humanitarian situation in Sudan, where innocent citizens are caught in the crossfire of a needless war. We fully endorse the Quad comprising Egypt, Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates, and The United States in affirming that there cannot be a military solution and that only political dialogue offers a viable path forward. We we join the guad in urging all parties, including SAF, RSF, and the external actors to respect Sudan’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, and firmly reject any attempts to divide the country, reaffirming our unwavering support for a unified Sudan for the benefit of all its people. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, those who look to the future with a clear vision know that climate change is not only the single greatest threat of our age, but also one of the greatest transformation opportunities of our time. The global stochtick has made it plain that the world is off track. Current national determined contributions are steering us towards temperature rises far beyond any safe threshold. This is the difference between survival on one hand and devastation for millions across the world on the other. Kenya and Africa are not passive victims of this crisis. We are taking bold steps showing that climate action is not only possible, but can also be the foundation for inclusive growth. We are building a climate resilient society by embedding adaptation into every sector, from agriculture and energy to infrastructure and livelihoods to sustainable mining and artificial intelligence. This ambition is visible on the ground. Today, 93% of Kenya’s electricity comes from renewable sources, geothermal, wind, solar, and hydro. We are expanding investments in e mobility, climate smart agriculture, clean cooking solutions, and green manufacturing. We are also pioneering nature compatible solutions such as sustainable waste management and circular economy interventions. Africa too is uniting its voice. In 2023, in Nairobi, we hosted the inaugural Africa Climate Summit where the continent adopted the Nairobi declaration on climate action and on climate action and call to action. Just two weeks ago, in Addis Ababa, Africa came together once more at the second Africa Climate Summit to reaffirm our commitment and and strengthen our ambition for climate positive growth. We declared Africa not just as a victim of the crisis, but as a source of solutions with climate action driving economic growth, transformation, and job creation for our communities. Ambition, ladies and gentlemen, cannot stand on willpower alone. Implementing our new NDCs will require US dollars 56,000,000,000. That is why we call on the global community to unlock the US dollar’s 300,000,000,000 agreed at Baku and to accelerate negotiations towards the new 1,300,000,000,000.0 goal under the Baku Belem Roadmap.Without affordable finance and without reform of the international financial architecture, the promise of climate action in Africa will remain constrained. Madam president, in the aftermath of World War two, the president institutions were created to stabilize the global economy and rebuild war torn Europe. At that time, their design reflected the power and interest of the victorious nations who are also their primary shareholders and beneficiaries. The IMF was tasked with upholding the gold standard exchange rate system, while the World Bank was established to finance Europe’s reconstruction. Both have since evolved into development finance institutions, but their structures, decision making, and governance remains dominated by wealthy nations. Today, the global context is vastly different. The global standard collapsed five decades ago, and Europe has long since been rebuilt. Yet, the governance of these institutions has not kept pace with needs of a multipolar world, especially the needs of poor and developing nations. The mismatch between shareholders and stakeholders has become starkly visible. For instance, during the IMF’s recent allocation of special doing rights, 64% went to wealthy nations. Just imagine, 64%, with little need for liquidity support. They didn’t need the money anyway, but they got 64%, while the poorer countries received just 2.4%. What a disconnect. The imbalance highlights how the very institutions meant to safeguard global finance stability often perpetuate inequality and instability. I have argued, and I say it again, that the current global financial architecture punishes poor countries with high interest rates and enormous conditionalities while rewarding rich nations with lower interest rates and softer lending rates. Its rules, priorities, and allocation mechanisms consistently favor those already prosperous while trapping vulnerable economies in cycles of debt, high borrowing costs, and inadequate access to emergency support and concessional funding. It is imperative to transform these institutions into genuinely independent apolitical global bodies that their operations are aligned with global with their global mandate. Such a shift would democratize decision making, restore credibility, and allow the IMF and the World Bank to serve all countries fairly rather than reinforcing old hierarchies. But Africa is not merely waiting for external prescript prescriptions. We are taking bold and deliberate steps to strengthen our financial independence, safeguard our stability, and accelerate our development. Kenya, for instance, fully endorses the establishment of the alliance of African multilateral financial institutions launched with the Africa Union in February 2024. This alliance brings together our homegrown banks, Afriaxin Bank, the Africa Finance Corporation, the Trade and Development Bank, ShelterAfrique, Africa Afrika Re, Africa Development Bank, Africa Trade and Investment Development Insurance, and Zepri, institutions that embody Africa’s determination to mobilize resources, finance trade, and build resilience on our own terms. At the same time, the Africa Union is championing three transformative institutions, the Africa Central Bank, which will issue a single currency and free our trade from dependence on foreign money. The Africa Monetary Fund, positioned to stabilize our economies and give us true financial sovereignty. And the Africa Investment Bank designed to mobilize resources for infrastructure, industrialization, and integration that Africa needs to rise. And to complete this vision, the Africa Credit Rating Agency, one that understands our realities, values our uniqueness, and tells our story with fairness and truth, has already been established. Excellencies, as we mark the eightieth anniversary of the United Nations, Africa also marks twenty years since the Ezuluni consensus and the sixth declaration, the two historic milestones that establishes the common African position on UN Security Council reforms. For two decades, Africa has spoken in one voice, demanding justice, equity, and representation in the highest organ of global governance. This demand, however, continues to be ignored, deferred, or endlessly debated to the detriment of both Africa and the legitimacy of the United Nations itself. You cannot claim to be the United Nations while disregarding the voice of 54 nations. It is not possible. Africa is no longer willing to wait on the margins of global governance while decisions about peace, security, and development are made without our understanding, without our perspectives, and without our voice. Africa’s exclusion is not only unacceptable, unfair, and grossly unjust, it also undermines the very credibility of the United Nations, this organization. Africa dominates most of the Security Council agenda, provides some of the largest contingents of UN peacekeeping forces, and here and bears the heaviest costs of instability. Yet we remain the only continent without a permanent seat at the main table where decisions about our destiny are made. Africa deserves, ladies and gentlemen, at the very least, two permanent seats with full rights, including the right to veto and two additional non permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council. The world must not the world must understand that reforming the Security Council is not a favor to Africa or to anybody. It is a necessity for the United Nations’ own survival. If the United Nations is to remain relevant in this century, it must reflect today’s realities, not the postwar power arrangements of 1945. Madam president, despite the stated and evident weaknesses of the United Nations, it still remains humanity’s best chance at global solidarity. No other institution has the universal legitimacy or convening power of the UN. From coordinating humanitarian relief in times of war and disaster, to mobilizing the global response to COVID nineteen, to driving consensus on climate change through the Paris agreement, the UN has consistently shown that the world can achieve together what no nation can accomplish on its on its own, however mighty or great or powerful. As done as Doug Hamskirld, the UN second secretary general once observed, and I quote, the United Nations was not created to take humanity to heaven, but to save it from hell, end of quote. That mission is as urgent today as it was eight decades ago. At a time when conflicts are multiplying, when climate change threatens every economy, and when inequality is widening, the need for a functioning, credible, effective, and a multilateral system has never been greater. It is through the UN that nations have pooled resources to vaccinate billions of children, to protect refugees from work, through the work of the UNHCR, and to keep the peace in more than 70 missions across the world. Without the UN, these achievements, modest, though they may sometimes seem, would not have been possible. That is why we must resist the temptation to give up on the UN or abandon it. We must make it fit for purpose, reform its structures, strengthen its mandate, and ensure its decisions reflects today’s realities rather than the geopolitical map of a bygone era. As one of the hosts of the UN headquarters and the only one in the global South, Kenya stands ready to do its part to enable the organization to go through this phase of renewal successfully as envisaged by the secretary general under UN eighty reforms. In conclusion, madam president, ladies and gentlemen, the eightieth anniversary of the United Nations must be more than a commemoration. It must be a turning point for the organization. Let us seize this moment to reimagine and rebuild the UN into a body that commands legitimacy, responds with speed, and delivers justice for all. I thank you, and God bless you.

##The President of the General Assembly: [02:27:25] On behalf of the assembly, I wish to thank the president of The Republic Of Kenya and commander in chief of the defense forces. The assembly will now hear an address by his excellency, Santiago Pena Palacios, president of the Republic Of Paraguay. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Paraguay: [02:28:03] Madam President of the General Assembly, distinguished heads of state and government, distinguished ministers of foreign affairs, ladies and gentlemen, This is my third address to the United Nations General Assembly. It is without doubt an immense privilege and an honor to represent Paraguay in this magnificent forum, a country which may look small on the map, but is a giant in its spirit and potential. As I flew into New York from afar, I was thinking that I might begin my speech by sharing the joy that I feel having the opportunity to tell you about the great things that lie ahead for Paraguay. However, the events of recent days and months make this simply impossible. Instead, with regret, I must begin by recalling the anecdote of the great German historian Theodor Mumson, who, upon receiving the Nobel Prize in nineteen o three, asked his audience not to applaud after his acceptance speech. The times, he said sorrowfully, are too grave for that. The years that followed fully confirmed his intuition. I believe exactly the same thing can be said today. Indeed, in recent times, we have witnessed that evil, radical ideologization, intolerance are unfortunately real and embedded in certain sectors of our societies. I remain shaken, saddened and distressed by the shocking images of two cowardly and incomprehensible political attacks. First, intolerance and hatred which took the life of a great human being, Miguel Uribe, the Colombian presidential pre candidate who was assassinated in public while touring a square while on a national tour, ghosts of violence which we thought were a thing of the past for our Colombian brothers and sisters. Second, we saw a young dreamer, Charlie Kirk, who was miserably torn from his wife and two children for one sole sin, defending his convictions and values with eloquence and courage. Both men, rather than resorting to violence to impose their ideas, chose the most civic and peaceful method possible, free, open, and frank debate, without evading controversial positions, yet always within a framework of respect. The ominous, macabre response must awaken us from our slumber of complacency. Dear friends, our values, our very way of life are at risk. The idea of democracy, that venerable and brilliant creation of Greek genius which allows us to have a peaceful modus vivendi despite our differences is currently in jeopardy. Therefore, in times when darkness seeks to extinguish the light, we must take a stand. This is no time to be timid. Either we stand on the right side of peace and reason, or we stand with violence and intolerance. Our children and grandchildren will not forget the stance that we took when faced with the immense challenge before us. That’s why I wish to be very clear with you. Political violence is immoral, intolerable, and profoundly harmful. We must reject it without equivocation. So let’s say loudly and clearly no to hatred, no to violence, and no to authoritarianism. We mustn’t underestimate the gravity of what’s happening. These aren’t isolated events. They are patterns. The situation has been worsening in light of political movements. There is polarization and extremism that were once subtly revealed in texts and speeches that are now today materializing in acts of real violence. There is a crisis of belief in institutions. Citizens simply no longer have trust. Our democracy this is a democracy which for decades guaranteed the most basic human rights embodied in that magnificent instrument which is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The everlasting achievement of the United Nations system is under siege from all quarters, both on the left and the right. And this, ladies and gentlemen, might be a path of no return. This crisis situation is the perfect breeding ground for authoritarianism where democratic values are eroded. Authoritarianism or its perverse twin, populism, replaces it. Paraguay views with great concern the restrictions on the exercise of fundamental rights such as access to free information and freedom of expression in some sister countries. These are already palpable demonstrations that the crisis is real and far reaching. Thus, regrettably, the situation in Venezuela has become truly alarming. Systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms are being compounded by actions that are contrary to international law and the persecution of political leaders. The electoral process in July 2024 trampled the will of the Venezuelan people. 7,000,000 Venezuelans have left their homeland. This is the largest migratory crisis in the history of the Western Hemisphere. In Nicaragua, meanwhile, the persecution of political opponents persists and is expanding aggressively. The situation of human rights and fundamental guarantees is dire. Entire religious orders have been expelled. Hundreds of Nicaraguans have been stripped of their nationality for the sole crime of dissenting. Even the Catholic church is being persecuted, something that was once unthinkable in Latin America. Paraguay knows better than most the calamity of authoritarianism and dictatorship, having lived through the longest military regime on the continent in the twentieth century. The scars of this have not yet fully healed. We therefore cannot and must not stand silent while our Latin American brothers and sisters suffer the same oppression that marked our own past. The crisis of democracy, friends, will not be resolved with an iron fist nor with censorship nor authoritarianism, much less so still with violence. We must resist these alluring impostors. As the Italian philosopher Norberto Bobbio said, crises of democracy are resolved in one way only, with more democracy. Not with authoritarian charlatans nor with hatred or intolerance. We must respond with more democracy, more republicanism, more tolerance, more dialogue, more rights, more freedom. The the essence of the United Nations is and shall remain the maintenance of peace. Yet, while we are meeting here, more than 120 armed conflicts show just how serious the failure of our institutions can be. Paraguay extends its solidarity to all victims of armed conflict and calls once again for the peaceful settlement of disputes. I stress today in particular the painful situation in Haiti. The time for decisive and coordinated action by the United Nations and in particular the Security Council is now. Paraguay knows this and stands ready to assist the Haitian people who can wait no longer. Furthermore, I wish to highlight a situation that goes beyond armed conflict, but which highlights the same seriousness. We are facing a silent but devastating crisis, the collapse of global supply chains. The pandemic showed us just how fragile they were. The war in Ukraine strained them further, and now geopolitical fragmentation threatens to break them definitively. The world urgently needs supply chains that are more reliable, more diversified, more resilient. We cannot continue depending on systems that place efficiency above security, cost above reliability. I want to be clear here. Not all trade partnerships are the same. We must be cautious about deceptive economic models that come along with political authoritarianism, mass surveillance and the erosion of fundamental freedoms. When we agree to investments that compromise our sovereignty, when we allow our critical infrastructure to depend on authoritarian regimes, we simply are gambling with not only our economy but also our democracy. Therefore, we call for deeper integration among our countries based not only on trade but on shared values. These are the rule of law, individual freedoms, a free market economy, the defense of the traditional family, and the right to life from conception. That is why Paraguay’s foreign policy is not based on mere economic interests, but rather on these shared values and principles. For these reasons, Paraguay cannot and must not evade the realities that are challenging world peace. Diplomatic prudence cannot become silent complicity. It is exactly at these times that the principles that define us as a democratic nation should be translated into clear and unequivocal positions with our friends and allies. Paraguay reaffirms here its unambiguous position. Israel has the legitimate right to defend itself. The terrorist attacks on the 10/07/2023 against Israeli civilians were grotesque acts of barbarity which no cause can justify. We reject any biased attempt to equate the responsibility of Israel’s democratically elected authorities with that of the leaders of the terrorist group Hamas. Antisemitism, ladies and gentlemen, as daily events show us, is no accident of the twentieth century. It is alive and kicking. It forms part of that irrational cycle of violence and hatred that I referred to at the start of my statement. And I must confess here that I have never understood how so many have adopted this appalling worldview given how much the Jewish people have contributed materially, culturally, and spiritually to the world. Yet, lamentably, this perversion persists among us. The only answer is to remain vigilant, to say no to hatred, show her never again. That is why Paraguay was one of the first countries in the world to designate both Hezbollah and Hamas as international terrorist organizations, and why it has consistently condemned their wicked acts. I decisively condemn these criminal organizations before you all again today. My country will continue to oppose those who deny the sacred value of human life, a fundamental idea that underpins Paraguay’s vision of the human person. We also urgently appeal for the implementation of a solution that will alleviate the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories, bringing an end to the violence and securing the immediate release of the hostages, promoting a constructive dialogue that leads towards peaceful coexistence between both peoples and lays the foundations for a lasting peace in the Middle East. Paraguay’s extremely principled diplomacy based on rather than mere convenience also explains the moral stance that we have taken with regard to another democracy facing existential threats. Consistency in defending democratic values doesn’t allow for selective geographies or calculations of convenience. Principles, when they are genuine, stand by their intrinsic worth, not by their political profitability. Paraguay has proudly maintained sixty seven years of diplomatic relations with The Republic Of China Taiwan. This friendship forged through shared democratic values has shown that cooperation between nations can be based on more than mere interest. Certainly, this decision costs us dearly economically, but believe me, the value of doing what is right is priceless. The growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait deeply concern us. In Greece, increasingly aggressive military exercises, constant aerial incursions, bellicose rhetoric. All of this points towards a dangerous escalation that could destabilize not only Asia but the entire global order. Ladies and gentlemen, let it be said without timidity or pusillanimity, Taiwan deserves to deserves a place in this forum. Allow me to repeat it. Taiwan deserves a place in this forum. This is a matter of strict justice. Its exclusion from the UN system is an affront which undermines the legitimacy of our institutions. Twenty three million decent, hardworking and dignified people cannot remain invisible to multilateralism. Ladies and gentlemen, as in other cases, the question of Taiwan and its international status must inevitably form part of the discussions of this general assembly. It is time to uproot this tree of injustice which has grown for decades and to give a place to Taiwan, China, and the United Nations. These principal positions based on conviction and not convenience give Paraguay something relatively scarce these days, which is genuine moral authority to discuss the problems that afflict us. Against this backdrop of global crisis, Paraguay stands as an intermediate power with a central role in building consensus and strengthening the multilateral systems. Our words are backed up with facts Paraguay has a characteristic constructive spirit in multilateral debates. In line with our active leading role, my country is currently a member of the Economic and Social Council and we have national experts on the Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the Human Rights Committee, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Narcotics Control Board, as well as the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, among others. Over the term twenty twenty six to twenty twenty seven, we aspire to the presidency of the Bureau of the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly, and we shall take up membership in the PBC. Dear friends, Paraguay stands ready to take its place in the Concert of Nations, not as a mere voice on the periphery, but rather as a true protagonist seeking solutions to global problems. Thus, Paraguay accepts and commits to the objectives set out in the Secretary General’s UN80 initiative. These include the quest for greater efficiency in resource use, simplification of processes and the review of mandate implementation. We therefore demand the implementation of geographic balance in the appointment of the next Secretary General. This would strengthen the legitimacy and representation of this organization. In this process, we are convinced attention must be paid to our region. Since we have candidates meeting the highest standards of experience, integrity, vision, and above all, leadership. Leadership to build bridges helping us to overcome challenges that are global in nature and that also pose systemic risk. We therefore call for a deep reform of the Security Council to prevent it becoming dispensable within a multilateral system that must provide solutions to the numerous current conflicts both those between states and those caused by non state actors. We call, therefore, for more flexible positions so that the Security Council can once again become truly representative in its membership and regain effectiveness as it fulfills its mission. We call for the elimination of the veto, which would bestow great legitimacy on the body and would enable the UN as a universal organization to once again play a leading role in finding solutions to the great challenges facing our world. Madam president, distinguished delegates, I know that the picture I’ve painted here is not the brightest. Indeed, it is rather somber. But I prefer to speak truthfully so as to not underestimate the gravity of our current situation. And yet, optimistic as I am, I can’t avoid saying this. I look to the future with great hope. As the great writer William Faulkner said, I believe that humanity will not merely endure, it will prevail. With all of our flaws, when we work together, when we place solidarity above division, dialogue above violence, tolerance above hatred, Humanity is capable of great things. Building the future is not possible merely by wishing it. Building the future not possible merely by wishing it. Building the future requires intention, persistence, constancy and discipline. I always say and I’ll repeat it here today, there are no shortcuts to development, just hard work. But words are no longer enough. Our peoples are tired of empty promises, of grandiose declarations that don’t lead to bread on the table, safety in their streets, or education for their children. Just like in any relationship where trust has broken down, the key to recovering it is to show results. Democracy must demonstrate that it can deliver, that it can generate prosperity, that it can secure justice, offer hope, be a democracy with a human face and with a social heart as defended by the great thinkers of my own political movement such as Ignacio e Pani, Juan Leon Mayorquin, and Frugencio r Moreno. My party has been demonstrating all of this in office in Paraguay over the last few decades. We have been showing that it is possible to grow economically with justice, with democracy, and with human rights. I’m not saying this arrogantly, but rather with the humility that characterizes Paraguayans. This is a humility born of a history of greatness but also suffering. Paraguayans know the eternal cycle of rebirth, of suffering, crisis, tragedy. We have had to reinvent ourselves and rise from the ashes, and in that noble process, we have built the Paraguay that today is finally being recognized for what it is, a giant that is reemerging. While the world is faltering, we are building something different, A model that is working, a model that inspires confidence because it’s delivering results. The numbers speak for themselves. We have seen economic growth of 5.9% in the first quarter of this year, while at the same time the regional average barely reached 2%. Our inflation stands controlled at 4.2%, which is below the regional average. We are advancing firmly towards post pandemic fiscal convergence. Our fiscal deficit has returned to 1.5% in the national budget for next year. Our unemployment levels have fallen to historic lows, 5.6% in the first quarter this year. But growth without social justice is worthless. That’s why we are implementing ambitious programmes to transform lives. Our Zero Hunger in Schools programme feeds more than 1,000,000 children a day in 7,000 schools. Cheroga Porra is turning thousands of working families into homeowners. For the first time, the state is offering mortgages with payments equivalent to rent, transforming a monthly expense into family wealth. I stress that 118,000 people emerged from poverty in a single year. Extreme poverty fell to 4.1% which is the lowest level in our modern history. But none of this would have been possible without solid institutions. That’s why we’ve undertaken bold reforms. We promoted the Civil Service Act to professionalize civil service, ending with decades of clientelism. We have the Integrity and Transparency Act, creating true oversight and accountability mechanisms and strengthening the office of the Controller General. We’ve adopted a National Unified Registry Act, which proposes structural transformation and, after one hundred years, orders land ownership in Paraguay. Outcome of this is that in July Paraguay achieved investment grade for the first time in its history. Distinguished delegates, the Paraguayan model is not perfect, of course not. We face huge challenges and much remains to be done. But we are changing reality. We’re showing today that Paraguay is not merely a country. As the president of the International Automobile Federation, Mohammed bin Solayem said, Paraguay is the country. Madam president, distinguished delegates, I began this speech with some rather somber warnings about the state of global democracy and our societies. The times are grave, and there is much to worry about. But I do not wish to end on a pessimistic note. A different, better, brighter future is possible. It just depends on all of us. It depends on our ability to diagnose the problems with courage and to confront them with perseverance and conviction. The future isn’t predetermined. Paraguay is living proof that despite the chaos and desolation of war, it is possible to rebuild. It is possible to reconcile prosperity with justice, growth with sustainability, openness with sovereignty. Paraguay, dear friends, stands ready to be part of the solution. The sleeping giant of South America has awoken and is reemerging with strength. We are ready to be a central protagonist in the struggle for humanity’s great values to be a leading actor in the Concert of Nations. Because we believe in a future where democracy does not merely survive but flourishes. Because we believe in a future in which development reaches everyone, not just a few. Because we believe in a future where cooperation is based on shared values, not on mere convenience. Because we believe in a future where trust is earned with results, not with rhetoric. Because we believe, indeed, that humanity will not merely endure but will prevail. That different future is possible. Paraguayans are building it every day. I invite you to build it with us together to leave behind a better world for our children and our grandchildren, a world with more democracy, more freedom, more tolerance, more justice, A world in which hope defeats pessimism, in which light overcomes darkness and good triumphs forever and always over evil. Thank you very much.

##The President of the General Assembly: [00:00:00] The assembly now will hear an address by his excellency, Alar Karis, president of The Republic Of Estonia. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Estonia: [00:00:24] President, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, United Nations is an idea of a better world. It is an idea that is not an abstract construction nor an empty declaration, but carefully crafted agreement. The grand agreement that is a basis of a current multilateral world order. An agreement designed to protect international peace and foster prosperity. An agreement to ensure a free and dignified life for everybody, an agreement that is based on the understanding that destruction and horrors of war must not be repeated. Unfortunately, the international law based multilateral system with the UN and its charter at the core that are supposed to keep us all safe is increasingly under strain. Its fundamental principles are violated in numerous conflicts across the world. Protality prevails. We simply cannot let this go on. We all should be asking what kind of future do we want. Will it be a world dominated by barbaric use of force and violence, where might is always right? Or do we want a peaceful and prosperous world, where law and order, justice, and universally agreed rules and principles prevail? This question is relevant for everyone in this room despite the distance of our own homes from front lines in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, or DRC. Multilateral world order based on international law and the principles of a UN charter must be maintained and strengthened. What our peoples are expecting from us as world leaders today is to bring back the San Francisco spirit to preserve peace and to enforce the principles of the UN Charter. Ladies and gentlemen, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine constitutes one of the crevice breaches in international law and the UN Charter since its adoption eighty years ago. Despite repeated calls by the general assembly to stop the aggression and set the course towards peace, Russia continues its savage assault on the Ukrainian state and nation. Russia’s war and its war crimes undermining the reputation and credibility both of the Security Council and the entire United Nations. This played an assault on the principles of Charter is undermining the multilateralism, global peace, and security. Regrettably, as we speak, Russia is targeting Ukrainian kindergartens, schools, hospitals, nurseries with missiles, drones, gliding bombs, mines, shells, and bullets. The same permanent member has been systematically abducting and deporting Ukrainian children, erasing the identity and forcing them into intercation. A human suffering in Ukraine has reached unprecedented levels. Only the human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine has documented the death of at least 40,000 civilians, including almost 1,000 children and for about 35,000 civilians injured, including more than 2,000 children. The death toll increases with every year, month, week, and day. In total disregard of president Zelensky agreeing to cease fire in March and the recent peace efforts by The United States, Russia has significantly intensified its campaign of terror with a barrage of drone and missile strike on civilian targets. It is evident that Russia has no intention of agreeing to a ceasefire, let alone a lasting peace. Russia’s objectives have not changed. They remain of the subjugation of all the Ukraine and reshaping of Europe’s security order to satisfy Russia’s own neocolonial and imperial ambitions. The increasing violations of neighboring countries’ airspace by Russian drones and missiles are yet another escalation escalation and a stark reminder of Russia’s aggression, threatens not only Ukraine, but the security of the entire region. Hereby, I have to regrettably tell you that just weekdays ago, the Russian fighter planes violated Estonian airspace, a hostile hack that is part of a pattern of similar recent incidents happening on the European Union’s eastern border. Therefore, the only viable way forward towards their ceasefire and just and lasting peace is to increase collective international pressure on Russia to force them to peace in Ukraine and to act in a way that is expected from the permanent member of the Security Council. Let me assure that my own country, Estonia, will continue to do everything possible to reinforce Ukraine’s ability to defend itself in full conformity with the article 55 of a united charter. Doing so, we are defending the sovereign equality of all member states, large and small, one of the core principles of which the United Nations was founded. We are also advocating for making Russia accountable for its crimes in Ukraine, including for the crime of aggression, as we know too well that impunity only leads to new crimes, new suffering, and even greater injustice. Ladies and gentlemen, the international law based multilateral system has also failed to protect Palestinians and Israelis. Having visited both Israel and Palestine this year, I witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of a long lasting conflict. Hamas’ brutal terrorist attacks on October 7 have been condemned by the whole world. Hamas cannot have any role in the future covenants of Gaza and Palestine. It has to be guaranteed that the horrors of a terrorist would never be repeated. However, ordinary people and children in Gaza must not be the ones to pay the price. I am devastated that so many innocent lives, including children’s lives, have been lost due to the military action, starvation, and the spirit of disease. The promise of international humanitarian law was to ensure that people do not suffer during their armed conflict. And yet, what has unfolded in Gaza has crossed all red lines. Estonia has supported all efforts for a ceasefire that would end the killing, destruction of lives, and bring all the hostages home. In order to alleviate the unbearable humanitarian situation, Israel must fully respect international humanitarian law and implement its commitments regarding access and delivery of humanitarian aid and security of all workers. In order to truly end the cycle of violence, we need a comprehensive political process with the end goal two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, in command of efforts of France and Saudi Arabia to step up international action to implement the two state solution. Dear friends, the United Nations must be capable of folding fulfilling its core functions in order to face the multitude of current global challenges, all the pillars of the UN, peace and security, human rights and sustainable development, have to be strengthened. Estonia, therefore, supports an ambitious system wide reform of the United Nations. This is not only an issue of monetary efficiency and financial discipline. It’s a structural problem and credibility question for the UN. For this reason, we are fully behind the secretary general in endeavors in pushing the UN 80 reform vigorously forward. Within this transformation, the reform of a Security Council is of central importance. Estonia supports the expansion of a Security Council membership so that it would include countries that have, in Teralia, demonstrated their unwavering commitment to international law and the principle of UN Charter, and have consistently acted in accordance with these principles. Furthermore, if we want to have functional and respected counsel, we also need to restrict the use or rather abuse of the veto, increase the transparency of the council’s work and its accountability. Last but not least, we also need to ensure transparency when it comes to the selection of the next secretary general of the United Nations. After eight years of men only leadership, we are very supportive to the idea that based on a fair process seeking the most qualified candidate, it is high time for a woman to be chosen as a UN Secretary General. We need to put forward ambitious selection criteria, clear timeline, and assure greater role of a general assembly in this process. Given the current credibility crisis of the UN, we cannot afford to fall short in the selection process. Dear ladies and gentlemen, sustainable development with very defined goals remains a central focus of the UN. We have to redouble our united efforts to address global challenges, like the effects of ongoing climate change, which are getting worse in all parts of the world. The upcoming COP thirty in Brazil should be a turning point. Countries should submit strong climate plans. These plans should cover all parts of the economy and follow a 1.3 degree goal of a Paris Agreement. Substantial progress during this decade is crucial. We must work together to triple renewable energy production by 02/1930, because this is the most effective way to reduce emissions. Estonia shows that this is possible. We used to rely on oil shale, a local fossil fuel, for our energy production. But today, nearly 40% of our electricity comes from renewable sources. This change happened because of political will and private investments. Let us now raise our ambition together, like we did when we agreed on a world cleanup day to be acted upon the twentieth September at Estonia’s initiative and example worldwide. Not to celebrate it, but to do it. Dear colleagues, in myriad of challenges we face, access accessible education is a prerequisite of understanding the current problems, learning from the mistakes of the past, and crafting a better world. Estonian educational system ranks high in many international rankings. We see how this has had an impact to many other fields where Estonia has been doing well, including digital governance, media freedom, and innovation. Our goal is to share with our with our partners, including through UNICEF board, our diverse experience in innovation, in education, developing educational policies, reforming education, and improving the availability of high quality education. Every situation, every culture, every context is unique and requires specifically developed solutions. However, allow me to draw your attention to one of specific experience of ours. In 1991, at the start of the Internet revolution, we decided to radically integrate computers and Internet into our educational system. The programme Tiger Leap, which has had aim of opening a computer class in every Estonian school within a year, was a cornerstone of Estonia becoming one of the most digital societies in the world today. World today looks different from the one thirty four years ago, but new technology is there again and waiting to put it into the best use. Therefore, Estonia is making a new leap, the artificial intelligence leap. We are again providing the best technological tools available to our students and teachers, so that we keep comparative edge in education for years to come. Equipping citizens with the skills to use AI wisely and responsibly is essential. They must serve dignity, development and human rights, not the other way around. In Estonia, we believe in innovation, and we are most ready to develop new tailor made solutions with our good partners all around the globe. In collaboration with International Telecommunication Union and and Germany, Estonia co founded the COVSTAK initiative. Initiative. This innovative platform provides governments with digital public infrastructure toolbox aimed at modernizing digital services, by creating modular, open source and scalable framework for governments worldwide. Dear member states, whichever global problem we approach, we have to build human rights and basic freedom. Yet today, human rights and fundamental freedoms are increasingly under pressure worldwide. This is a deeply worrying trend that demands our collective response. This is the idea that guides us also on the way to becoming a member of a human rights council for a period of twenty twenty six, twenty twenty eight. And I would ask your support at the election next month. Our priorities during our membership are the promotion and protection of children’s rights, safeguarding digital rights and reducing the digital divide, and advancing media reform. All three are critical for advancing democracy and protecting international law based multilateral world order. We are capable of learning as human beings and as a mankind. We learn from mistakes. We get up and will do better. Let us do it. Thank you for your attention.

##The President of the General Assembly: [00:16:48] On behalf of the Assembly, I wish to thank the President of The Republic Of Estonia. The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency, Javier Gerardo Milei, president of Argentina Republic. I request protocol to exhort his excellency and invite him to address

##Argentina: [00:17:33] United Nations authorities, representatives of member states, all citizens closely following this summit. Good morning to you all. Last year, I stood here before you at this very same assembly, and I outlined a new direction that Argentina’s foreign policy was stay was going to take. We asserted that it was imperative to return to the ideas of freedom, the immortal principles that underpin the dignity of life, freedom, and the property. These are rights that all individuals should enjoy under the law. We asserted that there was a need for international cooperation to aim to guarantee those rights. However, I also warned that the UN had cast aside what has been its had been its lodestar in recent decades. The successful model of the United Nations spoke of the need for peace without victory. It was grounded in cooperation between nation states. It was, however, replaced by a supranational model of government comprising international bureaucrats that sought to impose on citizens across the world a specific way of life. The United Nations has moved from an organization that sought to mediate peace between peers to an organization that claims not only to decide what every nation state does, but also what all individuals, wherever they may be in the world, must do. We believe in the original aim and purpose of this organization. We believe that there are global problems which require dialogue and international cooperation if they are to be resolved. However, for that reason and to achieve that goal, we must reject these abuses of authority that often go hand in hand with noble agendas. As we maintained last year, we will never support the amputation of indigenous or commercial freedoms nor will we support the violation of natural rights of citizens of member states. In the last year and a half, we have voted in accordance with principle. I’m saying this to you well aware of that many of you don’t share my views. But as I I as I’ve always said, it’s preferable to say an uncomfortable truth than to speak a comforting lie. In that vein, today I want to talk to you about a specific problem facing all modern countries. As things stand, the world is seeming to pit the present against the future and seeing it as a contradiction. This is a political, economic and philosophical problem. And the response to that problem and that opposition will determine the course of humankind. If we push to the end this idea of comfort versus discomfort, the entire world I I would say, that now the entire world seems stagnating in the comfort of the present, overlooking the consequences that will have for the future. Given that doing what is uncomfortable seems to strip votes and power from those that take it on, leaders prefer to do everything in their power to protect the status quo that they inherited, and they do so disregarding future consequences. They light a fire to heat the future and dis heat the present and disregard the future. Modern states have thus entered into a very complex dynamic from which they cannot return. Incentives both for people and politicians mean that we tend to talk about the distribution of wealth today, overlooking the need to compile wealth for tomorrow. Currently, decision makers are facing the decision. Either they preserve the legacy that was entrusted to them or they destroy it. This legacy can be accumulated wealth, productive capacity, laws, or any other co certain thing that serves the common good. In general, they tend to they if they burn their legacy, if they opt to continue with what’s comfortable, they’ll have a lot of profit profit and benefit in the future, but there will be great future costs. What you put aside today, you lose for tomorrow. They seem to be preserving growth and prosperity in the present and casting aside the well-being of future generations. We need to find a balance, meaning that eating bread today doesn’t mean we’ll go hungry tomorrow, and we need to guarantee sustained growth and well-being. That’s something economic economists call economic growth. That growth can sometimes seem slow and sometimes halt briefly because progress is never linear, but it’s precisely long term consistent growth that has systematically revolutionized the world and has wrenched thousands of millions of people from poverty. The difference between zero growth and 2% growth in the long term is the difference between stagnation and prosperity. The Argentinian people know a great deal about this issue because we’re the only country in the region that hasn’t experienced growth in the last fifteen years. In the legal in legal terms, growth, the condition for growth is respecting the sanctity of property and the free market. And that means nothing other than ensuring free trade between peers and free cooperation between peers. Without without the right to ownership, there can be no savings. And without savings, there and or free trade, there is no investment. If there’s no investment, there can be no growth. But, it’s not in in anyone’s individual political interest apparently to respect these principles because it it is precisely when we, expand the state that individual freedoms of the citizen of citizens are eroded. And, we simply seek to protect ephemeral present well-being to earn votes, and that’s what our politicians do. Accumulated wealth decreases over time with this way of moving forward. And so what we’re seeing now is public countries are increasing public expenditure, but that doesn’t ultimately create wealth. It rather destroys wealth. With that in mind, politics gains power on two fronts. They get democratic legitimacy and they obtain resources that they can spend. So, politics has a double incentive to foster that intergenerational betrayal because despite the fact that people lose in the future if this course is followed, There’s short term gain. A great man may be that that who sows trees that whose shade he will never enjoy. The great man might be the one who cuts down the trees that others sowed and but this cannot continue. This is the major trap that all nations are succumbing to. When this process is continued, growth stagnates. When growth stagnates, the demand for redistribution of wealth grows ever louder. So populist policies become and the calls for them become stronger and stronger. These policies appeal to envy and resentment, and the ultimate end conclusion of this process is vulnerable young people suffocated under the weight of a state that they know is only there to exploit them. Fiscal expansion, monetary expansion and expansion of state power state power is suffocating individuals and that’s all part of a pattern which we’re seeing across all countries, particularly those who claim to make up the free will. But the problem is not only one of economic policies. We also see it when there are violations of equality before the law or when we indiscriminately open the doors to immigration for political reasons. Contrary on the contrary to what what we don’t see there is immigration, we see invasion. International corporation bodies has this one among its number, and such international organizations are not alien to this problem. With as the years have passed, this organization has acquired responsibilities that run counter to its founding spirit. It has created layer upon layer of organizations, agencies, and programs until it achieved this hypertrophy of administrations that are barely effective when it comes to resolving the problems for which they were created. Responsibilities that the UN’s taken on have swelled and swelled. And in step with that, the contributions made by member states have swelled. And in turn, the palpable results that this organization has achieved have be have greatly reduced. They can’t offer the world what they could. There’s this cocktail of, incentives, and in addition, you have in this organization, unlike how it was, international organizations now see a situation whereby no one’s really held accountable for their failures to resolve problems. This contradiction between lofty goals and scant results has created the erosion of the prestige of this house. Without going further, the poor results of agenda twenty thirty bear witness to what I’ve outlined above. What continues to be seen in practice is a cycle of re is a cycle whereby we recycle structures. There are there’s more and more being spent and more and more targets being set for this region. Argentina decided to step aside from this process because we saw in agenda twenty thirty the improper expenditure of scant resources for purposes that we don’t share in order to distract attention from the real global difficulties. The world is on course for stagnation and that’s why we stood apart. I need to raise the alarm here because in Argentina, we’ve seen the natural consequences of proceeding in this way. You keep doing what’s comfortable, but then you end up out of step for with the future. In other terms, what I’m saying to you is that we’re speaking to you from a future that hasn’t arrived to you yet, and you’ve still got time to avoid this problem because no society will survive if it sets fire to the future to simply heat the present. In my in my country, we’ve learned the hard way a very valuable lesson. For decades, we jeopardized the a future in order to distribute the dividends of the present. In twenty twenty thirty, we finally got to a point where we’d had a hundred years of doing things improperly. We’d been kicking the can down the road, but there was no one left to kick the can to. And then what happened was what I outlined previously, our state crumbled as a result of this implosion. For the last year and a half, we’ve done we’ve taken on the Herculean task of administering and managing extreme scarcity and for the first time in decades, we’re doing what we have to do for a better future. So the only way to usher in that better future is to do exactly the opposite of what we previously did. What we’re doing stands in opposition to the rest of politics. That politics ask us to do what everyone was doing for years and what has pulled us into decline. They’re asking us to jeopardize our future to meet present demands. They want us to apply the same remedy that we did a thousand times, and that’s exactly what brought us here. But I’d like to say clearly that Argentina has a government that decided to undertake the right path even though it’s the thorniest one because prosperity and progress for our peoples cannot be delayed one day longer. However, we are not the only ones that are taking difficult decisions at this juncture as history demands that we do. President Trump of the of The United States also understands that the time has come to reverse a dynamic which is leading The United States towards a disaster, and we know that disaster in The United States is a global disaster. His unflinching and successful policy in terms of halting illegal immigration makes that conviction more than clear. He knows that he must do what’s necessary even though many may not like it before it’s too late. In other countries, for example, it’s already too late to take the decisions he has. That’s not only what’s important. What Donald Trump is also doing is restructuring the terms of international trade in an unprecedented fashion. That’s a titanic task which is gets to the very core of the global economic system because that system has been gnawing away at the industrial heart of his country, and the country now has a unparalleled debt crisis. Furthermore, he he’s undertaking a cleaning up of the institutional capture of the American state because he’s being it’s being infiltrated by left wing factions that were seeking to undermine any reform program that was necessary. Both I and Donald Trump know what we’re doing in the face of these challenges. All of these challenges have a common denominator that all countries, including supranational organizations, must address. They must find a way of creating dividends for the future and not succumb to the temptation of dealing with the present. This is something that major nations, western nations, have been aware of and putting into practice for decades. We need to get back to that. We need to go back to our roots. We need to tackle priorities first, and that needs to go hand in hand with the idea that you need to do what is difficult but right and prioritize that over and above what’s easy and comfortable. As I previously said, this also stands for international organizations that have gradually been integrating such actions into their ecosystem. I think I speak on behalf of all of you when I say that the UN must lead the charge where it when it comes to this paradigm shift. They must return to the roots that made it the great organization that it once was in the past. I wish to humbly lay before you as an assembly four principles that we think might serve as we seek to achieve the aforementioned goal. One, the principle of a core mandate. The central mission of the United Nations is to preserve international peace and security. Everything else must be viewed as complementary to or in service of that goal. The strategic management of resources of this institution consequently requires that we stick to our priorities and not take on others. Secondly, the principle of international subsidiarity. The UN must tackle an issue solely when it is patently clear that the problem demonstrably exceeds national capacity for action. In all other cases, it is right and proper to return the initiative to states. They are the ones who have the democratic legitimacy and answer to their peoples. Three, the principle of if institutional efficiency. Argentina has undertaken a process whereby it seeks to optimize the state. We’ve eliminated redundant structures and returned resources to taxpayers. In the same way, we believe that the UN requires a similar journey. That requires conducting reliable audits, closing ineffective pro programs, the consolidation of of agencies into single bodies and financing tied to real achievement. Four, the principle of normative simplification and streamlining peace is not only the absence of conflict, it requires prosperous societies. International cooperation must not transform into an obstacle for economic growth and an obstacle to the creation of opportunities. Consequently, we can only and must only support initiatives that do not stymie states’ capacities to lead their own production production and productive efforts, efforts to attract investment and foster trade that are the right way to reduce poverty. These principles will be highly valuable, we believe, in terms of getting our organization back on course so it can stand the test of time and produce tangible results over time. To conclude, I want to raise four sensitive and crucial important issues for the Argentine Republic. Firstly, I wish to reiterate our legitimate claim and irresponsible claim over in terms of sovereignty over the Malvinas, South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands, and the surrounding maritime areas that continue to be illegally occupied. In spite of the fact that eighty years have elapsed since the creation of this organization, colonial situations such as this one remain unresolved. For this reason, we call upon The United Kingdom to resume bilateral negotiations in accordance with resolution twenty sixty five of this very same general assembly together with all relevant subsequent resolutions. Secondly, I wish to once again roundly reject expressions of fundamentalist violence that continue to be seen and that are spreading throughout the world. In Argentina, we already suffered this horror with the attacks against the Israel embassy and La Amia in 1992 and 1994 respectively. For this reason, we urge the international community to strengthen legal cooperation to guarantee that Interpol and its signs are respected and those responsible for such atrocities are are brought to justice. That will help us to ultimately be able to heal this painful wound that plagues our country’s history. Thirdly, we’re witnessing an unacceptable escalation in political violence on the left at a global level, violence that in Argentina we know only too well. It is unacceptable to use force where reason fails. For this reason, we emphatically reject any procedures which essentially undermine the basic norms of democratic peaceful coexistence. Four, to the situation of the Argentine citizen, Najuel Dahyo, who was abducted and detained arbitrarily in Venezuela without charge, with no legal assistance or consular assistance. In simple words, this is a forced disappearance. We demand that the Venezuelan government release him immediately, and we appeal to the international community so that this legitimate claim is heeded. This in defense of the most basic principles of international law and human dignity. Finally, we reiterate our demand for the immediate release of the hostages which remain captive in Gaza. Finally, may God bless the free world. May the forces of heaven accompany us. Thank you.

##The President of the General Assembly: [00:34:41] Thank you very much on behalf of the Assembly, His Excellency, the President of Argentina Republic. The assembly will now hear the address by his excellency, Aleksandar Vučić, president of the Republic Of Serbia. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Serbia: [00:35:28] Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I’m very honored to address this eightieth anniversary session of the General Assembly of the United Nations on behalf of the Republic Of Serbia, a founding member of the United Nations and a freedom and peace loving country proud of its history. This year, we mark eight decades of the existence of the World Organization, and during that period, the UN has provided a framework for dialogue, cooperation, and solidarity among the nations, short of which it would not be possible to respond to the challenges of our day. Only by joint efforts we can create a future featured by security and dignity. This brings me, ladies and gentlemen, to the five essential principles that guide Serbia in its foreign policy vision and constitute pillars in its international elections. Number one, the United Nations is not a relic of the past. It is a compass for the future. Eighty years on, this is a moment for reflection, but also for candor. The UN should not be a stage where giants wrestle while smaller countries hold their breath. It should be a roundtable where every seed counts. Countries like ours, countries that belong to global south, are too often treated as chess pieces. It’s time to show that we can be conveners, innovators, and guarantors of cooperation. We may not have the loudest voice, but we often have the clearest vision because we see both, east and west, at once. Our engagement with all partners does not mean blind agreement. It means respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the belief that dialogue is stronger than division. Serbia is a reliable, predictable partner, but reciprocity matters. We will defend our autonomy as firmly as we defend cooperation. The United Nations Charter was not written to serve one moment in history. It was written to withstand the test of time. In a world facing deep geopolitical fractures, the United Nations Charter remains the only framework capable of holding us together. Serbia is not a buffer zone, it is a bridge, and bridges connect. They do not divide. Therefore, as the president of Serbia, for the first time, I would like to offer Belgrade the capital of Serbia as a place of dialogue for all the conflicts around the world. I believe that we that we will offer the best possible hospitality and absolute security for the participants. The world is facing its deadly surge in violence since World War two. In 2024, 61 armed conflicts erupted across 36 countries, the highest number in more than seven decades. The proliferation of misinformation, particularly via digital platforms, has fueled distrust between countries targeting elections, trade negotiations, and public sentiment. Serbia believes in pragmatic cooperation, finding common ground even where disagreements persist. People around the world are frustrated with governments and businesses, and they want a better future for themselves and their families. The best way to deliver that is through collaboration across nations. We live in times of the most difficult conflicts and the most difficult divisions within countries, continents, and regions since the foundation of the UN. A particularly worrying thing is a fact that, provoked by different factors, we have the deepest and the most difficult divisions within each society with, most often, extremely violent consequences of actions of mutual, non understanding, non communicating, and distancing from what used to be accepted as elementary decency and behavior in both country to country and people to people relations. The world is divided, believe it or not, believe it or not, less by ideological, but much more by emotional, hate driven differences caused by undermining of countries, societies, elementary moral values as well. In each village and hamlet worldwide, and particularly with the members of the citizens’ alleged elite, at least it used to be the case no matter who dies of natural causes and especially if someone dies in an accident or gets killed, the biggest part of the society felt the need to pay their respect to the deceased, even those who didn’t think highly of the respective person during his or her lifetime. Today, we are witnessing the unprecedented wonder, a sick expression of joy for the crime committed against an innocent person. The example of Charlie Kirk is the best confirmation of that. He was savagely assassinated just because his killer didn’t like his ideas. He was shot even after death by the same ones who had prepared political and media grounds for his assassination. And please do not be surprised because I’m speaking about this more than about big world conflicts. It is precisely that such a development devastates in a deepest and the clearest way the world political community much more than conflicts with clear and visible actors. In the era of social networks, in the era of freedom, we have reached the point of the biggest unfreedoms and unambiguous limiting of freedoms of the others. How can it be possible that, let’s say, ABC television hosts get bigger media attention in The US than the attempted assassination against, let’s say, president Trump? Who are these shadow rulers who impact the key political movements and who want to run the world and each country individually? And almost as a rule, without the people’s will and legitimacy. They run all the processes and all of us because they are chosen by God, as they like to put it, the elite and other people who are, I suppose, incapable of choosing their own path. Those are extremely dangerous things, which will lead to further dissolving of our societies and our countries, but also the overall world politics. It was mostly spoken here about Palestine and Israel. Both are our friends, and I cannot easily because of more likes on social networks, nor I want to take sides and speak about good and bad people just because it brings us another point in daily politics. But speaking of which, let me bring you back to the beginning of this part of my speech. Big pro Palestinian demonstrations were held in Italy during the past weekend. People were shouting Gaza, Gaza, but at least in Milan, some of them did not even think of Gaza. The only thing that was on their mind was demolishing and burning down of what the Italian people had created for centuries just because it is popular to be against the government and take part in some kind of violence. And when otherwise very composed Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni  calls such hooligans rightly so, thugs, we all ask ourselves what the next stage would be like and what awaits us in the future. During the past month, Serbia was facing unrest and attacks against the constitutional order. In spite of the violence exerted by the protesters, we tried to find a significant share of blame in myself, ourselves, and in us running the country. I wanted to listen, and I understood the message of the people in the streets. That is why, just like here at the United Nations, I believe that the dialogue between the nations and countries has no alternative. I offer dialogue and unconditioned discussion on all the topics of of significance for our society to people who think differently, and I’m absolutely certain that in the upcoming period, we will overcome all the difficulties from the past months. Progress on global challenges is uneven. Financing is dwindling. The UN budget is constrained, and smaller nations often lack access to the tools and support that richer countries enjoyed, particularly in the energy transition. Climate change is not just a statistic for Serbia and the Balkans, it is a lived reality marked by droughts, floods and energy insecurity. Sustainable economic growth is essential, not optional, for climate resilience and well-being. For us, partnerships are defined by commitment, not hierarchy. We are a place where East and West collaborate on concrete projects from clean energy to infrastructure and digital transformation, and we will continue to build on this foundation. At a time when the UN seeks to inspire trust globally, these practical results driven partnerships strengthen confidence at home and abroad. Distinguished colleagues. Alongside many other member states, especially those who do not belong among great powers, Serbia is adamant in pointing to the importance of and respectful the fundamental principles and rules of the Charter of The United Nations. Perhaps it is only too proper to repeat today what we committed to eight decades ago. The principles and rules of the Charter are valid equally for all states, large or small, for all political powers or levels of development. With a feeling of deep pride, my country continues to commit to a consistent implementation of international norms, notwithstanding the fact that it too is facing a lack of fairness and double standards. In words and deeds and on a number of occasions, Serbia has recommitted to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all UN member states, the fundamental principles of the Charter. In doing so, my country expects all the states to respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, which I have I have the pleasure to note most of them do, and to which I owe my profound gratitude. After all, as I said on many previous occasions, the respect of the charter of the UN is not a matter of choice. Rather than that, it is a universal and binding obligation of us of us all. Number two, territorial integrity is not a principle measured by power. It is the measure that restrains power. If the principle of territorial integrity is applied selectively, it ceases to apply at all. Its violation in one place becomes justification for conflict everywhere. Undermining it does not create exceptions. Rather, like in the case of Serbia, it creates precedents, dangerous ones. Serbia is well aware of the price paid in this regard of international law and multilateralism. Twenty six years ago, my country fell prey to a brutal aggression by NATO. It opened a Pandora box of sorts whereby the very postulates of international law were unscrupulously undermined and the principle of territorial integrity brought into question. The consequences of such actions of those who consider themselves untouchable at the time are felt today as well. Even though small in respect of global power, Serbia is not deterred from commitment to the principles of international law. We firmly believe that they should be respected in every situation without exception and selectivity. As a persistent drop can shape stones over time, so does our perseverance in defending universal norms help assert their durability. Serbia will continue advocating those principles as the observance of the respective is the only reliable way to peace and stability. This rosem and this occasion are the best opportunity to reiterate that my country will never forget its history, its people, its sanctities. Kosovo and Metohje is an inseparable part of Serbia, the main pillar of its identity, culture, and spiritual heritage. For us, Serbs, it is not only a piece of land, it is the cradle of our spirituality and our existence on that land over centuries. Our concern is not only moral and historical, it is humane too. It is with a heavy heart that I advise of the dramatic circumstances in which the Serbs of Kosovo live today. Day in, day out, they are denied basic human rights, the right to life, freedom of movement, the right to education and health protection, access to workplace and property. They live in isolation. Basic foods and medicines are in short supply while children grow up in fear and uncertainty. Their situation is not only local by nature, it touches upon the cautions of the entire international community and is a test of its readiness to fend for the innocent and helpless. We witness ethnic violence suffered by the Serbs almost every day. It is frightening in size and scope. The Serbs are physically attacked, intimidated, arrested unlawfully, their property is confiscated, and their rights to language, education, and cultural expression limited. The Serbs are often discriminated against too. The practice sets the stage to make life in Serbian communities more difficult as they are denied basic services, text exorbitantly and erected hurdles and obstacles too. This is aimed at creating fear and pressure and, by extension, change the demographic picture and force the Serbs to flee Kosovo and Metohia. Serbia, therefore, calls on the international community to take concrete and resolute measures to stop the violence in order to ensure security and rights of all peoples in Kosovo and Metohia. Compassion is not good enough. We need deeds and protection mechanisms. Notwithstanding the continuous open and obvious violations of UN Security Council Resolution twelve forty four, Serbia continues to believe in dialogue under the European Union auspices. It has no alternative, if true and committed, it is the only way to adjust and sustainable solution in line with international law and with full respect for mutual obligations. Just as in the past, my country will continue to fight for peace patiently, emphatically, and in good faith. Number three, the Balkans must not be a stage for the ambitions of others, but a space for shared responsibility. Thirty years after the conflict, stability has become our highest value. The nations of the Balkans deserve the right to shape their future free from external patronage through cooperation, mutual respect and regional ownership. Distinguished colleagues, cooperation, dialogue and mutual confidence are perceived as main levers of international relations also on the regional level. We consider that our region should look to the future while we continue to work to the benefit of all citizens and economic interlinkage. To paraphrase Indira Gandhi, who once said that one cannot shake hands with a clenched fist, let me say that Serbia will keep its hand extended, the hand reaching over divisions and borders, devoted to stability and prosperity for all those who strive for a positive agenda and a vision of common European future. The stability of our region is of paramount importance for us. As a guarantor of the Dayton Peace Agreement that we signed thirty years ago, we shall always work toward its full implementation and respect for the rights of all three constituent peoples in Bosnia And Herzegovina, Serbs, Bosniaks and Croats. Unilateral acts and the abuse of authority contrary to the letter of the agreement are not conducive to peace and bring about new tensions. Only by the agreement of Bosnia And Herzegovina’s people and entities can the stability and functioning of that country be guaranteed. Absence of dialogue and unilateral initiatives without agreement by all interested sides, in particular the initiatives that take advantage of international organizations, are but a step back to a painful past and create new divisions. Serbia will use all diplomatic means to prevent these activities from taking place as they undermine regional dialogue, the process of reconciliation and understanding. We shall not hesitate in our resolve to promote regional stability in an effort to contribute to global security. For exactly thirty years now and in this distinguished institution and everywhere else, a false campaign has been ongoing against both the Republic Of Serbia and Republika Srpska, the entity within Bosnia And Herzegovina. All over the world, everywhere, countless times, you could hear how, as they used to say from well informed sources, they heard that it was only a matter of days before Serbia would attack someone in the region and that Republika Srpska and its leadership would violate the territorial integrity of Bosnia And Herzegovina. And all this time, it has been a lie, a real smokescreen intended to enable international representatives who are not elected by the people to deal with legitimate representatives of the Serbian people, one of the three constituent peoples in Bosnia imposing sanctions against them, believe it or not, replacing them from the positions the people elected them them to and conducting criminal proceed proceedings and issuing convictions for words spoken for verbal offenses. Thus, all of you are witnesses to a fact that for three and a half years since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, we have been hearing stories that we, as an alleged Russian puppet, will attack someone in the region, which, of course, did not happen and will not happen. The only thing we have never heard is an apology from those who spread such falsehoods, and it is quite certain that we will never hear one. Let me reiterate, Serbia is a free, independent, and sovereign country that makes its own decisions independently. We are committed to our European path. We do not plan to attack anyone, but equally, we will not allow anyone else to threaten our freedom and our country. Number four, the world is changing, and the United Nations must evolve to remain a pillar of global stability. Reforming the United Nations is not simply an institutional task. It is a moral duty to safeguard the future of global peace and justice. We are well aware of the need to reform the UN and revitalize its system in order to increase its credibility and shore up multilateralism so as to make our organization more effective just and close to the needs of its member states. Also, the ESC should become more effective in and better adapted to the pursuit of its primary goal of safeguarding international peace in order to reflect more accurately the reality of the present day world. Africa in particular, the youngest continent which comprises 54 states, must be better represented. Many countries rely on the UN for technical expertise, development funding and guidance to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Cuts to funding or reduced access to UN programs risk widening the gap between wealthy and developing nations. As the UN looks for ways to reduce costs, we are happy to offer to host any of UN bodies, institutions, agencies in Serbia with the best possibility to continue being a bridge between developed and developing regions. Serbia is situated at the crossroads of Europe, easily accessible to both East and West.

##Serbia: [00:55:18] And speaking about cost effectiveness, we are able to offer lower operational costs compared to Geneva, New York or other big hubs. Belgrade offers modern facilities, reliable connectivity and proven capacity to host large international events, for example, Expo twenty twenty seven. Hosting an agency in Belgrade strengthens The U. S. Presence in Southeastern Europe, a region with transitional and developmental experience relevant to global priorities. This would expand the UN’s geographic footprint, ensuring agencies are more representative and globally distributed. And number five, Serbia will remain independent and will overcome internal challenges through the strength of its statehood tradition, focusing steadfastly on building a prosperous future. True sovereignty today is not insulation. It is the dignity to choose, to say yes on our own terms and to use that choice for cooperation. Serbia’s independence is not a privilege granted. It is a sovereign right exercised, and its sovereignty is not situational, it is foundational. Notwithstanding numerous global challenges, Serbia has remained on a steady course. Its macroeconomic situation is stable and its economy continues to grow, which only shows how commitment to reforms and responsible economic policies lead to great results. Investments in infrastructure, energy transition and digitalization bear out my country’s commitment to sustainable development and the 2,030 Agenda goals. Let me take a moment, ladies and gentlemen, to inform you that in 2027, Serbia will host a specialized exhibition, Expo twenty twenty seven, with a motto of Play for Humanity, Sport and Music for All. This event will provide an opportunity for my country to show to the world the strength of our culture, sport and creativity as a universal language that transcends differences. This will be a moment in which, along with its partners, Serbia will build bridges of friendship and togetherness, promote understanding and open new horizons of cooperation. Serbia’s way is the way of development, progress and prosperity, and it is fully committed to becoming a full fledged member of the of the European Union. This commitment, though, makes us no less devoted to promoting and deepening cooperation with countries from other parts of the world, maintaining and cherishing all along our traditional friendships and relations of trust in the East. Strengthening overall bilateral relations with key actors of the international community and with our European partners tops our agenda. Also, Serbia has raised in the past several years the level of cooperation with numerous countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and playing played in that way a respectable role on the global stage. I trust and believe that we can count on mutual respect and traditional bonds of friendship with these countries in our future relations. Ladies and gentlemen, closing it and looking to the future and committed to dialogue and understanding, we in Serbia believe that peace is the highest value and the most solid foundation of development. We shall continue to invest our energies, knowledge and will in building a world more just, secure and worthy of the coming generations. I thank you very much.

##The President of the General Assembly: [00:58:33] On behalf of the assembly, I wish to thank the president of the Republic Of Serbia. The assembly will now hear an address by his excellency, Ahmed al-Sharaa, president of the Syrian Arab Republic. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Syria: [00:59:15] In the name of God, most compassionate, most merciful, the Syrian story is filled with emotions, and it mixes pain with hope. The Syrian story is a story of struggle between good and evil and between the weak right cause that has no supporter except God. Our story is one of the lessons of history, and it is an embodiment of noble human meanings and values. In this eternal struggle between good and evil, we find the Assyrian story that tells a new chapter of the struggle, one filled with creativity and determination and patience and torture and pain and sacrifice and clinging on to noble customs and values and hard work and relying on God. All these are tools for truth against injustice and falsehood. Your excellencies, mister secretary general, madam president of the general assembly, your excellencies, may the peace of God be upon you. I come to you from Damascus, the capital of history and the cradle of civilizations, a beautiful country that has taught the world the meaning of civilization and the value of human beings and coexistence to be a beacon for the world. Syria, however, for sixty years fell under repressive rule that disregarded the value of the territory it ruled over. For long years, we’ve suffered injustice and deprivation and oppression. Then we rose in the in claiming our dignity. The previous regime has used the worst kind of torture against our people, chemical weapons and bombardment and torture in prison and displacement and sectarian strife and used drugs against our people and the world. It has torn our country apart and brought forth fighters from around the world. The former regime killed around a million innocent people and displaced thousands and millions and demolished 2,000,000 homes. Ladies and gentlemen, the unarmed people were attacked using chemical weapons. Our women and children have inhaled toxic gases. All this to silence truth. And with all this criminality, there was no language for solution despite the offers. This people had no means and choice but to organize itself and to organize militarily to oust a criminal regime. It was a military operation that was filled with mercy and good and that prioritized tolerance and that did not target civilians. It targeted justice without vengeance. We restored our right and we became victorious for sake of our grievances. We were victorious for the mothers of martyrs and for all of you, people of the world, for the future of our children and yours, and we paved the way for the return of refugees, and we destroyed the trafficking of drugs. Accordingly, Syria has transformed from an exporter of crisis to an opportunity for peace for Syria and the region, ladies and gentlemen. This unique Syrian achievement and the solidarity between our peoples have led us to try to uproot sectarianism and to fight against attempts to divide our country once again. But the Syrian people are aware enough to understand and to resist. We formed commissions for fact finding and granted access to UN fact finding missions. I guarantee to bring to justice everyone accountable and responsible for bloodshed. And in this context, Israeli strikes and attacks against my country continue and Israeli policies contradict the international supporting position for Syria, which threatens new crises and struggles in our region. For this purpose and in face of this aggression, Syria is committed to dialogue and we are committed to the Disengagement Forces Agreement of 1974 and we call on the International Committee to stand beside us in the face of these attacks. Ladies and gentlemen, from the very moment the former regime fell, we set out a clear strategic policy built upon three pillars: balanced diplomacy, security, stability and economic development. We filled the power vacuum, called for an inclusive national dialogue and announced a government of competence. We strengthened the principle of participation and established a National Commission for Transitional Justice and another for the Missing, ensuring justice and fairness. We are now proceeding toward electing representatives of the people in the Legislative Council. We restructured civil and military institutions, dissolving all previous formations. Through intensive diplomatic activity, Syria restored its international relations and forged regional and global partnerships and achieved the gradual lifting of most sanctions. And we call now for the complete lifting of sanctions so that they no longer shackle the Syrian people. Investment laws have been amended and major regional and international companies have already begun entering the Syrian market contributing through investment and reconstruction. Syria today is rebuilding itself through establishing a new state, building institutions and laws that guarantee the rights of all without exception. A land of ancient civilization and culture deserves to be a state of law, protecting everyone, safeguarding rights, guaranteeing freedoms and fostering life to flourish while turning the page of a wretched past. We are determined to restore Syria’s glory, dignity, and honor. And in continuation of the Syrian story, I declare before you today the triumph of truth over falsehood. Truth has come, and falsehood has perished. Syria is reclaiming its rightful place among the nations of the world. This announcement is the echo of a great people’s will, a people who forged glory throughout the ages, who rose again from beneath the rubble to restore their rights and freedom and dignity on behalf of the Syrian people. I extend gratitude to everyone who stood by the Syrian cause, who aided Syrians in their tragedy, and who welcomed them in their countries and to all nations and peoples who rejoiced in the victory of the Syrian people’s will. And I particularly thank Turkey, Qatar, the Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, and all Arab and Islamic states, The United States Of America, and the European Union. And before I conclude, let me affirm the suffering Syria endured we wish upon no one. We are among the peoples most deeply aware of the horrors of war and destruction. For this reason, we stand firmly with the people of Gaza. For this reason, we stand firmly with the people of Gaza, its children and women, and all peoples facing violations and aggression. We call for an immediate end to the war. In conclusion, the Syrian story has not come to an end. It continues to write a new chapter entitled peace, prosperity, and development, and may the peace of God be upon you.

##The President of the General Assembly: [01:08:15] On behalf of the assembly, I wish to thank the president of the Syrian Arab Republic. The assembly will hear an address by his excellency, Zuran Milanovic, president of Republic Of Croatia. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Croatia: [01:08:54] Mister vice president, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, for Croatia, the United Nations has always been a core essential global institution. During our own struggle for independence, sovereignty recognition, and territorial integrity, the UN played a decisive role. Our path to admission and early years of membership were about braving the stormy seas rather than smooth sailing, and it was this organization and what it represents, the principles of the charter of the UN that served at as our safe harbor. I believe this experience proved productive for both Croatia and the UN and has provided many lessons for the future, including on how to successfully end a complex war and conduct peaceful territorial integration and reintegration. Today, the international community faces daunting challenges. Armed conflicts are more numerous than at any time since the second World War. They are multiplying and intensifying, overwhelming humanitarian systems and eroding trust in our capacity to prevent or resolve crisis. In Ukraine, we hope the senseless loss of human lives will end as soon as possible. We welcome recent diplomatic efforts and encourage inclusive dialogue that can restore peace. Beyond Europe, other regions faced devastating crisis. In Gaza, tens of thousands of women and children, human beings after all or before all, have been killed and are being killed. Millions live without safety, food, medicine, and basic human dignity. This is worse than a mere war. It’s a carnage, and we urgently call for it to end, for safe delivery of aid, especially to children, and for the release of all hostages. Lasting peace can only come through the universal recognition of the legitimate political aspirations of the Palestinian people, long denied. Time to close the chapter. The suffering is less in less visible crisis is no less real. In Sudan, one of the gravest humanitarian catastrophes of the for twenty first century is unfolding before our eyes. UN peacekeeping must adapt to today’s conflicts. Missions must be flexible, realistic, and sequenced towards achievable goals, reasonable goals. This requires the Security Council to focus on political solutions and remain committed to sustaining peace long after missions withdraw. Peace is more than silencing the guns. It requires preventing new wars and breaking the cycles of violence from the past. Lasting peace rests on democracy, legitimate governance, and full respect for the right of each people to freely choose their leaders and representatives. Excellencies. In our region of Southeast Europe, Croatia continues to champion and promote legitimate political processes as the foundation of progress. The EU membership is not a cure all, but it remains a strong driver of prosperity as can be witnessed in my country, Croatia. We promote good neighborly relations and urge all countries to refrain from actions that undermine stability in the region. In Bosnia And Herzegovina, we call for full respect of the constitutional order, sovereignty, and equality of three constituent peoples. All parties and and the the international community must uphold the Dayton Paris Peace Accord. Respecting the right of constituent peoples to choose their legitimate political representatives at all levels of government is fundamental prerequisite of lasting stability and progress in European Bosnia Herzegovina. Lasting peace cannot be imposed. It must be built. And if it’s if it’s to be sustainable, it must include respect for human rights and development that is inclusive and fair, basic building blocks of any just and prosperous society. The humanitarian system must be reformed to respond with speed, innovation, and stronger partnerships with local actors. Croatia supports the UN’s humanitarian reset in order to make responses more agile, effective, and grounded in resilience. Above all, strict respect for international humanitarian law must remain the moral core of multilateralism. In Croatia, decades after the home homeland war, three decades three and a half decades, families still search for 1,744 missing loved ones. Not bodies, not just numbers, but human souls. Fathers, sons, grandchildren still missing, unaccounted for. As cochair of the Global Alliance for the Missing, Croatia draws on its painful experience to raise global visibility of this issue, share good practices, and strengthen cooperation, survivor centered justice in enshrined in our laws in Croatia, and we encourage the others to follow this path. We also share the Croatian model for searching for the missing. It rests on an effective interdepartmental cooperation and a comprehensive, transparent approach without discrimination, consistent with the highest international standards, of whom some are set by by us. With this in mind, Croatia is proud to host later today a high level side event on missing persons in armed conflict dedicated to advancing the search for answers. Another legacy of the homeland homeland war is the issue of landmines. Croatia has been active in promoting the Human Rights Council’s first resolution on landmines adopted by consensus on April 4, International Mine Action Day. The resolution reaffirms the treaty banning antipersonnel mines and sends a clear message. The needless cruelty of these weapons violates basic human rights rise violates the sense of humanity, the notion of humanity. The togetherness which is promoted throughout this debate especially means inclusion of the most vulnerable. Therefore, Croatia is proud to have led the initiative resulting in consensus adoption of an impressive 99 member states cosponsoring the general assembly resolution declaring the June 27 as the International Day of Deafblindness. Peace and security are inseparable from development and human rights. The founders of the United Nations acknowledged this when they placed these three pillars at the heart of the organization. As we mark the tenth anniversary of the general assembly’s resolution on the 2030 agenda, Croatia reaffirms its commitment to the SDGs and to ensuring that no one is left behind. We are grateful to member states for their support in electing Croatia to the UN Economic and Social Council for the twenty twenty six, twenty twenty eight term. Our priorities will include accelerating the 2030 agenda, preparing momentum for the twenty twenty seven SDG summit and the agenda beyond 2030, and strengthening links between humanitarian, development, and peace efforts. At home in Croatia, sustainable development is fully embedded in our national planning. Croatia’s National Development Strategy 2030 is closely aligned with the SDGs, placing us among leading global performers. We reaffirm our commitment to progress made at SOP meetings, including the landmark SOP 28 agreement to begin phasing out fossil fuels. COP twenty nine in Baku, Azerbaijan must deliver a new quantified climate finance goal, and COP thirty in Belem must raise ambition, advance fossil fossil fuel transition, and scale up climate finance. Croatia supports a credible climate climate finance road map. The triple planetary crisis also threatens global public health. Croatia endorses the the one health approach, recognizing the interdependence of human, animal, and the environmental health. We welcome adoption of the pandemic agreement at the seventy eighth World Health Assembly earlier this year. As a Mediterranean nation, Croatia knows that healthy seas are both national imperative and a global responsibility. We remain committed to multilateral ocean ocean protection under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas. We welcome the outcome of the third UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, have ratified the BBNG agreement, and urge others to do so without unnecessary delay. Croatia’s contribution to development cooperation humanitarian aid continue to grow. Since 2011, we have steadily increased our support, reaching record levels in 2023. We share lessons from our own recovery, from democratic transition to mine action and veteran reintegration. In Ukraine, our expertise in humanitarian demining is particularly valued, making us one of the leading contributors relative to GDP. Our support extends far beyond our neighborhood, reaching whole Southeast Europe, the Eastern and Southern neighborhoods, and Africa. Excellencies. Fundamental changes we are witnessing in our world are not mere historical echo, but an all encompassing global transformation. We are at the defining moment of an era to come. Emerging technologies are reshaping every aspect of society, how we live, how we trade, and how we defend ourselves. Drones are a clear clear example. They did not only increase the lethality of war, they changed its economics. Economics. They showed us that assumptions we held only a decade ago about defense and deterrence are already outdated, total bygones. This disruption brings danger, but also opportunity. New tools can be misused by hostile actors, spreading instability and lowering the threshold for conflict. But the same tools used responsibly can strengthen our defenses, improve disaster response, and drive economic growth. Artificial intelligence, cyber capabilities, space technologies, robotics, can be a threat or a solution. The choice is ours. We need to we need to rethink security, not only nationally, but globally. Rules, safeguards, and cooperation must keep pace with innovation. If they do not, we risk instability and peril. But if they do, these technologies can become engines of resilience and stability. The task is urgent. The world must act with clarity, not hesitation. Emerging technologies are not tomorrow’s challenge. They are today’s reality. And how we choose to guide them will define not just the future of defense, but the future of peace. Reforming the United Nations is an existential necessity. At 80, the UN must adapt to stay relevant and effective. We welcome the secretary general’s UN 80 initiative as an opportunity not only to celebrate achievements, but also to reform and revitalize the organization. Security Council remains essential. Its reform is at the at the fundamental. The council must become more inclusive, effective, transparent, and accountable. Croatia supports comprehensive reform, including enlargement in both categories of membership and stronger representation of unrepresented regions, in particular Africa. The financial stability of the UN is also vital. All member states must pay their due their contributions in full, on time, and without conditions. Without predictable financing, mandates fail and trust weakens. The upcoming peacebuilding architecture review offers another chance to turn commitments into action. Croatia will contribute actively, emphasizing prevention, coherence, and strong links between peace, development, and human rights. We welcome the decision to provide assessed contributions for the peacebuilding fund from 2025, but needs still outpace resources. Mister vice president, your excellences, ladies and gentlemen, the UN does not exist for itself but to serve humanity, to save and improve lives, protect dignity and freedoms, and advance peace, security, and sustainable development. On its eightieth anniversary, we have a duty to leave to future generations a U UN system that is stronger, not weaker. Croatia will continue to defend the principles of the charter and international law international law, not rules based order, to support multilateral solutions, and to build partnerships rooted in respect and responsibility. The world is not short of strategies and grand ideas, reports, or debates. What it lacks is political courage and determination. Let us find that courage together and prove that multilateralism can meet this moment and rise to the challenges of our times. Thank you so much.

##The President of the General Assembly: [01:24:57] On behalf of the assembly, I wish to thank the President of The Republic Of Croatia. The assembly would hear an address by his excellency, Nikos Christodoulides, president of The Republic Of Cyprus. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Cyprus: [01:25:32] Mr. President, your excellencies, we stand at the brink of a precipice. International order, as we noted, is challenged in an unprecedented manner eighty years since the United Nations emerged out of World War II. Today, we stand before drastic, unpredictable geopolitical shifts, instability that appears to spiral, and an uncharted landscape that seems resistant to the international order and norms as we know them. We are witnessing devastating wars and unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe and human suffering, blatant violations of international law and international humanitarian law that bring our system to its knees. We stand before the rise of use of force against sovereign states that constantly escalate and expand, threatening regional security and stability. States are sponsoring Malayan actors to destabilize disrupting critical maritime routes. The use of new means of warfare is rising without even the most basic safeguards in place. Global security is constantly undermined. At the same time, we are faced with the challenge expansion of technology and AI, threatening our security and the well-being of our children. And climate change is looming, threatening livelihoods, economies, creating new migration routes, and inequalities are becoming embedded. Our world is changing rapidly. And while there can be no doubt that the United Nations has served a noble cause and that together we have achieved tremendous progress, at this critical moment of inflection, we have a responsibility to recognize the shortcomings, to admit that we have lagged behind, that we have failed along the way, and these admissions need to steer us into action. We must urgently evolve to be fit to effectively address the immense complex challenges we are faced with. Ladies and gentlemen, this is our moment of responsibility, collective responsibility and individual state responsibility inextricably linked and mutually reinforcing. The scale and nature of the challenges we face require both. Better together is the theme of this year’s assembly, but beyond better, we are also stronger together, more resilient together. This is a moment to renew our collective commitment and stand firmly and boldly in support of multilateralism and international law. Dialogue and diplomacy are the sole path to lasting stability and security. Dialogue and diplomacy over violence each and every time. And most importantly, this is the moment to transform pledges into bold action, into change. Ladies and gentlemen, history will look back to this moment in time, and it will be unforgiving. It will judge us all not by the declaratory statements we pronounce, but by the change we enable. We will be judged by the change we become as states, as governments, as leaders that have been elected by our citizens to deliver. Your excellencies, my country, Cyprus, works this path of responsibility, and it stands ready to step up further to assume even more its role as an enabler of security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Greater Middle East, as a driver of cooperation underpinned by a vision of strength through partnership with like minded countries and a safe harbor in turbulent waters, determined to transform our geography in a complex region into a blessing by building on our long standing historical ties with our neighbors that are anchored on trust, mutual respect, and cooperation, always part of the solution to the region’s challenges as a credible, reliable, responsible partner. We have proven this time and time again. Cypruss will always be a stable, trustworthy, safe harbor. And let me be clear, this is not theoretical. It takes shape and form through concrete initiatives that built on Cyprus’ role as a hub of stability and cooperation in a challenging part of the world. Cyprus has consistently provided the necessary infrastructure and support for the evacuation of foreign nationals from areas of danger or conflict, from Sudan, from Lipanov, from Israel, from Iran. Following the barbaric Hamas terrorist attack of October 7, the subsequent war that has led to a humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, Cyprus assumed yet again its moral responsibility to its region. We did so through the development of the Amalfia Maritime Corridor for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza. The route was reactivated as recently as this past week. We worked with like minded partners, The United Arab Emirates, The United States, the European Union, The UK, and others, and, yes, we deliver. Furthermore, in the face of persecutions in the region towards religious and other minorities, Cyprus couldn’t remain idle, proving our long standing commitment to upholding fundamental rights and freedoms, demonstrating once again responsibility, we appointed a special envoy on the protection of religious freedom and the protection of minorities in The Middle East. At the same time, my country has responded to the calls of our neighbors for assistance in the face of fires, sending our brave firefighters as reinforcement, and our neighbors have reciprocated. Also, as a part of our regional responsibility in addressing climate change, Cyprus and Jordan’s proposed initiative for a European firefighting hub in Cyprus covering our region is now in the path of implementation by the European Union. And the aforementioned example, dear friends, are only a snapshot of Cyprus’ active, tangible responsibility. And I’m very proud that my country walks this path of responsibility, and we are determined to expand it, always part of the solution and never part of the problem. Your excellencies, Cyprus stands ready to assume its regional responsibility also in the context of bringing an end to the goal in Gaza and given our proximity to play a role in its reconstruction. Let me be clear, There are no substitutes for peace. This war must end. The first necessary step is the immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and I really hope that president Trump’s initiative has a positive outcome. At the same time, the humanitarian catastrophe must be alleviated. This means an hinder flow of aid in Gaza. The displacement must also end. International humanitarian law must be respected. We also call with the same favor for the immediate release of all hostages. And, dear friends, as unreachable as it may seem at this moment, we must not lose sight of the path for peace, for a two state solution in line with the United Nations Security Council resolutions. We have a responsibility to continue our work for a future in which Israel and Palestine live side by side in conditions of lasting security and peace. And we must be clear and unequivocal that Hamas, a terrorist organization, has no place in such a future. Your excellencies, as part of our responsibility, my country will assume the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union in January 2026. The European Union that has evolved into unprecedented political union embodying the essence of multilateralism, anchored on respect for the UN Charter. It is a project of collective responsibility that delivers a unifying force of stability, security, and prosperity. And the European Union presidency is yet another moment of responsibility for Cyprus. Europe’s heart will beat for six months from the union’s last divided member state under occupation since the nineteen seventy four Turkish invasion, we will exercise our responsibility fully aware of what is at stake. An imperative need to deliver stronger multilateralism, more integration and more cooperation between Europe and the world, to deliver a stronger, more secure, more autonomous European Union, committed to supporting partners focusing also on the Eastern Mediterranean and the Greater Middle East, supporting and investing in strategic partners that are pillars of stability in the region, such as Egypt and Jordan working together with our Lebanese partners to ensure long lasting stability in the country, working to ensure stability in Syria, inclusivity, respect to religious freedoms, and of course, protection of minorities, assuming more responsibility as a union for our security, but also for our neighborhood. Ladies and gentlemen, Cyprus will assume another role of responsibility for the first time in its history as a member of the Human Rights Council for the period twenty twenty five, twenty seven. It is in the same spirit that we also proudly presented our candidature for the presidency of the eighty first session of the UN General Assembly as a member state that embodies and embraces the principles of multilateralism, inclusivity, bridge building, and, of course, responsibility. Mister president, your excellencies, the Russian aggression against Ukraine in violation of the UN Charter must serve as a wake up call. As we condemn the use of force against a sovereign nation, the killing of civilians, the forced disappearance of children, the destruction and displacement, we have an obligation to remember. We must collectively act against aggressor, no matter who they are. Appeasing the aggressor never yields results, and history demonstrates this very clearly. Each time we turn a blind eye to violation of territorial integrity and sovereignty of states anywhere in the world, we create space and opportunity for the next aggressor. And this time, it can be bordering your country. In 2022, Russia invaded a sovereign nation, Ukraine, violating the UN Charter. In 1974, Turkey invaded a sovereign nation, Cyprus, violating the UN Charter. The violation is equal, the suffering, the invasion, and the occupation. My country, Cyprus, is under Turkish occupation for fifty one years. Tens of thousands displaced, women raped, destruction of cultural and religious heritage, the fenced town of Varosha held hostage by Turkey, awaiting for its lawful inhabitants to return as the relevant UN Security Council resolutions have prescribed for Turkey to allow a policy of illegal settlements to change the demographic character of the country. Families, fifty one years later, waiting for the fate of their loved ones. As a young boy in those early years after the invasion, the images of mothers and children weeping for their loved ones have been engraved in my memory. Dear friends, the playbook of occupiers is always the same. Your excellencies, from this very podium yesterday, mister Erdogan preached the vote on peace and accountability. He pointed the finger to others for crimes Turkey itself commits every single day. That is selective sensitivity and hypocrisy of the highest form. Illegality cannot yield legality. Illegality stemming from use of force cannot be recognized, no matter who is the perpetrator is, no matter who the victim is. Ladies and gentlemen, politicians are judged not by their words, but by their actions. It is what distinguish politicians from leaders. Cyprus has proven time and time and again that it is a reliable, responsible actor. A country that not only talks the talk, but also works the work of responsibility. And my call to mister Rettogane is to join that path of responsibility to end the occupation through negotiations for a comprehensive settlement that will reunify Cyprus in a bisonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, always in line with UN Security Council resolutions, European Union law, values, and principles. This is the only way. Therefore, let me repeat, the call for responsibility is the loudest for my own country. I’m ready for this moment of responsibility, ready to deliver on the call of history to unify Cyprus, to unify my people, Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians, and Latins. Mister president, your excellencies, we stand at the brink of a precipice. And while the impulse may be to shrink away from the immense responsibility we inherited from the visionaries who stood here eighty years ago, now is a moment for us to assume our responsibility collectively and individually estates. Rest assured that my country, Cyprus, continue to do its part by being responsible, by being advocates for responsibility, for the good of humanity, for our peoples. Thank you very much.

##The President of the General Assembly: [01:44:29] On behalf of the assembly, I wish to thank the president of The Republic Of Cyprus. The assembly will hear an address by his excellency Alexander Stubb, president of The Republic Of Finland. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Finland: [01:45:02] Mister president, excellencies, ladies, and gentlemen, in its simplest form, foreign policy is really about three things, about values, interests, and power. I come from a relatively small country, Finland, and our tool kit is mainly about two of those three things. It’s about values and interests. Power, hard or soft, is usually the luxury of bigger players. The power of smaller country arises from its capacity to cooperate with others. Smart diplomacy was gives smaller player at least relative influence. The UN is, of course, case in point. Big players have power through their permanent membership in the UN Security Council. But we, the smaller players, can influence the ebb and flow of international relations by being active in the corridors of diplomacy. Now most of the speeches that we’ve heard here today have highlighted the fact that the world order balance and dynamics are changing, much like they did after World War two when the UN was founded. I actually think that the post Cold War order is over, but we don’t know what the new order is going to look like. It will take at least five to ten years for things to settle. And my message to this assembly today is that regardless of the size, each and every member state of the United Nations has agency. A say in how the new world order will look like. It is important that we all use this power wisely and responsibly. Now I fully appreciate that our interests differ depending on our geographical location, history, state of development, or culture, but fundamental values are something we should all share. We have commonly defined some of the most essential of them in the UN Charter. Today, I want to do two things. First, analyze where we are, and second, give my proposals on what might what we might want to do together. To understand what’s currently happening in the world, I’d like to raise three different but yet related developments. First, it seems to me that there’s a growing tension between multilateralism, in other words, an order based on the rule of law, and those that speak the language of multipolarity or transactionalism. So difference between multilateralism and multipolarity. Now I can understand the temptation and the rationale of the proponents of multipolarity and transactionalism. But can they solve the world’s biggest challenges such as climate change or sustainable development? Today, I see many states, both big and small, pursuing transactional or multivectoral foreign policies. In essence, their aim is to diversify their relations with multiple actors rather than aligning with any one particular bloc. Now this can be opportunistic, but it may also be justified and reasonable. This depends on political choices. A transactional or multivectoral foreign policy is dominated by interests. Interests drive practical choices of states, and this is entirely legitimate. This kind of foreign policy is based on a realistic understanding of power. Power defines the limits of what is possible for each state. However, values should actually underpin everything we do. Even transactional or multi vectorial foreign policy should rest on a score of fundamental values. Without them, foreign policy will ultimately run into a war. War. If you set aside values for unhindered pursuit of power and interests, you will eventually find before you the very same problems you wanted to overlook. Second, the balance of power in the new world order is shifting towards the South and the East. Many countries, especially in Africa, Asia, Latin America, are becoming or have become key players in determining the direction of the new world order. To put it simply, they have both agency and power. They are not only an economic expanding economic force, but their demographic growth is inexorable. This will also turn them into a political and cultural force. It will yield them both hard power and soft power, and they will use it to promote their interests as they should. The 193 members of the United Nations do not have to agree on every minute detail of values, but we have to have a common understanding of fundamentals. They include the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. They include the prohibition of the use of force and the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. These values are the building blocks of who we are and what we stand for as the United Nations. The broad international community has overwhelmingly an interest to uphold them. Let me be clear. Russia has no right to continue its aggression on Ukraine. Israel has no right to violate international law in Palestine. States have no right to use Sudanese or Congolese territories to fight proxy wars for their economic or strategic self interests. I I urge us all to heed this message of the international community and act accordingly. War is always a failure of humanity. It is a collective failure of our fundamental values. It is a failure of us as human beings. Thirdly, I would like to say a few words about the state of the United Nations, the institution where we are. The UN was created to maintain and promote peace, stability, development, and friendly relations among nations. In order to achieve this, the balance between the three elements was required. The power at the highest level was represented by the UN Security Council. The interests of the wider membership were reconciled here in the general assembly, and the values were enshrined in the charter and consolidated as rules of international law. Now, unfortunately, today, the UN is struggling to fulfill its central promise of delivering peace and stability. We can always blame each other, but at the end of the day, it’s a collective decision. Countries have increasingly taken the liberty to break the rules of international law and to use force against other people’s territories and suppress other nations. The United Nations of today does not sufficiently reflect the realities of the balance of power. All too often, it fails to serve as a forum for the coordination of interests, and the values at its core are too often not respected in good faith. We all want to have the freedom to make choices and a possibility to influence the world around us. Today, many countries are seeking answers in multipolarity or transaction actionalism. If the UN fails to deliver, this trend will accelerate. So let me sum up in the terms of the three pillars, values, interests, and power. Our values can divide us. Fundamentally, however, they should unite us around the basic principles of humanity, the rule of law, and the prohibition of aggression. Our interests differ, and it’s only right that we promote them. However, our choices have consequences. Opportunism will eventually be forced to confront the problems it tried to ignore. Power will constantly seek a new balance. We must adapt to change. Nevertheless, we should not allow the rise of hard power to blind us. The power of legitimacy, integrity, and rules will remain strong. So let me get to my second part from the situation to possible solutions or things that we could do together. Never before in history has humankind had such means of innovations at its disposal to solve the world’s most pressing problems. However, the current direction is wrong in so many ways. There are more wars than at any time since World War two. The world is becoming increasingly divided, and so are our societies, and the measures to deal with climate change and sustainable development are lagging behind. In different parts of the world, we’re witnessing immense civilian suffering and blatant disrespect for humanitarian principles. For me as a Finn, Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine not only reminds me of our past, but is directly linked to the security of the part of the world where I live. On the other hand, there is aggression and total disregard for civilian life and an attempt to undermine the fundamental principles on which the international order is based. On the other hand, there’s a bastion of freedom that is defending its right to exist and to make its own choices. The battle for what consequences we will draw from this aggression is not yet over. Recently, there’s been serious attempts at diplomatic solutions of the war on the initiative of The United States. There are no perfect solutions to wars. At the same time, we know that any decision made in these matters will have far reaching consequences in Ukraine and beyond. There can hardly be a stronger unifying interest among the UN’s broad membership than our opposition to the wars of conquest. Aggression must not be rewarded. Accountability for the most serious international crimes must be pursued. In The Middle East, civilians in Gaza are experiencing immense suffering. The deepening humanitarian crisis has reached unbearable levels and represents a failure of the international system. At the same time, Hamas continues to hold the hostages it has taken, and many have already lost their lives. An immediate ceasefire is needed in Gaza that has been reiterated from this podium many times today and yesterday. Humanitarian aid must be granted safe and unhindered access. The hostages must be released. I commend the efforts led by France and Saudi Arabia to advance the two state solution. The negotiations must meet the Israeli and Palestinian security needs, and Palestinian right of to self determination, its legitimate aspiration for statehood and sovereignty. The occupation that began in 1967 must end, and all permanent status issues must be resolved. Correspondingly, the countries that have not recognized Israel must do so. At the same time, the international community must support and strengthen the Palestinian authority for it to govern the entire Palestinian territory effectively. This is the only viable option for achieving a two state solution. A stable Palestine will also significantly benefit the security of Israel. In many parts of the world, conflicts are raging, causing immense suffering locally, instability regionally, and reverberations globally. We’ve witnessed particularly brutal violence in Sudan, in the Democratic Republic Of Congo, in Haiti, Myanmar, and Mali, among others. Civilian populations continue to face famine and displacement at a large scale. And sometimes I feel that we end up looking at conflicts only that are near to us, but I think the job of the UN is to look at all of them with equal determination. I praise all those who, in good faith, continue to work for peace despite the daunting task. In June, a peace agreement was reached for the conflict in eastern in the Eastern Democratic Republic Of Congo. The true test, like with all peace agreements, lies in its implementation. Does it stick? There’s a humanitarian crisis of alarming proportions that compels us, all of us, to respond. Peace processes should not be transactional. They must be guided by international law. All countries and stakeholders in the region must be engaged and committed to achieve sustainable peace. The presence and involvement of the UN is essential. I would also like to stress the crucial work carried out by journalists amid conflicts and in other difficult circumstances. Attacks on members of the media are unacceptable. Media freedom is the basis for democracy. It is a prerequisite for an open society. The ability of the press to carry out its work is important for all of us. Ladies and gentlemen, the composition of the UN still largely reflects the world of 1945. As the world has changed drastically, so should the decision making at the UN. Last year in this very hall, I argued for a reform security council, a council where currently underrepresented regions would have a stronger voice through permanent seats at the table. The number of permanent members should be increased in the US Security Council. At least there should be two new seats for Asia, two for Africa, and one for Latin America. I think I’m gonna say this every year because no single state should have a veto power. And if a member of the Security Council violates the UN Charter, its voting rights should be suspended. I believe that these changes I believe that these changes at the top of the UN are necessary in order to maintain the UN’s central role in international relations. At the same time, a more comprehensive reform of the UN is needed. I commend the secretary general for his UN 80 initiative, and I encourage him to take bold and ambitious action. So Finland strongly supports the UN and wants it to succeed. Therefore, we stress the need for true reform to enhance the organization’s credibility, relevance, and efficiency. This will ensure that the UN can act. The UN needs to focus its efforts on most important its most important goals, ending and preventing preventing wars, protecting human rights, and acting as a catalyst for sustainable development. And also, we need to get the UN back into peace mediation. I would argue that one of the reasons that we have so many wars right now is that the UN is absent from peace mediation. No other organization can offer the legitimacy comparable to that of the UN. If the UN is absent, conflicts are not resolved without it, which is not in our common interests. The UN is needed as a mediator, and the member stage should support it at this endeavor. Finally, Finland is strongly engaged in the work of the UN and will remain so. Therefore, we’re also standing for election to the Security Council for the term of 2029 to 2030. Should we be elected, Finland pledges to be a principled and pragmatic partner for peace. We are principled in our commitment to international law with the charter at its core. We are pragmatic in seeking solutions that truly advance international peace and security, recognizing that progress is often incremental. At the outset of my speech, I said that each and every one of us has agency, a say how the new world order will look like. We want to be able to make our own choices and have an impact on the world around us. Nelson Mandela saw truth and reconciliation as the only hope for nations that are bitterly divided. The same applies to relations between states. We should learn from history, but always look to the future, bearing in mind that our decisions will shape it. Thank you very much.

##The President of the General Assembly: [02:04:57] On behalf of the assembly, I wish to thank the president of The Republic Of Finland. The assembly will hear an address by his excellency Julius Maada Wonie Bio, president of The Republic Of Sierra Leone. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Sierra Leone: [02:05:31] President of the general assembly, the secretary general, excellencies, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I congratulate her excellency, Annalena Baerbock, on her election as president of the general assembly to lead this historic eightieth accession of the general assembly. I thank her predecessor, his excellency Freeman Young, for his distinguished leadership during the seventy ninth session. I commend the secretary general, Antonio Guterres, for his steadfast commitment to the ideas of the United Nations during these increasingly turbulent times. Madam president, it’s both a nominal and a solemn responsibility to address this assembly on the eightieth anniversary of the United Nations. This assembly is not just ceremonial. It is a call for the world’s conscience to act with unity, determination, and vision. Our theme, better together, eight years and more for peace, development, and human right, both celebrates and summons. It reminds us that cooperation delivers progress. It also demands that we reimagine multilateralism so that peace, dignity, and equality are not promises on paper, but realities in the lives of people. This anniversary is not a time for complacency, but for courageous renewal. Today, we face deepening inequalities, climate crisis, geopolitical fragmentation, technological disruptions, and entrenched conflict. No nation can meet these challenges alone. We need bold multilateralism and a united nations that is not only reformed, but reinvigorated. The UN must be more than a meeting place. It must be a working place for people, for peace, and for our planet. Madam president, Sierra Leone is a small state that has relied heavily on the United Nations chapter and our hopes to uphold it. We speak with independence and conviction because we have lead the cost of its absence. I also serve as chair of ECOWAS authority of head of state and government and coordinator of the African Union Committee of ten head of state and government on security council reform, c 10. For for both myself and the people of Sierra Leone, these roles are not just titles, They are responsibilities. They reflect Sierra Leone’s conviction that principled multilateralism is the surest defense of law, equity, and peace. Since 1945, the Charter’s promise of sovereign equality, non aggression, and human dignity have been the bedrock of small states like ours. In 1961, when Sierra Leone first addressed this assembly, Our founding prime minister, Samir T Magay, pledged that our voice would be independent and principled, guided not by bitterness, but by conviction. That pledge remains our compass. We stand for justice and equality. We uphold the rights of all people to self determination. We speak truth to power and act in defense of humanity and the rule of law. Small states are not inherently small. Our sovereignty is equal, and our responsibilities are the same. Leadership is not the loudest voice in the room. It is the clearest voice for justice. Madam president, our current time on the UN Security Council has deepened these convictions. Guided by the charter, we have championed peace through dialogue, upheld international law, and promoted prevention as the first duty of collective security. We have supported efforts to stabilize Eastern Democratic Republic Of Congo, deescalated tensions in The Middle East, and supported political transition in Lebanon and Syria for peace and stability. We have also seen the Security Council’s limits, its paralysis in the face of grave human suffering. Nowhere has this failure been heart wrenching than in Gaza. A preventable genocide was not prevented. Mass starvation that could have been avoided was not avoided. A broadly supported two state solution has been obstructed by division and inaction. We therefore welcome all member states that have recently announced their long overdue recognition of the state of Palestine. Yet, much more remains to be done. We must bring an end to the war and ensure the release of all hostages and prisoners. Sierra Leone has not wavered. We have spoken with independence, voted with principle, and pressed for urgent action to end atrocities and revive hope. We say again, ceasefire now in Gaza. Seize fire now in Sudan. Seize fire now in Ukraine. These are not just slogans. They are calls to conscience, calls to action. In fact, they are echoes of the UN’s funding pledge to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. Its veto should never be a verdict against humanity. Madam president, across the world, the UN’s authority and legitimacy have been tested. Selective adherence to international law, disregard for security council and general assembly resolutions, deprivation of fund attacks on peacekeepers and humanitarian workers, disinformation that corrodes trust and overreliance on unilateral action. For countries like Sierra Leone, this is not an abstract debate. We know what a working United Nation means. At our darkest hour during one of the most brutal civil wars in modern history, the UN stood by our side. The United Nation missions in Sierra Leone, unanimously, one of the largest peacekeeping operations of its time helped disarm over 75,000 combatants, restore civilian governance, support democratic elections. The special court for Sierra Leone and the truth and reconciliation commission, both backed by the United Nation, ensured justice and reconciliation. When the United Nation Integrated Peace Building Office in Sierra Leone closed in 2014, it signaled something rare in our world, a successful transition from war to peace. We saw blue helmets on our streets. We saw ballot papers returned to citizens’ hands. We saw our nation breathe again. When the UN works, lives are saved. When it fails, lives are lost. We must ensure the UN delivers for all. And to do so, we must respect and implement UN decisions. Protect those who serve under the United Nations flag. Invest in prevention and peace building, and reform the security council so its authority and legitimacy match today’s world.The United Nations cannot protect vulnerable people if it cannot protect its own authority. As a nation, Sierra Leone does its part and contributes troops to peacekeeping missions. We serve as elected security council member and offer our experience in peace building to the world. Sierra Leone’s story is proof that multilateral solidarity works when it is grounded in trust, mutual respect, and genuine investment in national ownership. Madam president, peace is inseparable from development. Sierra Leone. In Sierra Leone, our medium term national development aligned with the SDGs and African Union’s 20 agenda twenty sixty three prioritizes people centered growth. We are transforming our agriculture sector to ensure food security. We are investing in a digital economy that fosters inclusion and innovation. We are deepening investment in human capital development through free quality education and in health care, particularly maternal and child health. We are expanding renewable energy to support industrialization and climate resilience. Climate change is an existential threat to Sierra Leone. Our greenhouse gas emission are negligible, yet our people and our White Coast bears the cost through erosion, flooding, and pressure on food systems and fisheries. We have mainstreamed climate adaptation and strengthened disaster preparedness. In fulfillment of the commitment made at the third United Nations Oceans Conference, Sierra Leone has ratified the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty, BBNG. As the sixtieth state to deposit its instrument of ratification, Sierra Leone is proud of the collective endeavor to trigger the entry into force of the BBNG treaty, a historic a historic milestone for multilateralism and the collective stewardship of our ocean commons. We urge all countries to do the same so the high seas and areas are governed by common good. Climate justice is not charity. It is a legal and moral responsibility. If the poorest are left to pay the highest climate price, there is no justice. Developed nations must honor their commitments, $100,000,000,000 per year in climate finance, technology transfer, and capacity building. We welcome the International Court of Justice advisory opinion on climate change, affirming state’s obligation to prevent environmental harm and to protect future generations. In that spirit, Sierra Leone is proud to present the candidature of doctor professor doctor Charles Cherno Jallo To the International Court of Justice, a distinguished jurist and tireless advocate for the rule of law. We respectfully solicit the support of all member states in the November this year. Madam president, as chair of the ECOWAS authority of Hayaso state and gov government, I proudly note our community’s fiftieth anniversary. For five decades, ECOWAS has embodied regional integration and collective security, often acting decisively when orders hesitated. ECOWAS moved early in Sierra Leone’s peace process before and alongside the UN to end our civil war. It has done so in Liberia, The Gambia, and elsewhere to defend democracy and stabilize the region. These are African solutions to African challenges, open to global partnerships, anchored in regional legitimacy and trust. Partnership with Africa must move from promise to practice. As chair of the ECOWAS authority, I recently embarked on a regional tour, including a second visit to Burkina Faso in two years. This was to demonstrate solidarity and build trust between ECOWAS member states and alliance of Sahelian states. I commend the leadership of Burkina Faso for its willingness to to engage and to look for and I look forward to continue dialogue with the leadership of both Mali and Niger. In my role as chair of the ECOWAS authority, I have placed emphasis on advancing and safeguarding democratic governance with a strong commitment to upholding constitutional order and reflecting the people’s will. Contrary terrorism and strengthening our regional security architecture, including operationalizing the ECOA standby force and implementing counter terrorism strategies. Enhancing economic integration by promoting trade, liberalization, developing cross border infrastructure, and advancing towards a common eco as currency. Strengthening the credibility strengthening the credibility of institutions through reforms that promote transparency, efficiency, and service focused on citizens. We urge the United Nations to deepen its partnership with ECOWAS and other African regional mechanisms in the spirit of chapter eight of the United Nations chapter. Africa is not a problem to be solved. Africa is a partner to be empowered. Madam president, during Sierra Leone’s tenure as elected member of the Security Council, twenty twenty four, twenty twenty five, we have highlighted the urgent security challenges in West Africa and The Sahel, where terrorism and violent extremism transcends borders and destabilize the entire region. However, Africa’s lack of permanent representation continue to hinder the council’s ability to act decisively and contextually. We have advocated for a comprehensive approach to counter terrorism in The Sahara, linking security with development, governance reforms, and regional cooperation, and strengthening the UNAU ECOWAS partnership. Too often, however, the council’s response has been hindered by narrow geopolitical interest, delaying action that could have saved lives. Our experience confirms a clear truth. Lasting peace requires inclusivity, ownership, and legitimacy. The council’s structural imbalance undermines its credibility and must be addressed to ensure the safeguarding of collective security. Madam president, in my capacity as coordinator of the African Union Committee of ten on security council reforms, I speak on behalf of a continent still excluded from the permanent representation on the council. Africa, home to 1,400,000,000 people and the largest regional block in the United Nations, still has no permanent seat. This is unjust and untenable. It undermines the credibility of the council and the legitimacy of its decisions. The common African position expressed in the Ezo in a consensus and such declaration calls for at least two permanent seats for Africa with full rights and prerogatives, including the veto if retained and two additional non permanent seats. This is not a request. It is a demand for equity. It is a test of UN’s commitment to fairness and its own charter. During our Security Council presidency in August, we gave this issue unprecedented prominence. As to mark the eightieth anniversary of the United Nations and the twentieth anniversary of the Ezrawini consensus and that and and such declaration, let be let this be the moment that the international community answers Africa’s call. Let us not pass on to the next generation. A security council reform that fails to reflect the world as it is today. Madam president, the United Nations at 80 must look forward. Sierra Leone stands ready, committed to principled multilateralism, to speaking with independence and conviction, and to working for justice, solidarity, and the dignity of all peoples. Let this anniversary be a turning point measured not in the many speeches we make here, but service, not in declarations, but in delivery. Let us build a United Nations more representative, more responsive, and more resilient. The world does not need a louder United Nation. It requires a braver United Nation. Now is the time to make the United Nation work for all. Together, let us forge a future of peace, shared prosperity, and human dignity. For in unity, we are not only better, we are stronger. Thank you.

##The President of the General Assembly: [02:30:23] On behalf of the assembly, I wish to thank the president of The Republic Of Sierra Leone.

##The President of the General Assembly: [00:00:00] Will hear an address by his excellency, Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona, president of the Dominican Republic. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Dominican Republic: [00:00:38] Your Excellency, madam president, Annalena Baerbock, president of the General Assembly, your excellency, secretary general, Antonio Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations, excellencies, distinguished heads of state and government, honorable heads of delegation, ladies and gentlemen. Eighty years ago, this organization was born out of the ashes of war with the staunch resolve to prevent humanity from once again slipping into hatred and barbarity, and with the firm conviction that cooperation and dialogue should govern our coexistence. In The Dominican Republic, we are well aware of our responsibility as a member state of the international community and of the impact that global decisions have upon our societies. We therefore firmly call for a fairer international order in which the development of some does not mean the sacrifice of others. We are living through a time of great international complexity shaped by a combination of five forces that are driving the destiny of our peoples: political polarization, the reemergence of trade protectionism, the technological revolution, climate change, and geopolitical competition. These global challenges are having very specific consequences for countries such as ours. The recent and persistent wars we’ve seen have disrupted markets, generating volatility and uncertainty in commodity prices. Newly introduced tariffs inject a further element of unpredictability into international trade. Hurricanes and the uncontrolled blooming of sargassum reminds us of our climate vulnerability. Added to that, disinformation, which gains even greater volume in digital environments, is eroding public trust. These are converging challenges that test the principles of the Charter of San Francisco. Franklin Delano Roosevelt expressed the key to addressing these. He said, the only true safeguard for peace can be found in cooperation based on economic and social justice. Against this backdrop, The Dominican Republic reaffirms its faith in the founding Charter of the United Nations, in its principles and values, not to be seen as secondary options but rather as the only path to preserving peace and human dignity. We welcome the theme convening us here today, Better Together, eighty years and more for peace, development and human rights. We embrace this as a historic mandate and as the legitimate cry of our peoples. Madam president, multilateralism is undergoing profound challenges exacerbated by the financial crisis affecting this organization and by the increasing difficulty in reaching consensus to halt conflicts. In this context, we urgently need to see more candid, effective, and results oriented spaces for dialogue at all levels. We must listen to each other with greater openness and a genuine willingness to achieve mutual understanding. If we fail to transform the United Nations, we risk it falling into irrelevance, and this would be a disaster that we must not allow. The UN 80 initiative provides an historic opportunity to revitalize mandates, renew structures, and to restore effectiveness and credibility to this common house of nations. The Dominican Republic firmly supports this process. In the coming months, a new Secretary General must be chosen. It now forces Latin America and The Caribbean to offer renewed leadership with the vision, independence and commitment demanded by our times. Our region possesses the diversity, capacity and experience to be able to raise a strong voice for peace, climate justice, human rights and sustainable development. I am fully convinced that the time has come for a woman to take up the post of Secretary General. Colleagues, we stand barely five years from 02/1930, and yet the Sustainable Development Goals remain behind schedule. The principal obstacle is an international financial architecture that does not reflect the realities of developing countries. The commitments undertaken at the recent Conference on Financing for Development in Seville are a positive step, but insufficient. We need to see genuine transformation, a new international financial compact with access to concessional finance, debt relief, innovative mechanisms and enhanced technical cooperation. The Dominican Republic’s commitment is strong. Despite the challenges, we have achieved tangible progress in implementing the 2030 agenda. In particular, we stress the sustained advances in the first two SDGs poverty reduction and zero hunger. As a result of our social protection policies, boosting our agricultural production and increasing the minimum wage, we managed to reduce moderate levels of poverty from 25.8% in 2019 to 18.05% in the 2025. At the same time, undernourishment fell from 8.6% in 2018 to 3.6% in 2025. Ladies and gentlemen, I have responsibly and consistently stated before this assembly and in every relevant international forum that the multidimensional crisis in Haiti represents a serious threat to peace and security for The Dominican Republic and the region. Since 2021, we have clearly stated that the only solution for Haiti is consistent and sustained international action ensuring minimum conditions of security and opening the way to the broadest democratic and sovereign agreement among Haitians themselves. This neighboring country is experiencing an unprecedented human tragedy, extreme violence, institutional collapse and territorial control by numerous criminal gangs terrorizing its population. These are groups that the Dominican and United States governments have designated as terrorist organizations and with which no negotiation is possible. In light of this reality, The Dominican Republic has mounted a sustained diplomatic offensive to achieve an effective international response. In this vein, the Security Council approved a multinational security support mission, the MSS, together with an arms embargo and a sanctions regime for those individuals and institutions supporting such criminal organisations. We’re grateful for the leadership of Kenya, Jamaica, Belize, The Bahamas, Guatemala and El Salvador, and for the financial support provided by The United States, Canada and other countries which enabled the initial deployment. Yet, the mission has still not attained the necessary scale, personnel strength and adequate financing and has therefore not yet met its goals. For this reason, we strongly support the draft resolution tabled by Panama and The United States to the Security Council based on the proposal of Secretary General Guterres to transform the MSS into a force capable of imposing order and restoring peace with a reinforced command structure, clear and measurable goals and the logistical and operational backing of an office under UN command. This proposal would establish a more robust presence with greater coordination, oversight and accountability standards in both human rights and operational performance. We issue an urgent appeal to the members of the Security Council, especially the five permanent members, to adopt this resolution without delay. We must bear in mind that the MSS’s mandate expires on the October 2. We are at a delicate transitional stage that calls for legitimacy for the mission’s entire current contingent. The Dominican Republic calls for support for this request. We do so as we stand on the very brink of Haiti’s collapse. We also appeal for political, financial, and operational backing from Latin America and The Caribbean for the mission in Haiti. This is a country in our region, one that demands shared responsibility as neighbors. It’s important to make clear that the Dominican Republic will continue to protect its territorial integrity and to enforce its national migration regime. No state can be blamed for defending its borders nor for guaranteeing the security of its citizens. We cannot nor we must not bear alone the burden of a crisis that exceeds any national capacity. It is neither sustainable nor safe for anyone. Every day of inaction pushes the solution to the crisis further away. We must act now. Friends, for small island developing states, the triple planetary crisis, that is climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution is an existential threat. In The Caribbean, this crisis can be specifically seen through the presence of sargassum, a devastating phenomenon affecting our coasts, our public health and livelihoods, we demand solidarity in climate justice, translating into accessible finance, technology transfer and urgent action to protect our oceans. The Dominican Republic is moving towards the ratification of the BBNJ treaty, convinced that the protection of marine biodiversity is a shared duty. The seas are a source of life. Caring for them means caring for our future. Distinguished delegates, this eightieth anniversary should not stand as a ritual of nostalgia, rather a resounding call to renew humanity’s covenant with itself. Although we’re not facing a world war, the world is hurting on multiple fronts and uncertainty is spreading like a shadow. This is neither the future our predecessors envisioned nor the present that our peoples deserve. The UN cannot limit itself to merely recording crises. It must be a compass in the storm and a beacon in the night. We must ensure that faith in dialogue and consensus in the power of multilateralism and human dignity and in progress that excludes no one, not fate. Power without justice and progress without equity are nothing more than mirages. The world cannot remain a plan drawn by a handful of architects and inhabited by millions of tenants. A world designed for a few would be a punishment. One designed by and for all would represent a horizon of shared prosperity. The Dominican Republic raises its voice to ensure hope and to summon action. Let peace not be a mere aspiration but rather a collective decision. That is our cry. That is our dream. That must be our common pact. Thank you very much.

##The President of the General Assembly: [00:13:19] On behalf of the assembly, I wish to thank the president of The Dominican Republic. The assembly will hear an address by his excellency Anura Kumara Dissanayake, head of state and president of the Democratic Socialist Republic Of Sri Lanka. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Sri Lanka: [00:14:01] Madam president, mister general secretary, honor the invitees and distinguished delegates. Allow me, madam Annalina Babcock, representing the beautiful country of Germany, to begin my speech by offering my warmest congratulations to you on being elected the president of the eightieth session of this organization, formed with the noble aim of bringing about a just and lasting peace among the nations of the world. I would also like to use this opportunity to express my country’s appreciation to his excellency Philemon Young for the exceptional leadership he provided during the seventy ninth session. We are gathered here today to plan the future path of this organization, which has worked tirelessly for eight decades to bring about a world of peace. It is my honor to address this August assembly for the first time as the president of Sri Lanka. As representatives of nations, we all bear the responsibility to work towards fulfilling the aspirations of our people. The decisions we make now will impact people across the world and play a decisive role in the future of this planet, our common home. Distinguished delegates, our decisions will have a very important impact on our future. Poverty, a tragedy as old as human civilization, has accompanied humankind on its journey through time. For centuries, countries across the world have faced this painful and relentless struggle. Poverty and problems stemming from it are also casting an oppressive shadow on our future. This assembly must pay special attention to eradicate extreme poverty. I believe our conscience dictates us to do so, distinguished delegates. For centuries, many countries in the world are struggling against poverty. Poverty is a terrible enemy with many faces. Even as we gather here in the countries we represent, including in my own, children are suffering from hunger. A child’s right to education is an internationally accepted fundamental right. This right is enshrined in the constitutions of most of our nations. Yet across the world, poverty has denied this right to hundreds of thousands of children. In a world which boasts of its technological advances, How can there be children without access to education? Education is the foundation of every great nation. It is the most vital factor deciding one’s future. We firmly believe that investment in education is an investment in global progress. Many developing countries are constrained in their struggle against poverty by indebtedness. Low income countries allocate twice as much on debt servicing than on education or health care. Our people and our countries are caught in death traps. The 2030 agenda for sustainable development pleases to leave no one behind and to reach the last first. The agenda acknowledges the most critical challenge before the world is the challenge to end poverty. I would also like to recall the decisions taken at the global summit for social development in Copenhagen in 1995. However, wars and political upheavals and the COVID pandemic have obstructed the fulfillment of these hopeful agendas. I propose to you that the time has come for us to accept inequality and poverty are a global catastrophe, and we should act accordingly. Madam president, esteemed guests, drugs and organized crimes linked to drugs have become a serious concern to this world. This has been acknowledged in the World Drug Report 2025 published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The drug problem is a complex issue affecting millions of people globally. The market for drugs and the related criminal organizations are creating issues globally. Drug cartels are turning entire states into their hunting grounds. They pose a major threat to global health and global politics and eventually global well-being as well. While Sri Lanka is taking effective steps to address this challenge. I respectfully request all of you to join in the effort to implement the global agenda on drugs and crime. I bring to your notice the need to implement the law strictly against these drug traffickers and prevent drug traffickers from taking refuge in our countries and also to set up rehabilitation centers for rehabilitation purposes. Madam president, honored guests, we regard corruption as an epidemic causing widespread harm to broad swathes of society. We believe corruption to be an obstruction for development, a decisive threat to democracy and global well-being, and also a cause for poverty. Let me remind you that fighting corruption is dangerous, but not fighting corruption is even more dangerous. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 was a remarkable victory for the people of the world. Civilizational achievements were never accomplished overnight. They were all results of unwavering efforts and sacrifices. And the struggle against corruption is also a difficult one. We must take the necessary steps here. The first steps first step may be difficult, but if the courageous first step we take is correct, a thousand steps will follow. That is what I believe. Madam president, delegates, all the rest will follow. Sri Jawaharlal Nehru has once stated so. I represent a small island of nearly 22,000,000 people. Sri Lanka’s population is about 0.3 of the global population. It is true that we are small in size and in numbers, yet we have begun the struggle against corruption for the future generations of our country and the world. I propose that corruption should become an integral part of the culture of all UN member countries, the struggle against corruption. Madam president, I feel confident that all of you will join me in condemning war. There is no nation in the world that desires a war. The result of a war is a tragedy wherever it happens. We all know that. Even now, many countries of the world are experiencing the pain of that tragedy. As a country that lived through a three decade war, we know well the futility of war. No one who sees the pain and the suffering of parents, spouses, and children of the victims of war would never dream of another war. We have witnessed these painful sights with our own eyes. Even as suffering caused by conflict has reached unprecedented levels, The international community has become reduced to bystanders. Opportunistic power politics has turned the lives of children and innocent civilians into a game. No one has the right to inflict pain and suffering on another to enhance one’s own power. The duty of a ruler is not to destroy lives, but to protect them. We are deeply distressed by the ongoing catastrophe in the Gaza Strip. Gaza has been turned into an open prison full of pain and suffering, echoing with the cries of children and the innocent civilians. The United Nations Organization and all related parties must work towards an immediate ceasefire, enable adequate humanitarian aid to these areas, and to ensure the release of hostages of all parties. We recognize the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to their own state. We also believe that legal, security, and humanitarian concerns of Israel and Palestinian people need to be acknowledged. Sri Lanka reiterates the importance of early implementation of the UN General Assembly resolutions regarding a two state solution on the basis of the nineteen sixty seven borders. The time has come for the international community to stop being a mere spectator and to move decisively to end the suffering of millions. Religious extremism and racism have been major causes of wars and conflicts, bringing suffering to millions of people. Although a century has passed since the abolition of slavery, the poison of racism still lingers in many places. Extremist and racist ideas are as deadly as epidemics. We must ask ourselves how these extremists and racist ideas survive like sparks under the ashes in a world that has witnessed so many advances on so many fronts. I believe that we must awaken our conscience to oppose racism and religious extremism in protection of human rights and freedoms. We must be brave enough to speak up for peace. We must not be afraid to speak up for war. We must be afraid to speak up for war. In a world where millions of children die of hunger, we spend millions on weapons. When tens of millions die of inadequate health facilities, hundreds of millions are spent on futile wars. When hundreds of thousands of children are denied their right to an education, millions are spent on invading another’s land. In every inch of this world if every inch of this world can be turned into peaceful communities, what a wonderful world would it be? As a country that suffered the horrors of war for decades, where loved ones still weep in remembrance of their loved, we have a duty to make that heartfelt proposal. I would like to remind you that at the last election, people of Sri Lanka decided in favor of a centuries old dream. A legislature has been established according to that decision, reflecting the ethnic and religious diversity of the country. A parliament has been established with women and other marginalized communities in representation. We believe that the duty of legislatures is to develop the country and the people, not to develop themselves. And we have established that idea. Madam president, distinguished guests, people our people have chosen light over darkness. They have given their approval to realize the vision of a thriving nation, a beautiful life. To fulfill this historic mandate, we have focused on establishing noncorrupt administration, poverty eradication and digitalization, and we have also placed great emphasis on education, health as well. We are moving towards these goals step by step. Digital democracy is one of our aims. Ensuring that every person and every country can ensure the opportunities of the digital age is a global challenge. If we succeed in our task, we will be able to open doors to technology, accelerate development, and to strengthen governance. If we fail, technology will turn into one more force, worsening inequality, insecurity and injustice. The digital gap between states that can and cannot establish access to digital tools is clear. An even greater gap is being created in relation to artificial intelligence. Sri Lanka and many other developing nations in Asia and also many other nations are facing challenges in using AI as development tool due to the inadequate infrastructure facilities. Madam president, distinguished delegates, I ask the international community to work together and we have to develop a dignified society, a dignified world. I present this August assembly a proposal to set up a neutral sovereign artificial intelligence zone. We must build a new and better world, a world which represent the dignity of humankind. You, as members of this assembly, must be the architects of that better world. As President Harry Truman stated on the occasion of founding the United Nations, in your hands rests our future. We must not act in fear or under compulsion, but with hope for a better and more secure world. Today, we must commit ourselves not to lead the world to another disaster, but to make it a better place for the next generation. I have dreams and expectations for my country. Similarly, you have dreams and expectations for your countries. My dream is to ensure that my people are rich and they have happiness. I believe that you too have such dreams. We must try to achieve these dreams not in competition with each other, but by working arm in arm. Peace, dignity, and equality on a healthy planet. That is the motto of the United Nations organization. Therefore, let us become the true healers of the world. Thank you very much.

##The President of the General Assembly: [00:31:00] On behalf of the assembly, I wish to thank the head of state and president of the Democratic Socialist Republic Of Sri Lanka. The assembly will hear an address by his excellency Cesar Bernardo Arivalo de Leon, president of The Republic Of Guatemala. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Guatemala: [00:31:43] Madam President of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbok mister secretary general of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, heads of state distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, a very good afternoon to you.I bring a message of peace and harmony to the peoples of the world on behalf of the four peoples of Guatemala. These words come from the heart of The Americas, from the lands inhabited for centuries by the Quechee people in Northern Guatemala. I greet you in the language spoken in the region of Berapath. That means true peace, a region that could only be incorporated into the Spanish colonial administration through peaceful means after twenty years of dignified resistance. And I present these words to call for the true peace which today seems so distant so distant. In the ancestral calendar of the Mayan peoples, periods of twenty years are called katunis. So in 2025, we can say that four katunis will have passed since the United Nations was founded. This means that we are closing one cycle and opening another. Before us, we have an opportunity to seek well-being, to reflect and repair, to achieve justice, and to begin anew. Eighty years ago, the peoples and governments of the world decided to establish a new way of relating to one another out of the ruins of a war that shook humanity’s deepest convictions in every corner of the planet emerged the certainty that dialogue and cooperation would be central tools in building a new world, in transforming fear, dismay, and shame into hope, responsibility, and into a steadfast commitment to peace. Today, the shadows of war are once again visible on the horizon, and military abuses committed against vulnerable communities affront humanity as a whole. The current crisis is a harsh reminder that we have not done enough to achieve the ideal of a world in which the life and dignity of all persons are respected without question. We must recall the transformative momentum that we saw in 1945 and the courage of those leaders who dared to believe that a world of peace, justice, solidarity, and harmony was possible and who began to work to build that. Our predecessors imagined, constructed, and bequeathed to us a permanent forum for dialogue and mutual understanding, grounded in the belief that the destiny of each nation is also the destiny of humanity. A forum where voices of all countries would be heard regardless of the size of their territory, economy or army. A multilateral forum guided by the principle of sovereign equality in the pursuit of peace and committed to preventing the repetition of past suffering and ensuring the full enjoyment of human rights. This organization was built upon the principle that no single nation can guarantee world security alone. We should by now have learned that unchecked power can tear irreparable holes in the fabric of humanity. We should have learned by now that advances in science and technology can produce unimaginable catastrophes if left in the hands of unchecked power. We should have learned by now that any international mechanism must include strong, binding and enforceable agreements in order to be effective. Ladies and gentlemen, just how much has the world changed since 1945? This organization has contributed significantly to decolonization processes and to the ending and stabilization of armed conflicts across the globe, in my country, Guatemala. The various UN bodies have actively sought well-being in all corners of the earth, achieving major advances through cooperation and mutual support in areas such as public health, environmental protection, the fight against poverty and the promotion of gender equality. Guatemala saw firsthand the watershed represented by the founding of the UN in terms of how it established universal multilateral diplomacy as a way of addressing conflict. Our country attended the San Francisco conference with the drive and transformative enthusiasm of the democratic revolution of the 10/20/1944. This was a revolution that today remains a fundamental touchstone for continental aspirations of sovereignty, dignity, and genuine independence. However, from 1960 onwards, Guatemalans endured one of the longest and bloodiest internal wars in our continent. This war claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, entailed countless human rights violations, and opened a deep wound in the collective soul of Guatemalan society. That long chapter of intolerance and political violence came to an end in 1996. Since then, our governments have adopted the peace accords to ensure the full effect of human rights and the nonrecurrence of the horrors that we’ve left behind. The support of the United Nations verification mission in Guatemala was decisive in giving the country’s diverse sectors a certainty that peace was possible. But this is a struggle that never lets up and that continues to pose important challenges for our society. Guatemala’s democracy was supported by the United Nations and other multilateral bodies such as the Organization of American States. In recent decades, we have received support to strengthen our judicial institutions and to combat corruption and impunity. This has helped the people of Guatemala to strengthen their struggle to secure effective government, an independent justice system, clean and transparent elections, and their future of progress and well-being. After a long period of institutional dismantling during which corruption was simply how the system conventionally worked, Guatemala is now returning to the path of democratic recovery. We’re convinced that cleaning up our institutions is essential to consolidating democracy. This despite the difficulties posed by the constant harassment that we suffer from anti democratic actors entrenched within our justice system. In a hostile context, we have acted to combat corruption and impunity and to promote transparency and accountability. My administration defends, promotes and protects human rights and does so firmly. We remain committed to safeguarding the freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. After more than seven years, we have reopened our doors to the monitoring mechanisms of the United Nations Human Rights Protection System. We have received seven official visits, including that of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the visit of the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, and of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing. However, the results that we’ve achieved so far are not enough. The process of change that we are undergoing requires improving how we take collective decisions. In a country where exclusion and discrimination were everyday features of our public administration, government is breaking down historical barriers and is working hand in hand with the ancestral authorities of indigenous peoples, with civil society, and with various business sectors so that together we can foster development throughout the country. We know that there can be no democracy without social justice nor social justice without democracy. We are engaged in a decisive struggle against corrupt and authoritarian forces who seek at all costs to keep institutions in their control and to perpetuate impunity. In their determination to pervert justice, they criminalize and persecute indigenous leaders who defended democracy such as Luis Pacheco, journalists who denounce corruption such as Jose Ruben Samora, judges such as Virginia La Parra, and anyone else who opposes their designs of corruption and impunity, driving them into exile or imprisoning them arbitrarily. 2026 will be a crucial year for Guatemala. It will bring elections for new authorities in key oversight and justice bodies. It’s essential that these selection processes be conducted transparently, impartially and in accordance with the law. We have therefore formally requested the technical and political support of our strategic partners to ensure that these processes meet the highest standards of legitimacy. Preserving our democracy and the possibility of building a genuine rule of law in Guatemala depend on this. I invite the international community to continue supporting these efforts through technical oversight, institutional assistance, and further cooperation. Madam president, distinguished delegates, beyond our domestic efforts, Guatemala strives to meet its commitments to its neighbors and to the world. We are strengthening our capacity to be able to address the needs of the thousands of migrants who would transit our territory, ensuring that they receive dignified treatment, the same dignified treatment that we demand for Guatemalans abroad. At the same time, we are tackling the root causes of poverty that have forced so many Guatemalans to migrate, and we are stepping up the assistance we provide to our citizens in The United States and in Mexico. Together with our neighbors, we are promoting major initiatives to combat transnational organized crime and drug trafficking. We participate actively in seven peacekeeping missions and contribute 150 personnel to the multinational security support mission in Haiti. We support the secretary general’s proposal to transform that mission into a hybrid mission backed by the organization and finance from the assessed peacekeeping contributions. We reaffirm our support for Haiti and its efforts to achieve stability with the backing of the international community. Distinguished delegates. Climate change is the greatest existential threat facing humanity. It can only be addressed through joint action by the peoples and governments of the world. One example of this is the collaboration that we’ve established with our neighbors in Mexico and Belize to protect the biocultural corridor of the Great Maya Forest, which is one of the continent’s main lungs. Although Guatemala is responsible for only a tiny fraction of global emissions, we are one of the countries that is most vulnerable to their effects. That’s why we have reactivated and strengthened our National Climate Change Council. This is tasked with reviewing national plans, strategies, and targets that contribute to the quest for common solutions. Guatemala recognizes that many countries need effective access to climate finance, to technology transfer and capacity building. We therefore urge all states to honor their climate finance pledges and to accelerate the implementation of the Paris Agreement. By cooperating with our neighbors to protect migrants, by taking the measures necessary to restore our environment, by participating actively in peacekeeping operations, by offering our experience and our knowledge where they’re needed. This is how Guatemala participates in this great mosaic of the United Nations. Madam president, the forthcoming judgment of the International Court of Justice will bring an end to the territorial insular and maritime dispute with our neighbor, Belize. The written phase has now been concluded, and the oral hearings are scheduled for next year. We now stand before an historic opportunity to open a new chapter in relations between the two countries. Resolving this dispute peacefully is an example of how even the most complex differences can lead to peace and cooperation. Guatemala reiterates its commitment to strengthening its bilateral relations with Belize on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful cooperation and the observance of international law. Distinguished delegates, we are at a crossroads. At times when dialogue and consensus building are seen as signs of weakness, when the shadow of authoritarianism grows in many parts of the planet, when disinformation is leading many people to seek out quick fixes even at the cost of sacrificing their own freedoms. It is our duty to reaffirm the values and principles of solidarity, which for eighty years have guided the spirit of this organization. My Country makes an urgent appeal for us to remember that multilateralism is a matter of humanity, humanity understood as the community of human beings inhabiting this planet and aspiring to equality, happiness, and well-being. But this is also humanity understood as the quality that allows us to feel empathy, to feel compassion, and to be profoundly offended by any form of injustice committed against our fellow human beings. For Guatemala, it is very clear that injustice anywhere in the world is unacceptable. Our main task of the United Nations is to recover a certainty, which is that we can and must live together in peace. The universal aspiration for a world without war and the desire for sustainable peace mean ensuring legitimate, open and plural processes to make decision making more effective. This quest for legitimacy must not become an obstacle or an excuse for delaying necessary action. The United Nations has not fulfilled its mandate to act when military machinery is devastating individuals, families, communities and entire populations in the name of security and sovereignty as is happening right now in Ukraine, in Sudan and in Gaza. We must immediately halt the attacks and guarantee the entry of humanitarian assistance to all war torn territories. We must put an end to the invasion of Ukraine, an end to the war in Sudan, a total end to the suffering and death of the civilians in Gaza. We also call for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages. Consistent with the position that we have maintained since 1947, Guatemala calls for renewed efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement to the conflict between Israel and Palestine, ensuring the establishment of a state for the Palestinian people and its peaceful coexistence with the state of Israel. We should never have reached this point. It’s up to us to learn from this painful moment and to act accordingly, as others have done over the last eighty years in this very hall. That’s why we need to discuss and promote reforms of the United Nations that make our work more efficient and brings it closer to the peoples of the world. We must strengthen the impact of the United Nations and its three fundamental pillars: international peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights. We reiterate the urgent need to reform the Security Council of the United Nations. This body, which is tasked with maintaining international peace and security, must reflect the realities of the twenty first century, not the geopolitical structures of the past. We therefore support a more representative and democratic structure that removes the complications of the veto power and reflects today’s geopolitical reality. In this regard, I wish to make my own the words of a former UN secretary general, Dirk Hammerschold, when he said, this organization was not created to take humanity to heaven but to save humanity from hell. Peoples of the world, today multilateralism is in crisis. Its survival as joint action by free nations giving meaning, orientation, and life to this organization depends on our ability to reform it and at the root. We cannot afford to waste any more time. We must strive to ensure that the United Nations becomes a community of united human beings caring for life in all of its forms and everywhere. Only this will guarantee true peace. Thank you very much.

##The President of the General Assembly: [00:53:29] On behalf of the general assembly, I wish to thank thank president of Guatemala. The Assembly will now hear address from his excellency, president Azali Assoumani, president of the unit of the Comoros. I invite a rep press protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Comoros: [00:54:31] Excellence.President of the general assembly, excellencies, secretary general of the United Nations, your majesties, royal highnesses, heads of state and government, heads of delegation, distinguished guests. Allow me, first of all, on behalf of the Comorian delegation, to address our warmest thanks to the American authorities for the hearty welcome and the excellent organization of the eightieth session of our assembly. I would also wish to congratulate her excellency, madam Annalena Baerbock, on her election to preside over this session of our assembly and wish her every success in this noble mission, and also at the same time, pay tribute to his excellency, mister Philémon Yang, and note the wisdom and rigor with which he led the work of the previous session of the general assembly. Finally, I wish to commend the enlightened leadership of his excellency, mister Antonio Guterres, United Nations secretary general, whose tireless commitment to peace and development accurately embodies the ideologies enshrined in our charter at a time when the international order is unfortunately facing severe turbulence. President. The theme of this eightieth session, better together, more eighty years and more for peace, development, and human rights is as urgent and relevant as ever in the current global context. Ten years ago, in this very room, we set the ambition to build a better world by 2030. The sustainable development goals were supposed to eradicate poverty, protect the planet, and provide everyone with peace and prosperity. However, with five years to go before the deadline, it is notable that the world is not more just, more peaceful, or more equitable. On the contrary, inequalities have increased, conflicts multiplied, and humanity is moving further and further away from the vision that once drove us. This is the case in Europe with the conflict in Ukraine, in Africa, the situation in the Sahel, and the crisis in the Great Lakes region. The Palestinian tragedy is perhaps the most shocking demonstration of this. For more than seventy years now, and today even more so than before, the Palestinian people have been suffering the pillaging of their ancestral lands, suffering exile, torture, and humiliation. Their recent history is simply a succession of pages written in blood indifference and scorn. When faced with this tragedy, rightly qualified as a genocide by many experts, the international community is all far too often simply verbally condemning these act this without any concrete action. We, rightly, condemned the barbaric acts committed on the October 7 in Israel, but the disproportionate response that has been unleashed in Gaza since then is indeed a genocide. Eighty percent of the victims are children, older persons, or the ill. They have been killed by shelling, which does not spare hospitals, aid distribution centers, schools, UN staff, or journalists. The crimes perpetrated against Palestine stem from an untenable contradiction. Indeed, how can a government elected by a people who are victim of a the Holocaust, can how can they commit a genocide before the very eyes of the entire world and inflict similar trauma on others today? War, exile, and oppression. How can Israel in in addition take doubt on everyone else entering into deadly conflict with all of its neighbors? As the old adage goes, we don’t choose our neighbors, but we have to live in peace and security with them. Thus, we must welcome and the courage and the humanity of the Israelis, friend friends from Israel who are raising their voices against this barbarity. Bravo, and thank you to you, dear friends. And as history reminds us, when we look at the tragedy of the Holocaust, Arab, African, and Muslim countries have never been on the side of the perpetrators of genocide. On the contrary, our forefathers and our ancestors were risking their lives. They fought alongside the allies to defend the Jewish people and host them, welcome them, welcome the survivors into their country. President of Union of the Commerce, loyal as it is to its principles and respecting international law, reaffirm reaffirms its tireless support to a two state solution, living side by side with East Jerusalem as the capital of a state of Palestine, which is the only solution for peace and security for Israel and for the entire Near And Middle East region. Unlike the argument put forward whereby recognizing the state of Palestine is a gift to Hamas. Having a Palestine state that is recognized would will allow the Palestinian people to accomplish their duties and obligations under international law. This is the best gauge of establishing peace rather than having groups as interlocutors and negotiators. Thus, we welcome historic decision taken by France, and we pay tribute here to president Macron and also to the leaders of another many other countries who, on Monday, September 23, recognized the state of Palestine at this UN rostrum. We welcome this positive initiative, which comes following the New York declaration, was adopted also in September by the German assembly in a continuation of this international conference organized in August by France and Saudi Arabia under the aegis of the United Nations. We called on this assembly to put the future of a the Palestinian state once and for all on our common agenda. It is our moral responsibility to act because with every day that goes by without action being taken, thousands of innocent people, women, and children die. No one will be able to say anymore. I didn’t know. History will be our judge. It will not forgive silence nor inaction. Let us think of the future generations so that tomorrow, they could be proud of what we did. President, peace and development will can only be built could cannot be built without justice and inclusion. That is why sixty five years after a wave of independence, Africa is a continent of more than 2,000,000,000 people. Now Africa must finally obtain its legitimate rightful place within the Security Council of the United Nations. The vision of the African Union, a united, prosperous, peaceful Africa that is master of its own fate is fully echoes the spirit of this session. During my presidency of the African Union, I prioritized conflict resolution and mediation Two, once and for all silence, the guns. This is a flagship initiative of African Union as part of the 2063 agenda, the Africa we want, and it is in line with the norms and principles and protocols of the African Union regarding the the African Peace and Security Council. This commitment is the key for the effective implementation of the African free trade area, which itself is a pillar, for an of a strong Africa within the concept of nations. President, distinguished guests, in the same vein, I wish to recall that the declaration adopted by the general assembly at its twenty sixth session declared the Indian Ocean a zone of peace free from nuclear weapons and military bases. However, still today, competing ambitions are threatening this stability. Thus, I strongly condemn and denounce any project to install a military base in Mayotte, a Comorian island, which unfortunately is still under French administration. The union of the Comoros, who’s just that we’ve just celebrated fifty years of independence and accession to United Nations. We remain committed to the full entirety of our national territory, Anjouan, Grand Comor, Mowili, and Mayotte, all of it. I wish to reiterate the gratitude of the people and the government of the Comoros to all of those who, as we mark this half century anniversary, have congratulated us and sent their best wishes. In this context from this rostrum, I cannot also ignore the question of my yacht, a Comorian island which is still under French occupation despite clear and repeated resolutions of the UN, of the African Union, and from other bodies too. The dialogue that has begun with France, what the late president Mitterrand called an unfortunate dispute, must reach a successful conclusion because this dispute has gone on far too long. And every year, it costs the lives of thousands of our compatriots in the stretch of sea that separates Mayotte and its sister islands. This year this week, very serious facts were unveiled by an investigation from the French newspaper Le Monde, which reported on deliberate maneuvers on the part of the police operating in Mayotte, who carrying out regular sink regularly sinking boats, which cost the lives of several Comorians, says Comorian citizens. Thus, the union of the Comoros calls on the French state, the occupying power, to stop these operations, to launch the appropriate investigations, and to punish the perpetrators of this barbarity so that justice be served and so that the dignity of human lives be respected. On our side, the union of the Comorris will tirelessly continue its diplomatic and legal action so that justice can be served and so that a just solution can be found to the question of the Comorian island of Mayotte, which is one of the last open wounds of decolonization in Africa. We, thus with this regret that some frailty countries in Africa who’ve always defended international law in the Comorian cause are today prevaricating and undertaking unfortunate initiatives with France to establish relations with Mayotte in spite of our of international law and our national sovereignty. We call an African Union to act to recall the duty and necessity for the respect of international law and the respect for unity of our archipelago. President, distinguished guests, as many, much like many small island developing states, Comoros are on the front line of climate change, and we remain a vulnerable but determined country. Rising seas, coastal erosion, and the increased frequency of cyclones are posing a threat to our villages, our ecosystems, our lives. We call for equitable and simplified access to climate financing. We call for increased solidarity too so that our people cannot only survive but prosper. In recent years, the union of the commerce has launched a emerging commerce plan, which seeks to transform our economy, strengthen our infrastructure, modernize our education system, and improve our people’s health. Our country has a vast potential in terms of renewable energy, including geothermal energy. We invite our bilateral and multilateral partners and the private sector to join this promising development project. It is based on three pillars, inclusive growth, the energy and digital transition, the blue and the blue economy, one of the great riches, which is the Indian Ocean. The security across our region depends on the stability of each and every one of its states, and thus we condemn strongly all forms of terrorism and transnational crime. We advocate for strong and just multilateralism and solidarity based on the UN Charter and the respect of the sovereign equality of states. We must reaffirm also our commitment to a fairer world order where small states have a voice and can fully participate in global governance. And to turn back the tide of protectionism and stop people looking inward, we advocate for reform of the international financial architecture. Following the COVID nineteen pandemic, the climate crisis, the increasing debt of developing countries, it is crucial to adapt the global financial system to the economic, geopolitical, and social realities. Fifty years after its independence, the Comorian nation is still a young one, but it is buoyed by its experience and by its dreams. The Comorian people is is proud of its history and confident in its future future, and they remain committed to this assembly, which embodies our common aspirations for peace, justice, and development, which must be consistently consolidated. I therefore solemnly appeal to the international community and our development partners to support our efforts so that we can have a world that really is for peace, development, and human rights. Thank you for your kind attention. On behalf of the assembly, I thank the Wisdom of President of The Comoros.

##The President of the General Assembly: [01:11:02] The Assembly will now hear an address by her excellency, miss Ndemupelila Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, president of The Republic Of Namibia. I request protocol to escort her excellency and invite her to address the assembly.

##Namibia: [01:11:37] Thank you, madam president. When the founders of the UN convened eight years ago, they did so to establish an organization, among others, to save succeeding generations from this culture of war, to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, dignity of human person, and equal rights of men and women, and of nations, large and small, and to lay the groundwork for a durable system that promotes justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and international laws. While over the following decades, we have become closer to the bringer of war, the United Nations has stood the test of time from decolonization to promoting the right to self determination, from conflict prevention and securing peace to the provision of humanitarian assistance, the UN has continued to fulfill its founding mandate under very difficult circumstance. Therefore, the international community must honor the brave men and women who, under the blue flag, have been at the forefront in the securing of world peace. Namibia’s journey to independence is one of the UN’s most success story. It was through this very organization that our forebearers tirelessly petitioned for the end of apartheid, colonial rule in Namibia, for freedom and independence of our country. At this point, I want to thank the UN family for having held a special session in remembrance of our founding president, Komosem Safishuna Nuyoma, when he passed on. Madam president, my personal journey with United Nations begins in 1974, where I have had the privilege to serve my country and Africa in various capacities within the halls of this distinguished global organ. Today, I’m deeply honored and humbled to stand before you as the fifth president of The Republic Of Namibia with with a mandate to deliver services and to ensure justice of all inhabitants of our country. As a woman, I encourage every girl and woman by affirming that your voice matter, your vision is needed as it will pave you away to the helm of whatever institution you are serving. Madam president, Namibia’s eighth administration is built on the strong foundation and legacy of our predecessors under the theme uniting diversity, natural resources beneficiation, and youth empowerment for sustainable development. That theme aims to shape and transform the Namibian economy through value addition and other economic activities. Hence, we have identified agriculture, sports, youth empowerment, education and training, creative industry, health services, land and housing as critical sectors supported by mining, energy, water, tourism, infrastructure development, transport, logistics to sustain our economic development through our long term development blueprint vision 02/1930. This vision is being implemented through a series of National Development Plans Recently, we launched the sixth NDP with its fundamental pillars clearly aligned to the global agenda, such as the SADAC Regional Inductive Strategic Development Plan, the African Union Agenda 2,063, and the UN Agenda 2,030 for sustainable development. Some of our achievements include the launch and the operationalization of the National Youth Fund, which is to assist the younger entrepreneur in their economic activities. In the area of education, we will abolish registration and tuition fees in all public institutions of high learning and vocational training center to ensure skill development. On energy, Namibia is diversifying her energy mix using all our natural resources. In addition, Namibia presented her energy compact at the African Energy Forum, thus enabling us to access concessional funding for national energy initiatives. Madam president, climate change is scourging our lands and drying up our rivers. Global instability is impacting our economies, our markets, and jeopardizing our livelihood. These are interconnect symptoms of deeper fragility in our shared system. They require our collective action rooted in apathy and shared responsibility. In this regard, I am glad to announce Namibia’s bid to host the Africa regional hub of the Green Climate Fund. Furthermore, severe drought floods and other climatics brought about by climate change cannot be overemphasized. Namibia calls for the implementation of the provision of the NAMI declaration on a strong United Nation Convention to combat the justification for a land degradation and neutral world. Namibia acknowledge the technic technological advance in all fields, but ethical boundaries must be respected. However, artificial intelligence must not be a substitute for human judgment or responsibility. We therefore call for a global standard that ensure that the usage of artificial intelligence remains transparent, fair for humanity. Youth unemployment, increased economic inequality, lack of adequate housing, quality education and health care, water, energy, and data distress are among the common challenges that no one country can address alone. Through multilateral cooperation, our collective action must ensure that we all forge a hand to make the world a better place and to work together on those challenges in line with our theme, better together. Madam president, thirty years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and platform of action, we have made much to celebrate and to ponder on. Namibia continued to make progress in the area of women participation in politics and decision making. Currently, Namibia’s cabinet has 57% of women. As we gear up to commemorate the twenty fifth anniversary of the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution thirteen twenty five on women, peace, and security adopted during Namibia’s presidency of the UN Security Council, Namibia will host two high level events in Windhoek and New York. I look forward to the participation of all member states in those events to collectively reaffirm commitment to women peace and security agenda. And through the Namibia International Women Peace Center, we will continue to advocate for universal implementation of the women peace and security agenda. Madam president, we know to the ongoing efforts of the UN to ensure that we remain fit for purpose, including the UN Aid Initiative. We need an agile United Nations that is inclusive, respect of the UN Charter, and its purpose and principles must be our guiding star for our future endeavors. Madam president, we are meeting against a backdrop of profound global tension. The world is fractured by conflict, displacement, and economic instability, instabilities, straining multilateral cooperation and a serious issue for us to reach consensus. A global liquidity crisis threatened to plug millions of people into poverty and insecurity. For Namibia, those crises are real. They impact our communities, tested the resilience of our ecosystem that needs urgent attention. In this context, the Southern Africa Development Community is committed to promoting peace, security, and stability in the Eastern DRC. Namibia welcomes the ongoing efforts by the AU, SADAC, and ACC to align the Rwanda and Nairobi peace process and encourage the continued strengthening of political and security aspect of the challenges faced in our region. We further call upon UN Security Council and good office of the UN secretary general to strengthen negotiation and peacekeeping initiatives towards resolutions of all conflict, including those in different parts of Africa. The impasse in the UN security over the question of Western Sahara is an injustice. More than thirty four years after the adoption of the resolution six nine zero of 1991. The time for the holding of the UN referendum on the right to self determination for the people of Western Sahara is now. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the Ezuwina consensus and the third declaration, which jointly constitute the common African position on the Reform of the UN Security Council, we acknowledge the support from all interested group for the Common African Position, which culminated in the recognition of Africa as a priority and a special case in the reform process as reflected in the outcome documents of relevant United Nation process, including the PEC for the Future, we can no longer delay the urgent call to re redress the historical injustice to Africa and address our call for equitable and balanced representation on the Security Council. Madam president, the charter for the United Nations has laid the foundation for condition necessary for peaceful coexistence and harmony among nations. Therefore, unilaterally cohesive measures should not be used as a tool to undermine sovereign state, for this violates the charter and the principle of the of the United Nations. In this regard, we call for an end to the continued illegal economic, financial, and commercial embargo imposed on the friendly people of Cuba and removing her from the least state sponsoring terrorism. We call for an end to the illegal sanction on Zimbabwe. We are also gravely concerned about the emerging threats against Venezuela and call for the removal of sanction and the threats against that country. Madam president, the UN Commission of Inquiry on the occupied Palestine territory, including Israel, Eastern Jerusalem, has just released its findings that indeed a genocide is being committed against the Palestine people. Despite the clear provision of the Security Council and General Assembly resolutions and advisory opinion rendered by the International Community of Justice, humanitarian situation in Gaza is worsening, and access to humanitarian aid is very limited. A failure to address the crisis in Gaza could become the moral failure that defined this era. We call on the UN Security Council to find consensus and help put an end to the lasting conflict between Israel and Palestine. Madam president, I call for a meaningful reform of the united nation has a call for the meaningful reform of the united nation has never been more urgent. This reform necessitated the democrat signed global governance, amplifying marginalized voices, and ensuring international law is not a tool for convenience, a shield for most vulnerable. As I conclude, I wish to reaffirm Namibia’s commitment to the international obligation and the multilateral order, respect for international law, is not just a legal duty. It’s a moral imperative. We must reaffirm our commitment to the principle that unites us, mutual respect, and peaceful resolution of dispute and solidarity in the face of common challenge. Let us remember that even the smallest nation have a voice. When those voices are heard and heeded, durable peace and justice will prevail. We have we have an obligation to make this our moment, not to to disappear, but renewal. We have the opportunity to restore hope to build a future defined not only by division, but by unity and preservation of human dignity, I thank you for your kind attention.

##The President of the General Assembly: [01:29:11] On behalf of the assembly, I wish to thank the president of The Republic Of Namibia. The assembly will now hear an address by his excellency, mister Mohamed Irfaan Ali, president of the copper Cooperative Republic of Guyana. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Guyana: [01:29:48] President, excellencies, distinguished delegates, friends, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to madam president on her election as president of the eightieth session of the United Nations General Assembly. I also record my profound appreciation for his excellency Philémon Yang of Cameroon, whose distinguished stewardship and steady hand guided the seventy ninth session. Today, as we mark the eightieth anniversary of the entry into force of United Nations Charter, we find ourselves at the crossroads. This organization, our organization has delivered From creating international law, promoting development and human rights, to resolving disputes, providing humanitarian aid, and advancing self determination and independence. The fact remains, over these eight decades, we have worked together for the greater good. From 51 member states in 1945 to a 193 today, the UN has established itself as the premier organization for multilateralism. In fact, it is difficult to imagine our world without the United Nations. However, as it is with anniversaries, we must reflect honestly and candidly where are we at 80. Conflicts are ranging are raging as geopolitical tensions intensify. Food insecurity is worsening. Displacement is growing. Human rights are being ignored, and climate change is threatening lives and livelihoods. Our sustainable development goals are imperiled by shrinking development and budget support. Spending on peacekeeping budgets is diminishing, and humanitarian costs are soaring. Meanwhile, global military spending in 2024 saw its steepest annual increase since the Cold War. President, the United Nations noble mission to maintain international peace and security will ring hollow if it allows power to triumph over principle and might to override right. In remaining faithful to its charter, United Nations must ensure that the survival and progress of humanity are not mortgage to the ambitions of the powerful. The collective will of our membership must be reflected in institutions and governance structure of the United Nations, including the Security Council. On this note, as we prepare to leave the Security Council at the end of this year, I want to thank our permanent representative and the team from Guyana for their ex for their exceptional work at the Security Council and their leadership. It is precisely when the ideals of the United Nations are tested by horrific realities that the collective must act in defense of the UN Charter and International Law. At present, a dark shadow looms over the eightieth session of the general assembly. Genocide in Palestine, annexation of Ukrainian territory, persecution of women in Afghanistan, humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan, brutal gang violence in Haiti, increased transnational organized crime, trafficking, and illegal immigration. All this as new challenges are emerging. Cybercrime, cyber terrorism, and the pandemic of misinformation and disinformation alongside the abuse of social media. President, whilst we reiterate our condemnation of the attacks by Hamas on Israel on 10/07/2023, and again call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. Israel’s action have long shattered any pretense of legitimate self defense. What we are witnessing is not warfare, but mass extermination, a systematic slaughter and displacement of Palestinian men, women, and children. Those who escaped the bombs and bullets are condemned to die slowly, starve of food, water, and hope. This is a war crime. The international community must not remain paralyzed while an entire people is annihilated. Impunity must never triumph over justice. We must take urgent action to halt the genocide, return the hostages, and accelerate our efforts towards the two state solution. We urge Qatar, Egypt, and The United States to continue their efforts in this regard. Further, the situation in Ukraine remains of utmost concern. Guyana reiterates it call for an urgent end to the Russia Ukraine war and reaffirms its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Equally, international community must act decisively in Haiti, where gang violence, displacement, and shortages of food and medicine have pushed the nation into deepening despair. Restoring security is the foremost priority, requiring strict enforcement of the arms embargo and robust support for a UN authorized mission. I emphasize that without urgent humanitarian funding and a Haitian led and own political process, stability will remain elusive. We must address the root causes of Haiti’s continuing troubles, including its historical debt burdens, which time uses development, prospects, upliftment of its people. As president Macron acknowledged, making Haiti pay for its independence was unjust. This is a welcome step. President, turning to my own country, Guyana is small and peaceful state. We have endured repeated threats and aggression from the Bolivarian Republic Of Venezuela. The territorial controversy between our states is now before the International Court of Justice, which has twice reaffirmed its jurisdiction and which in 2023 issued provisional measures ordering Venezuela to refrain from altering the status quo. Yet, Venezuela persists with unilateral laws and threats of annexation, flagrantly violating international law, the UN Charter, and the very principles that sustain global order. If the rights of a small state can be trampled upon and legally binding orders ignored, what protection remains for any nation under international law? Yet, Guyana continues to repose confidence in international law. For us, the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and noninterference are nonnegotiable. We’ll not cover to coercion, intimidation, or unilateral action. We thank our international partners and allies for their solidarity. President, at 80, the time has come for a frank conversation on Cuba, one that would lead to the prosperity of its people, optimizing the full potential Cuba offers to its people and the rest of the world. Central to this dialogue is a lifting of the embargo on Cuba and its removal from the list as a state sponsor of terrorism. Also important to our region is our collective effort against drug trafficking, human trafficking, and illegal migration. We support efforts by the international community to addressing these crimes that are destroying the lives of our people, especially young people. The region must continue to champion efforts to enhance democracy, promote good governance, and respect the will of the people in determining governments of their choice through free and fair elections. President, this year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing Decoration and platform for action. The decoration remains a blueprint for achieving gender equality, which despite transformative strides remain significantly unrealized in most parts of the world. In Guyana, the dividends of strategic investments in leadership and capacity building for women and girls are evident. More women have assumed leadership roles in government, in parliament, and in public and private sectors. We have achieved gender parity in education at all levels and advanced the socioeconomic empowerment of women through land and home ownership and diverse job opportunities in traditional and emerging sectors. To enable women to participate equally and competitively in the workforce, government is offering childcare support, which will include day and night care centers for children. President, survival of our people, our economies, our planet depends on accelerating action on the sustainable development goals. It requires a people centered approach that prioritizes ending poverty and hunger, ensuring protection of children, support for persons with disabilities, and empowerment of young people. Peace, stability, and sustainable development cannot exist in isolation from the urgent need to address climate change, which poses an existential threat to the most vulnerable and to our shared future. Ghana repeats the call for accelerated unified global action to limit global warming. We continue to match our words with actions, protecting our forests, investing in sea and river defenses, improving drainage and irrigation, and restoring mangrove ecosystems to protect our people, our land, our livelihoods, and our planet. Our low carbon development strategy 2030 demonstrates that economic growth and environmental stewardship can advance hand in hand. As a first country certified under the red plus environmental excellence standard and a successful seller of carbon credits, we are demonstrating that nature has tangible value and that innovation and responsibility can and must be rewarded. We call on the international community to deliver predictable, accessible climate finance, to support adaptation and resilience, and to embrace nature based solutions. We once again commend prime minister Motley and the Bridgestone initiative as the path towards sustainable financing for climate action. President, this year marks the tenth anniversary of the sustainable development goals. Yet, the slow pace of implementation and regression in many areas sung a stark warning that the promise of 2030 is at risk. Guyana calls for renewed global commitment to financing for development, including fulfilling official development assistance pledges, mobilizing domestic resources, and addressing the crippling debt burdens that hinder progress in many developing nations. Addressing these development challenges requires recognizing that the health of our ecosystems is inseparable from achieving the SDGs. Guyana proudly convened the inaugural global biodiversity alliance summit in Georgetown in July 2025, uniting over 140 countries, organization, community groups, indigenous leaders, scientists, and financial institutions. The Georgetown Declaration endorsed by this broad coalition of stakeholders sends a clear and urgent message that biodiversity is a global public good, and its protection must be woven into national development plans, climate strategies, and financial frameworks. Building on the global pledge to double protected areas by 2025 and achieve the 30 by 30 goal by 2030. The summit underscored the urgent need for innovative financing mechanisms, including biodiversity credit, green bonds, debt for nature swaps to fund nature’s protection. Guyana is actively exploring biodiversity credits to create sustainable income streams for forest communities building on our carbon credit success. We have signed a memorandum memorandum of understanding with the Yale Center for Biodiversity and Global Change to co develop a national biodiversity information system, a digital backbone for data driven conversation. Guyana is demonstrating that economic development and environmental stewardship can advance together by using natural gas as a bridge away from heavy fuel oil and investing in hydropower, solar, wind, and other renewables. We aim to lower electricity costs for our citizens and businesses while ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy. Guyana is pursuing an ambitious energy infrastructure and investment plan. While climate change is an existential threat, the reality is that the world still requires energy, an energy source from petroleum, the power growth and development for which there is growing demand. This is essential for the survival of our economies. AI and digitization are accelerating this demand at an extraordinary pace. As you’re aware, Ghana is quickly becoming one of the world’s largest energy producers per capita, carefully balancing its green footprint with energy production. We’ll use our vast gas reserves through a transformational gas to energy project. We’ll use this resource taking advantage of our strategic geographic location to establish an AI hyperscale data center. Large AI data centers are rarely found in similar sized territories. As such, implementing a project of this scale is of immense pride for Guyana. This investment will improve the competitiveness of our region, accelerate digitization, build out a fintech ecosystem, modernize the service delivery platform of government, and accelerate private investment, bringing new job opportunities. We recognize the indispensable nature of AI in our collective future. However, while there are immense benefit, there is no clarity on equity, access, and applicability. Regulations, ethical standards, and governance mechanisms are urgently needed. In this regard, we welcome the recent UN General Assembly decision to establish two global AI governance mechanism. President, I now turn to food security. Guyana is actively leading efforts to advance the Karicom Agri Food Systems agenda through vision 2030, aiming to boost food production, end hunger, and ensure food security across the Caribbean region. Our experience demonstrates that strategic investment and political will can transform national and regional food systems. Guyana calls for the transformation of global food systems to be more resilient, sustainable, and equitable by strengthening local production and reducing dependence on volatile market. Guayana stands ready to share its experience and partner with others to ensure nutritious food for all. As the United Nations commemorates its eightieth anniversary, let us recall that this organization was conceived not in comfort, but in crisis, forged from the ashes of war to serve as a conscience and compass of humanity. Eight decades later, that duty has not dimmed. It has only grown more urgent. If the UN is to remain humanity’s best hope, it must stand firm against aggression and remain fully engaged with the great question of our time. We must be bold in recognizing the necessity for institutional adjustments that will advance the organization’s success. Our generation will be our generation will be judged not by the eloquence of our decoration, but by the substance of our deeds. From the ruins of Gaza to the streets of Haiti, from cave to the drowning coast of small island states, the peoples of the world cry out for more than words. To honor eighty years of promise is to act with courage, to match principle with action, and to bind ourselves once more to the dream of a world united, not by fear or force, but by the shared destiny and enduring hope. I thank you, and may God bless all of our nations and all of our people. Thank you.

##The President of the General Assembly: [01:52:18] On behalf of the general assembly, I wish to thank the president of the Cooperative Republic Of Guyana. The assembly will hear an address by his excellency, mister Taneti Maamau, president and minister for foreign affairs and immigration of The Republic Of Kiribati. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Kiribati: [01:53:08] Madam president of the general assembly, head of states and governments, secretary general of the United Nations, excellencies, ladies, and gentlemen. In this holy name and on behalf of the government and the people of Kiribati, I extend our warm greetings to you all, I am honored to warmly congratulate you, madam president, on your election to preside over this historic eightieth session of the United Nations General Assembly, and I wish you every success as you guide these important deliberations. Madam president, we commend your team better together, eighty years and more for peace and development and human rights, reminding us of the enduring importance of multilateral cooperation in addressing global challenges. For Kiribati, it underscores the value of working collectively to advance peace, safeguard human rights, and promote sustainable development. Your excellencies, Kiribati welcomes the initiative of the secretary general to reform the United Nations for the challenges and realities of the twenty first century in order for it to respond more effectively to member needs, especially small island developing states or states, and the least developed countries, LDS. These countries are faced with unique and special circumstances that require targeted assistance and support from the UN. The Secretary’s General’s UN 80 initiative is a crucial step towards a more effective UN. In this context, we encourage reforms that remove duplication, improve efficiency and ensure that mandates most vital to vulnerable nations, such as climate action, sustainable development, and resilience, are protected and enhanced. Kiribati is proud. Since joining the UN, we have been contributing in our way to its mandates and its initiatives. On the international level, especially peace and security, Kiribati has actively supported the treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons, particularly in the implementation of article six and seven, efforts which we jointly coordinate with Kazakhstan. We fully support the United Nations push for a world free of nuclear weapons and now committed to addressing man made disasters like dumping of nuclear waste, radioactivity water wastewater discharges, and traversing of nuclear powered submarines and testing that pose great risk to our oceans’ fragile health. Advocating for a nuclear free ocean and the world should be backed by our commitment to peace and security. Guinea Biss has strengthened governance in the capital and is now working with the Outer Highlands to improve accountability, develop relevant initiatives, manage assets, and enhance customer service. These efforts are very essential for peace and security. Aligned with our K V Road K V 20 road map to transform Guinea Biss into a healthy, wealthy, and peaceful nation, we sent our police officers to support the UN peacekeeping missions. Kiribati also actively engages in social and cultural initiatives for peaceful living. Gospel Day, now celebrated across Kiribati, unites all faith based organizations to worship together, fostering respect, unity, and peace. We hope this approach promotes religious tolerance worldwide, making it a better place to live. Peace, security, and respect for The UN Charter are essential for sustainable development. Kiribati is committed to SDGs, emphasizing seats or small island developing states’ unique circumstances, Along with the other seats in the Antigua And Barbuda agenda for seats, a best, we aim for resilience, prosperity through technological and digital solutions. These innovations are vital to overcoming challenges from geographical isolation and limited economies of scale. While giving us as technological constraints, we see digital solutions as key to enhancing public services, education, commerce, and climate resilience. Kiribati face climate challenges, but it remains resilient. While some narratives claim our islands are sinking, we have traditional and modern strategies to adapt and thrive. Our efforts aligned with international climate goals focus on building resilience, protecting livelihoods, and preserving our culture. We urge global action to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and support frontline states to the loss and damage from. We welcome and commend the International Court of Justice in its landmark decision, giving its firm hope and assurance that Kiribati and other vulnerable countries will continue to exist in light of climate change impacts. This milestone demonstrates what the Blue Pacific can successfully achieve collectively, and that is to secure the full legal certainty and permanence of our marines maritime zones irrespective of the impacts of climate change. The multidimensional vulnerability index, the NBI, is particularly important for Kiribati as it captures the combined effect of economic, social, and environmental vulnerabilities that are not fully reflected in the income based measures alone. By incorporating the MBI into development planning and international support, countries like Kiribati can better access resources, build resilience, and implement effective strategies to achieve sustainable development despite our structural limitations. Kiribati’s ocean is vital for its identity, economy, and food security, protecting marine life, fighting legal fishing, and supporting the BB and NJ. Agreements are key to sustaining livelihoods and ecosystems. IOU fishing cost courses over US $600,000,000 annual loss, a moral and economic injustice that could fund universal childcare. Guided by the twenty fifty strategy for the Blue Pacific and recent ocean UN Ocean Conference outcomes, Kiribati believes these issues can be addressed through strong multilateral ocean governance based on the UN principles. Your excellencies, as part of Clifford Clifford’s efforts to support the global ocean commitments to protect and sustainably manage the marine resources, we have committed to increase the value of our tuna and maximize economic returns, and at the same time, ensure that this resource is protected for for our future generations to the parties of the Nauru agreement with the PNA. Access to sustainable and renewable energy is fundamental to advancing developments and resilience in the key best. Small island states and Pacific Islands Forum family at large. Access to sustainable development and renewable energy is fundamental to advancing developments and resilience in Kiribati as well as small island states and specific islands forum family at large. Kiribati is invest investing in clean energy techno technology technologies such as solar lights at household levels to reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels. We call for the enhanced international cooperation and financing to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy systems that are accessible, affordable, and climate resilience. Your excellencies, the role of education, youth, and women in building resilient communities is vital. Investing in quality education, promoting gender equality, and empowering young people are key to sustainable development, innovation, and social cohesion. We support initiatives that foster youth leadership and women’s full participation in the economic, political, and social spheres. Sports, culture, and traditional knowledge further boost community resilience, health, and belonging, supporting peaceful and sustainable societies. Health care in Kiribati faces challenges from the dispersed nature of the islands. To improve to improve, the governments will introduce sea ambulances and advance medical services to enhance capacity and reduce the need for overseas referrals. Your excellency’s equitable and predictable development financing is vital for Guinea BEST’s future. Reforming the international financial system, improving access to concessional finance, data sustainability, and bridging the digital divide are key to enabling states to meet their development goals. The Blue Pacific recognizes the challenge of accessing climate financing and supports the establishment of the Pacific Resilience Facility led and known by members with 162 US million dollars pledge to fund it. Guinea Biss highlights the importance of the DOA program of action for least developed countries, which mobilizes international support for the most vulnerable. We await the UN financing for development conference, hoping it it would provide concrete solutions to improve access to finance for those in need. These efforts are crucial for the less developing countries like Guinea Biss to build resilience and promote sustainable development. Guinea Biss reaffirms his belief in the fundamental principle of multilateralism as the cornerstone for addressing global challenges collectively. By embracing cooperation, solidarity, and multilateral engagements, we can shape a future in which all nations, particularly the vulnerable, can thrive and prosper. In this endeavor, we draw inspirations from the wisdom of our forefathers who taught us that work by working hard in resilience and peace, we can secure enough to prosper. This enduring principle guides Keeper’s approach to sustainable development, resilience, and multilateral engagement, reminding us that collective efforts and peaceful collaborations are the foundation of lasting progress. Allow me to close by bestowing upon the United Nations and all its members and all its staff our traditional blessings of the melody, the joy Azitabemoa, meaning abundant health, peace, and prosperity. I thank you, congressional.

##The President of the General Assembly: [02:08:47] On behalf the general assembly, I wish to thank the president and minister for foreign affairs and immigration of The Republic Of Kiribati. The assembly will now hear an address by his excellency, mister Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, president of The Republic Of Senegal. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Senegal: [02:09:27] Madame Lapresidon.President of the general assembly, colleagues, secretary general, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, president, on behalf of Senegal, wish to thank your predecessor and also extend to you our warmest wishes for success in your presidency of this, the eightieth session of the United Nations General Assembly. I would like to reiterate to the secretary general, mister Antonio Guterres, our constant support in the exercise of his noble mission to benefit member states. We are meeting today in this symbolic place of universal dialogue, aware that we carry the burden of history and the urgent nature of the task before us today. The theme of this session, better together, eighty years and more for peace development and human rights, reminds us indeed the founding pact of the United Nations. It is a pact of peaceful coexistence, collective security, and an international order based on the law. On this foundation, the United Nations has made undeniable progress in cooperation and solidarity to prevent conflict, promote international peace and security, and to settle disputes. Equally, significant progress has also been made in the codification of universal norms for the protection of human rights and to create a safer and more peaceful international order. But eighty years after the following the creation of the United Nations, the world is teetering again as if we had been caught in the same currents that dragged humanity into two major disasters in the space of one generation. We are in living in turbulent times. There are new challenges and multiple uncertainties, the spread of terrorism, old and new conflicts, climate change, far reaching economic crises, and falling international solidarity at a higher risk of the collapse of multilateralism. Not forgetting either the resumption of the arms race, including in cyberspace. The most concerning, of course, is the appalling dehumanization, a world that feels selectively according to geopolitical interests and stakes. There can be no justice based on law when what is taken to be the international order is governed by double standards, by the right of the mighty and a spirit of us versus them. In this worrying context, Africa remains confronted with armed conflict terrorism, particularly in the Sahel, cross border trans cross border crime and political instability. When faced with so many challenges, our approach should be an integrated one, one that combines prevention with resilience and a targeted response. Peace and security have a price. Let’s give ourselves the resources to afford them with predictable and sustainable funding of African peace support operations with suitable equipment and robust mandates and rules of engagement. That’s the only way of tackling the scourge of terrorism and of rebuilding a minimum level of security and stability in the areas affected. Here, I wish to reiterate Senegal’s solidarity towards our brotherly countries who are working day in, day out to fight terrorism. In The Middle East, the Palestinian people continue to live through the worst of tragedies. Now indescribable. Under the daily shower of bombs, lines all lines have now been crossed. We cannot stay silent nor look away because Gaza is no longer alive. Gaza, the land of blood, sweat, and tears, has become hell for thousands of souls of all ages trapped in an open air prison. Men, women, and children are in agony every day deprived of food, water, and health care. Senegal reiterates its strong condemnation of this tragedy that nothing can justify. In its capacities chair of the committee for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, Senegal believes that only the creation of an independent and viable Palestinian state will bring lasting peace for all parties, each of them within safe and internationally recognized borders. Ladies and gentlemen, 80 ago, the founding fathers of the UN committed, when they created the UN, to spare succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in The in a quarter of a century had caused could caused millions of deaths and ineligible suffering. On behalf of Senegal, I wish to pay tribute to those pioneers and all of those who have embodied the universal values of our organizations, often at the cost of their own lives. In this world in crisis, our principles and our actions must remain the same. Peace over conflict, justice over indifference, and partnership over struggles for power. But this is only possible if we have a strong and revitalized multilateralism to make a single framework for action in favor of peace, stability, dialogue, cooperation, and the peaceful settlement of disputes. For multilateralism to survive, it needs to rediscover its found its very foundations, shared responsibility and active proactive solidarity, the respect for international law and universal justice, in line with the statutes of the International Courts of Justice and the International Criminal Court. In addition, we also cannot ignore the need for reform of the global political, economic, and financial governance systems. The UN, through its universal vocation, must take the lead on this, on the deliberation to make deliberations and decisions more democratic, legitimate, and better representative of its member states. In 1945, there were 51 of them, and today, there are a 193. Here, I wish to retake the support of Senegal for the Islewini consensus, for fairer and more equitable representation of African countries at the Security Council. It is high time that the global economic and financial governance is more just and more inclusive for it to meet the real needs of funding to sustain development. We know full well that public aid is not the solution. Other tools exist. For example, an equitable global fiscal framework so that taxes are paid there where wealth in the place where wealth is produced. Access to credit on sustainable terms so that debt burdens don’t hinder development efforts in our countries. Finally, the implement the effective implementation of civil commitment, the path of the future, and the sustained development goals. To ensure better access to health care, water, food, education, energy, and the digital and digital technologies. Global heating also deserves our attention. It’s not simply a threat, but it is a an existential question. Reality that hits those who contributed to it least the hardest. Africa has only contributes 4% of global emissions. And, however, drought, flooding, coastal erosion, food insecurity are part and parcel now of the lives of our peoples. This is a double burden that has become in untenable. Senegal would reiterate would like to reiterate its commitment to the Paris climate agreement and calls for a just and fair climate transition through the use of available resources to ensure universal access to electric electricity and launch competitive industrial development. The fight against climate change will, of course, be done need significant funding for adaptation, simple improved access to climate funds, also guarantee guarantees for technology transfer. Senegal welcomes the creation of a loss and damage fund and calls for solid greater solidarity on an international level to replenish the fund so that operations in the field can be financed. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, faced with the emergency and urgent challenges and numerous challenges before us, we are not helpless. The world does have the necessary means to feed the hungry, to raise our children, to heal the sick, and to silence the guns. The real obstacle isn’t a financial or a technical or material one. It’s a question of political will. The will to make multilateralism a tool for collective solidarity, for cooperation over confrontation, the will to build a future where human dignity is at the heart of every decision we take. So at this, the eightieth anniversary of the United Nations, let’s not just state that the world order is tired, but let’s springboard for new hope, I hope for a more effective organization to benefit the people it represents. Senegal remains committed to work to this end with all members of the organization. We are ready to build bridges, to enact reforms, and to continue our common endeavor to build a world of peace, justice, and solidarity. I wish every success for the work of the eightieth session of the night the UN General Assembly, and I thank you for your kind attention.

##The President of the General Assembly: [02:21:18] On behalf of the General Assembly, I wish to thank the president of The Republic Of Senegal. The assembly will hear an address by his excellency, Peter Pellegrini, president of the Slovak Republic. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Slovakia: [02:21:55] Ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor to address this assembly to mark eighth anniversary of the United Nations on behalf of Slovakia. Indeed, it was Slovak Jan Papanek who was one of the 14 coauthors of the UN Charter. It proves that also small nation can be part of big things and to contribute to international peace order. This milestone invites us to reflect on the reality of the world that deeply concern all of us, including my country. Eighty years ago, humanity emerged from the darkest conflict in history. It claimed millions of lives, left entire regions in ruins. My country witnessed the holocaust, but also the courage to stand up to evil. A few days ago, I visited the Hiroshima Memorial, and it was a deeply moving experience and a painful reminder of the destruction in a single brief moment. All this teaches us important lessons of the past. Hiroshima and Nagasaki must be the last places where nuclear bombs were used. It obliged us to denounce any threats of nuclear destruction. It obliges us to work each day on keeping the world safe and peace. Peace has become the UN’s defining mission alongside the protection of human rights, sustainable develop development, and international law. To quote Slovak diplomat Jan Papanek, the success of the UN was my life’s goal because peace means progress for my nation nation and security for my homeland. This is the ambition that we, humanity, agreed to accomplish. The authors of the UN Charter saw the danger of unchecked hatred and extreme ideologies. They understood that the world needed a framework to ensure it wouldn’t slip into chaos again. The rules protected sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, as well as the resolution of conflicts by peaceful means and the prohibition of the use of force. Those were the foundations of a stable and just world. Eighty years ago, 51 founding states signed the charter, including my own. Roughly 80% of the world’s population and others followed. I take now the liberty to ask esteemed leaders how many would have the courage to sign the same charter today? How many would truly live up to its rules and obligations? Would we be even able to ride the charter in current post through societies? And what’s worse, the charter is openly questioned. The rule of the powerful and the use of the military force are returning as tools of policy. International law is being dismantled piece by piece, norm by norm. We see the mass proliferation of violations and their violators. But let us ask, where is this leading us? What will be the result? What will hold up the more unpredictable world? As as a small country in Slovakia, we believe that small countries must be smart and not only in times of confrontation. UN charter and the rules must prevail always the guardrails against the false notion of the right of might and the illusion of spheres of influence where external powers dictate the lives of other nations. I sincerely believe that both in the global North and our South, it is in the majority interest to uphold the world with the sovereign equality of nations, equal sovereignty for all. A world where the UN charter, the rules, and obligations remain the highest moral grounds and standards against which the action of states are judged. Esteemed leaders, peace is this the defining mission of the UN to which we committed eight years ago. Even so, the world is more violent today with dozens armed conflicts recorded last year. Today, the world is becoming a more dangerous place than it was before. Innocent people, elderly, children, and women suffer because of war. It is not an anomaly. It is a structural shift. This is the reality, ladies and gentlemen. The Security Council to which we have entrusted the greatest powers and special responsibility for maintaining peace cannot pretend that it’s succeeding. It’s failing. The war in Ukraine remind us daily how fragile peace is when the UN Charter is disregarded and international law is ignored as its neighbor, Slovakia, witnesses the immense cost of this war. Sadly, despite all efforts towards a peaceful settlement, Ukraine must defend itself against Russia. This is despite the groundwork for diplomatic talks being set at the US Russia summit in Alaska, despite the clear agreement that negotiations would soon continue with Ukraine being included. Ladies and gentlemen, instead, two weeks ago, the airspace of Poland, our neighbor and ally, was seriously violated by Russian drones, a fragrant violation of sovereignty, international law, and direct threat to shared Euro Atlantic security, equally as we saw it also in Estonia and Romania. I want to express my firm support and solidarity with our allies. The door open to negotiations should never be mistaken for weakness or an invitation to further violence. My country calls for to early peace. We call on commitment and concrete steps in line with the result of summit in Alaska. We continue to be ready to contribute to it and to support the guarantees ensuring the future peace that stands the test of time. In The Middle East, after the horrific act of terrorism, Israel has the right to defend itself. Hostages must return home. In Gaza, children and families do not feel safe anywhere, neither in hospitals nor in their temporary shelters. Esteemed leaders, the thin line between legitimate defense and unacceptable suffering is being painfully tested. We must allow access to humanitarian aid for those who need it. We hear the quest by Palestinians to have their own state, and I am proud that Slovakia does not need to make big gesture today because for more than three decades or three decades ago, we have recognized the right of Palestinian people to decide upon their faith. In Bratislava, we already have the embassy of the Palestine, and we believe in two state solution. But this is achievable only at the table by diplomatic means based on the will to live side by side as Palestine and Israel. Ladies and gentlemen, the world is changing at unprecedented speed. The triple planetary crisis and quick progress in artificial intelligence are moving far faster than we are able to react. Slovakia has been an active voice in both global climate debates and discussions on the artificial intelligence. I don’t want to sound doom and gloom. In fact, we must get ready for the new era, the unstoppable revolution. We need a responsible approach from all international institutions, the private sector, and also the governments. My country wants to contribute and to steer the debates and find solution by hosting all the actors at the summit on education and AI in Bratislava in our capital in November. Finally, at the UN’s 80, I want to return to the matter of how to make it fit for the next decade. To be diplomatic yet frank, in recent years, it has not always been in the best condition to meet its tasks. Its credibility has been reducing. Yet it would be unfair and incorrect to say it is irrelevant or incapable. Over the past eight decades, the UN has provided us a space to speak on equal footing and to be listened to. Enemies can meet here eye to eye. It has succeeded in a wide range of areas. There have been groundbreaking agreements in many fields, including human rights, disarmament, climate, and health. G seven, g twenty, BRICS, and other regional organizations with their own goals will never be able to fully substitute UN. However, the UN’s health cannot be a justification for disengagement. On the contrary, the situation calls upon us for reinvestment in this threat in its strength. It lies in our hands, member states, more than in the executive powers of the secretary general. UN reforms is desirable and, in light of the current financial situation, also indispensable. Reform of the Security Council is long overdue with representation of nations that better reflects the reality of the changed world. Slovakia welcomes the UN 80 initiative. It will be a difficult task, but we have a common goal. The UN must emerge from this as efficient and capable of having impact where it matters most in the field. Ladies and gentlemen, we have been called up upon by our citizens to fulfill our duties in very difficult times. We can no longer sweep issues under the rack or pass the bag. We must respond. Our steps will be measured, and we will be judged against it. Slovakia is ready to do its share also as a candidate for non permanent seat in the Security Council. Slovakia, a peaceful nation in Central Europe with multilateralism deeply in its DNA, we will always support international cooperation, a world based on rules with a strong UN in its heart in its heart. No child should be punished for being born in the wrong part of the world. Each child has the right to live in peace. Each child has the right for a decent life. It is our duty to make this real. Slovakia will do its part together with the nations that believe in peace and cooperation. We give this promise to the United Nations, and we give this promise to the future generations. Thank you very much.

##The President of the General Assembly: [02:34:33] On behalf of the General Assembly, I would like to thank the President of the Slovak Republic. The assembly will now hear an address by her excellency Hilda Heine, president of Republic Of The Marshall Islands. I request protocol to escort her excellency, and I invite her to address the assembly.

##Marshall Islands: [02:35:15] Madam president, mister secretary general excellencies, the Republic Of The Marshall Islands has a unique legacy with the United Nations, which reaches back to the creation of this organization eighty years ago. As a strategic UN trusteeship, it was the UN flag which flew first over our islands, and it inspired us to define our nation and speak up when we saw injustice. The UN was founded on a commitment to never again tolerate aggression to avoid the very kind of geopolitical tension or even future open conflict between superpowers now openly foretold today in my own Pacific Islands region and far beyond. At the time when international cooperation is in dire need, the very foundations of global order are now more uncertain than ever. My low lying Atoll nation bears witness to the sharpest edge of climate change, which the Pacific Islands Forum leaders have consistently defined as the region’s number one security threat. The scale of impact and the future of our youngest generations depends on whether global powers are working together. If I could find a louder alarm for the Pacific Islands than any than my words today, I would sound it. There is still time for action, but only urgent action at scale can reduce vulnerability across all key sectors and to strengthen the free and democratic nations which define our island region. We need the world to better understand that our security is linked to our fragility cutting across key indicators. We worry our institutions will not easily withstand future threats, whether if by rising seas or geopolitical competition. Madam president, during our decades as a UN trust strategic trusteeship administered by The United States, the UN Trusteeship Council remained an early and important platform for our voices and to tell the world where right live from wrong, but it fell short of its mandate. Today, our nation bears the legacy of 67 atmospheric nuclear tests between 1946 and 1958, which posed profound contemporary challenges. And while we acknowledge important actions by the former administering authority, The US, significant disagreements remains, including ultimate responsibility for what remains today. Our communities seek justice, a clean environment, and save return to their homes. Our marshal is pleas to the Trusteeship Council to stop nuclear testing were disregarded with assurances of our well-being, with two resolutions assuring our well-being in 1954 and 1956 remained the only instance in which a UN organ has ever so explicitly allowed nuclear to the nations. And the eventual result was a legacy burden of nuclear risk and exposure which has persisted for generations of human rights, environmental, and health challenges as addressed by UN Human Rights Council Resolution 57 stroke 26 and reported on by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and Special Rapporteurs on Toxics and Internally Displaced Persons. Today, the difficult lessons of our past should help drive international efforts to curb and end nuclear threats through any effective means. Rising global tension has only heightened nuclear risk. The Marshall Islands has recently become a signatory to the Rarotonga South Pacific nuclear free zone treaty, and we look we also look forward to completing timely ratification. It does not escape attention that the trusteeship council is due to meet this December. Seventy nine years after the first nuclear test was conducted in my country in 1946, the UN should now be capable of delivering a contemporary acknowledgment and apology for what took place in its name and under its flag and for not hearing the voice of our people when we told this body to stop. Perhaps after thirty four years since our admission as a member of this body in 1991, the appropriate UN organs can help to bring healing and closure over decisions which never should have been made. Madam president, the positive momentum for this year’s third UN Oceans meeting in Nice will be needed to demand a reordering of short term plunder against longer term benefit. The Marshall Islands stands firmly committed to safeguarding the health of our oceans, which are central to the livelihoods of our people. As a small island and large ocean nation, we are acutely aware of the threats posed by overfishing, unsustainable marine resource exploitation, and the escalating impacts of climate change. Our efforts are grounded in a vision of a healthy, resilient ocean ecosystem, which supports both ecological integrity and economic prosperity. As stewards of the Pacific Ocean, we urge the international community to take bold action to scale up efforts in addressing marine pollution, ocean acidification, and supporting small island developing states in strengthening our management capacity. The Marshall Islands joins 37 other nations who have already expressed their support for a moratorium on seabed mining in the high seas until there is a code with adequate safeguards and until we have a close understanding of impacts and biodiversity at stake. More political will is needed to break through a mentality of drill first, ask later before even assessing what is at stake, including the impacts on fisheries and marine food chains. We have enacted our own national ban on deep seabed mining permits, and as we move to document and manage Seamount biodiversity within our EEZ to our immediate north, high seas mining exploration threatens to expand into exploitation. As important an opportunity as seabed mining may become, it cannot be at the irreversible expense of our Pacific waters and vast fisheries. The Marshall Islands welcomes this week’s achievement of entry into force of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement early next year and looks forward to building a robust early architecture. Madam president, this year is the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement and the creation of the High Empation Coalition, which helped deliver the agreement’s 1.5 degree Celsius warming limit. A decade on, we stand on the verge of that threshold. The International Court of Justice has confirmed that international law demands all demands actions from all nations, whether signatories to the Paris Agreement or not. Its ruling was clear. There are binding obligations to prevent exactly the type of significant harm that we see today, and that will only worsen as temperature rise. The vast majority of countries are falling failing to meet their obligations. The International Court of Justice has now stated that international law demands action and stringent due diligence from all, that there are binding obligations to prevent exactly the type of significant harm we which we face. The ICJ also confirmed what the Pacific has always said. Once established, our maritime zones are fixed and that our state will will persist even as sea levels rise. Every country should have submitted its new climate target by February so that by now we would have a clear picture of what we what we must do to keep 1.5 degrees Celsius alive. Only 15 countries, including the Marshall Islands, did so by February, and only 32 have done so now. These plans must set out how countries will end the reliance on fossil fuels that holds our future hostage and replace them with the renewables that are better for our health, our economies, and our future. To thrive, we need billions in climate finance, particularly for adaptation and loss and damage. We’ve heard the promises, but promises don’t reclaim land in atolls nations like mine. They don’t develop mangrove defenses, shore up our hospitals and schools against rising seas, or preserve cultures steeply tied tied to land that is slipping under waves. Those things require money. It is past time for the rich world to meet its obligations and get money to where it’s needed most. As we approach COP thirty, we need all nations to deliver on promises to respond to the climate catastrophe. We must close the trillion dollar climate finance gap, particularly for adaptation. We must deliver stronger plans which show how we’ll end fossil fuels and halve global emissions in this decade. Excellencies, our sharp challenges are far ranging. Together with Pacific Island neighbors, we face one of the world’s highest burdens of noncommunicable diseases. Diabetes, heart disease, and other NCDs are now leading causes of premature death, straining our health systems, and undermining economic resilience. This crisis reflects both global inequities and local challenges, and it underscores the need for island driven partnership at scale so that our people can achieve basic human rights to dignity and health care. Madam president, as a small nation, events a half a world away are increasingly relevant upon our own shores. Starting with the 2014 occupation of Crimea, Russian aggression in Ukraine has lacked any basis in international law and has pushed the world deeper into global tension. Accountability must be applied to all. And while strong leadership is needed to help fairly resolve and address this difficult crisis, it must also closely and directly involve Ukraine itself. And while the Pacific Islands are halfway across the world, we should have a very direct interest on how small and vulnerable democracies are treated in the footsteps of larger powers. Madam president, a more effective UN Security Council is needed to meet modern challenges. The Marshall Islands considers Japan and India, among others, to meet objective consideration as permanent members of the UN Security Council. Madam president, the island nation of Taiwan has been repeatedly excluded from important international engagements throughout the UN system despite its role as an important partner to the Marshall Islands and the world in the SDGs, in technical cooperation, and in promoting regional peace. UNCA resolution two seven five eight has been repeatedly and falsely portrayed as a consensus on a one China UN law. Never has there been such gaslighting in this institution. While this resolution does address who sits behind a nameplate at the UN, it does not confer or justify any basis for caution or seizing sovereign control of an independent democratic nation. The UN secretariat should further end discriminatory practices against Taiwanese passport holders, including journalists, and all member states should understand that these and other politically influenced practices where resolution twenty seven fifty eight is misrepresented will never be justification under international law for military invasion or coercive acts again tie against Taiwan. Madam president, in 1961, United States president John f Kennedy addressed this hall and said of the UN that, quote, either it will grow to meet the challenges of our age or it will be gone with the wind, without influence, without force, and without respect, unquote. It described the UN as two forces. One is composed of those who are trying to build the kind of world describes described in articles one and two of the charter. The other, seeking a far different world, would undermine this organization in the process. Madam president, the threat of nuclear war that confronted the world in 1961 remains today, though now at an even greater scale. When president Kennedy spoke in 1961, climate change wasn’t as widely understood. Today, we are confronted with a range of deep risks, any one of which does not bode well for the future of this world, let alone taken together. The hope for our youngest and future generations is in the profound vision of nations committed to peace and multilateralism. I thank you all.

##The President of the General Assembly: [00:00:03] The assembly will now hear an address by his excellency,  Denis Sassou Nguesso, president of The Republic Of The Congo. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Congo: [00:00:54] Madam President of the General Assembly, secretary general of the United Nations, heads of state, and government, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, it is with solemnity and also with my faith intact in the ideals of the United Nations that I speak to you today. We have gathered here at a time of upheaval, at a time when our collective responsibility has never been so great. We are living in a period that is characterized by increased tensions, by multiple threats and deep divisions, and yet never has the world been so in need of unity cooperation and dialogue. What is at stake here is not only peace or development. Indeed, it is the very future of multilateralism and of this precious humanity that all of us share in common. Eighty years ago, in the wake of the horrors of the Second World War, the founders of the United Nations met and came together with the firm intention of crafting a fair and sustainable international order. They dreamed of a world where cooperation and solidarity would be the most important words, a word a world where diplomacy and dialogue would replace violent conflicts. Their plans were ambitious. They remain fully relevant. The United Nations was founded upon a foundation of two major principles. International solidarity, that is the belief that the destiny of nations is in inextricably intertwined with that of others, and that only a collective effort can allow global challenges to be overcome. Multilateralism or the acknowledgment that every nation, be it great or small, must have a place, a voice in international affairs, and that only collective action can guarantee a lasting peace. Regrettably, eighty years after its inception, our organization faces a disturbing resurgence of armed conflicts the world over. In so many places, the language of weapons has won out over good sense and diplomacy. This is the failure of our collective promise that of forging a world free from the scourge of war. It is also the sign of a weakened international system, sometimes a powerless international system faced with the logic of confrontation. Today, we must reaffirm the primacy of law in international affairs and the need for a global order that is based not only on the force of weapons, but on established rules and rules that are shared in common. The United Nations must once more become an effective tool for conflict prevention and mediation. As an actor committed to peace and justice that works for friendship among all the peoples of the world, The Congo supports peaceful coexistence, reciprocal tolerance, and mutual understanding. This is why in The Middle East, my country is a staunch supporter of the two state solution, an Israeli and Palestinian state living side by side in peace. In The Caribbean, my country will continue to support the Cuban people exhausted by decades of an embargo, which is today incomprehensible. Trade tensions, technological and geopolitical tensions among great powers, which we are witnessing today, are clearly fragmenting our world and fueling distrust among nations. They are weakening international chains of solidarity, and they are undermining our capacity to tackle together the great global challenges with serious repercussions for the economies of developing countries.This is illustrated, inter alia, by instability on the markets, by increasing commodities prices and through recurrent disturbances in supply chains. Now as understandable as it may be, economic competition must not transform into systemic confrontation. One of the greatest successes of the United Nations was undeniable was undeniably establishing a sound platform for cooperation among nations. But today, this multilateralism is under threat by national egotism and by unilateral policies, which are a source of harmful diplomatic crises. This tendency needs to be rolled back. This is because the global challenges that we face, in particular climate change, pandemics, and food insecurity, require a global response that shows solidarity, coherence, and which is concerted. The Republic Of The Congo firmly believes that a stronger and a more effective United Nations is the crucial condition for preserving peace and guaranteeing sustainable development. Hence, we call for a reform of its bodies starting with its security council. This so as to make these bodies more representative, more transparent, and closer to the realities of our world. One can see clearly that the Security Council, in its current composition, does no longer reflect the geopolitical balance of our world. Thus, the urgent need to reform it, not in theory, but in practice. Africa cannot remain marginalized. This is a continent with more than 1,400,000,000 residents. It is a continent of the future of the youth, of potential for which today we need to ensure full and complete participation in global decision making. I wish to state forcefully, Africa deserves permanent representation on the United Nations Security Council. Not as the beneficiary of a favor, but as a legitimate partner. This is the solemn call that The Republic Of The Congo wishes to sound from this high rostrum. We must invent a smarter multilateralism and more effective multilateralism, one that is closer to the aspirations of the people and one that is more representative of the realities of the twenty first century. This multilateralism also needs to be made manifest through concrete acts, through tangible results, and through sustainable solutions. The peoples of the world will not judge us by our speech, but rather by what we succeed in accomplishing together. Madam president, ladies and gentlemen, there can be no lasting peace without development, and the opposite is true as well. Poverty, inequality, youth unemployment, exclusion, This is the ground that produces frustration, instability, and violent extremism. We must honor our commitments for the financing of these sustainable development goals and put an end to the machinery that strangles vulnerable economies, such as unsustainable debt Mhmm. Or unfair trade rules. International solidarity remains vital to allow for developing countries to successfully to successfully weather their transition toward a more prosperous future. This is the reason why we need to invest massively in education, in health, agriculture, infrastructure, new technologies, artificial intelligence, enter alia. The climate is a very very big challenge today. It goes beyond all borders, beyond all divisions, and beyond all ideologies. It is already striking our cities, our countrysides, and our ecosystems. It is exacerbating conflicts, destroying cultures that have been around for millennia, and it is compelling entire families to tread the path of exile. Faced with this, we don’t have the right to act in scattershot fashion. We need to close ranks with solidarity and with resolve. This means respecting the commitments of the Paris Agreement. It means massive support for the adaptation of the most vulnerable countries, and it means a deep transformation of our means of production, consumption, and financing. This is the opportunity to hail the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the resolution on the global decade for forestation and reforestation, which my country initiated as one of these solutions conducive to making inroads in our common struggle to preserve the environment and to mitigate the ravages of climate change. The climate must not become a new factor that divides the North and the South. It must be a factor for global unity, a means of solidarity throughout the planet, and a vehicle for shared hope. Madam president, ladies and gentlemen, at a time when the nations of the world face serious challenges, some of these challenges are clearly existential in terms of their repercussions. And now something new and disturbing is unfolding, an arms race. Global military spending today has reached record levels even while millions of human beings live in extreme poverty with reduced access to drinking water, reduced access to quality education, and primary health care. Disarmament treaties have been called into question while the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear weapons, is becoming again a central concern.This is a dangerous slide in every way. It is not making our world any safer. Quite the contrary, it is exposing the world to the most serious jeopardy, including the risk of a generalized conflagrate conflagration, which could raise rage out of control completely. Faithful to its commitment to peace and international security, The Republic Of The Congo reiterates its call for global disarmament. The time has come for all of us to invest in searching for solutions that strengthen our collective security, stability, and the prosperity of all peoples. This instead of fueling the vicious and destructive cycle of conflicts and violence. Madam president, ladies and gentlemen, in this unstable world, many people are in doubt today. Many people are asking questions. They’re asking, is the United Nations still useful? Is the United Nations still good for anything? For them, I wish to respond from this high rostrum and say clearly, Yes. The United Nations is crucial, but provided one condition is met, namely that the United Nations succeeds in evolving, in reforming itself, in moving closer to the people, and provided it responds concretely to the myriad challenges of the present moment. We are not condemned to war, to retreat, and to distrust. We still have the choice, the choice of courage, solidarity, responsibility. Therefore, together, united in diversity, let us bring to life the founding promises of our organization, namely peace, dignity, and progress. Us not allow history to be made without us. I thank you.

##The President of the General Assembly: [00:21:50] Of the the assembly, I wish to thank the President of The Republic Of The Congo. Now the Assembly will hear an address by his Excellency Anthony Albanese, prime minister of the Commonwealth Of Australia. And I request the protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Australia: [00:22:25] Eighty years ago, the people of our nations came together and put their trust in each other’s humanity, an act of faith all the more extraordinary when we recall the devastation that still gripped the world. Yet out of the grief and ruin of war, that generation found the courage, the wisdom, and the compassion to work together for a better peace. To build a world governed by rights and rules, not fear or force, where the sovereignty of every nation is respected. Respected, the essential dignity and equality of every man, woman, and child upheld, and where the shared mission and purpose of the United Nations is not merely to contain the threat of war, it is to create the conditions for peace, to provide a framework for settling our disputes, to foster the dialogue that enables us to manage our differences and deepen our understanding, and to nourish the opportunity, build the prosperity, and deliver the economic justice on which true and enduring security always depends. If, eighty years ago, this task had been entrusted to the great powers alone, then in all likelihood, we would not be gathering here today. Instead, history would note the United Nations as little more than a noble experiment. The reason this institution has endured is because it belongs to all of us, because it has been built and shaped by all of us. And it is up to all of us to bring new strength to the United Nations enduring mission, to renew our commitment to the principle that peace is both our common cause and our collective responsibility. The creation of the international rules based order owes much to the postwar leadership of The United States Of America. For the region Australia calls home, that stability has underpinned a generational economic transformation. But we cannot ask and should not expect any one nation to uphold the rules or guarantee the security on which all of us depend. We all have a role in making sure that the system, which has enabled the rise of new powers, safeguards the rights and aspiration of every nation, big and small. For Australia, this means investing in our capabilities and investing in our relationships, investing in development, in defense, and in diplomacy, to strengthen the security of our region, to support the sovereignty of our neighbors, and to contribute to the cause of peace beyond the Indo Pacific. We promote unity in the Pacific Islands Forum. We are deepening our engagement with ASEAN and elevating our partnership with Indonesia, India, The Republic Of Korea, and Japan. And we are breaking new ground with old friends in The United Kingdom, the European Union, and our principal ally, The United States. Because we see mutual understanding, shared prosperity, and economic cooperation as the most powerful counterpoints to confrontation, to isolation, or conflict. Wars are often started by countries who imagine there is something to gain. The more we can do to reinforce the architecture of peace and prosperity, the more we remind nations of everything everything they stand to lose. Colleagues, whenever a head of government speaks to this assembly about prosperity or security, they will always be met with calls for that work to begin at home. Part of our job is demonstrating to the people that we serve that what happens in the world matters to them. That when we cooperate to enhance security, contribute to alleviating poverty, or commit to protecting the natural environment, when we support the agency of forums such as the g twenty or APEC, or invest in diplomatic partnerships like the Quad, None of this means setting our national interests or our people’s values aside. It means working to fulfill them. The United Nations is much more than an arena for the great powers to veto each other’s ambitions. This is a platform for middle powers and small nations to voice and achieve our aspirations, and that is why Australia is seeking a place on the UN Security Council in 02/2930. And it is why we are bidding to cohost the thirty first conference of the parties with our Pacific family. Nations for whom climate change is more than an environmental challenge. It is an existential threat. This is a place for the global spotlight to shine on suffering and struggles that might otherwise be forgotten, and for the international community to work together to advance our shared interests and to tackle challenges we cannot meet alone. In 02/2025, we are confronted by all manner of these challenges in old forms and new. Dictators whose hold on power derives solely from their capacity for cruelty to their own citizens. Tyrants who invade sovereign nations to further their own ambitions. Ambitions. Regimes willing to crush their own people beneath the weight of oppression. Autocracies deploying new technology to undermine our trust in democracy, institutions, and each other. Intimidation and coercion on the seas and in the skies, endangering lives and risking escalation. Terrorists and states which sponsor terrorism spreading hatred. And if ever we had the luxury of imagining that breaches of international law were not our concern or the conflict and turmoil in another part of the world could not affect us, those days are long gone. Just last month, Australian security agencies confirmed that the Iranian regime orchestrated the firebombing of a synagogue in Melbourne and a Jewish restaurant in Sydney. Criminal acts of cowardice aimed at spreading fear. We expelled the Iranian ambassador from Australia, the first time since the second world war that our country has taken such a step. And here at the United Nations, we repeat to the world, there is no place for antisemitism. Colleagues, it is not the Australian way to try and impose our values on other nations. But when we deal with the world, we bring our values with us, and we strive to back our words with actions. Australia helped to draft the United Nations Charter, and we were part of the first peacekeeping operation under UN authority, proudly supporting independence for Indonesia. As an economy engaged in the fastest growing region of the world in human history, Australia champions the benefits of free and fair trade, and we work to strengthen it by advocating for working people to share in the prosperity that trade creates through better wages, safer workplaces, and the elimination of exploitation and modern slavery, and by supporting the security of communications and maritime travel that make trade possible through the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, including in our region and the South China Sea. And as a proud member of the Pacific family, as a continent home to some of the greatest natural treasures on the planet, and as a nation blessed with the traditional resources, critical minerals, skills, and sunlight and space to power the global shift to net zero. Australia is acting to meet the environmental challenge of climate change while working to seize and share the economic opportunities of renewable energy. We will meet our 2030 target of 43% emissions reduction on 2005 levels. And last week, we set our target for 02/1935, cutting emissions by 62 to 70%. We are honoring our commitment to the Paris Agreement and its goal of keeping global temperatures below dangerous levels. Our target is ambitious, but importantly, it is achievable. And more than anything else, Australia’s embrace of clean renewable energy will get us there. Clean energy can carry the world beyond the false choice between economic growth and environmental responsibility because clean energy enables the rapidly growing economies of the Indo Pacific to industrialize and decarbonize at the same time and to continue lifting their people’s living standards while lowering their nation’s emissions. Colleagues, as one of the world’s oldest democracies and one of the first where women could vote in elections and stand for parliament, Australia knows societies and economies are stronger when they draw on the talents of all of their citizens. Indeed, it was a great Australian, Jesse Street, one of just eight women among the 850 delegates who gathered in San Francisco in 1945, who insisted that the UN Charter make specific mention of sexual discrimination. Because she said, where the rules are silent, women are not usually considered. That is why Australia proudly works to promote education, economic opportunity, and empowerment women and girls around the world. As the home of the world’s oldest continuous culture, we honor the knowledge and resilience of indigenous people everywhere. And as a country strengthened and enriched by the hard work and aspiration of people drawn from every faith and tradition on earth, we stand against discrimination and prejudice everywhere. As a people who believe that kindness is an act of courage, we wanna see aid workers delivering food, water, and medicine to conflict zones protected. And this week, Australia and our partners launched the declaration for the protection of humanitarian personnel. And I thank the more than 100 nations that have already endorsed the declaration. And as a nation that knows security depends on sovereignty, Australia stands with the courageous people of Ukraine in their struggle against Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion. We share the resolve of every member of the coalition of the willing to secure peace on Ukraine’s terms. It is the nature of the world the United Nations serves that this institution is constantly tested. In times of global uncertainty, there are no easy days, but there are clear choices. If the United Nations steps back, we all lose ground. If we give people reason to doubt the value of cooperation, then the risk of conflict becomes the default option, which grows. If we allow any nation to imagine itself outside the rules or above them, then the sovereignty of every nation is eroded. If we resign ourselves to the idea that war is inevitable or relegate ourselves to the status of disinterested bystanders. If our only response to every crisis is to insist that there is nothing we can do, then we risk being trusted with nothing. We risk a world where dialogue and diplomacy are viewed as a dead end rather than the vital road to understanding, where cooperation to meet new challenges facing humanity yields to all differences of race or faith or ethnicity, and where people beset by conflict, poverty, or inequality come to look on this assembly as little more than a final resting place for good intentions. All of us, to belong to this institution, understand that this is not the case. But knowing that or saying it is not enough. We have to prove it, not by pointing to longevity or appealing to history, but by reforming the United Nations so that it can serve us better in the present and by working together to shape the future. Because while eighty years is a significant milestone, the true value of the United Nations is not counted in decades. It is measured in deeds, in actions that make a positive difference to people’s lives. That is how the UN proves its worth and makes its case by delivering food to villages in the grip of famine, by providing vaccines that spare families from disease, by bringing clean water to a community on the brink, by helping countries break the shackles of poverty, by liberating children from exploitation or abuse, by guarding against the spread of nuclear weapons, and working for a world free of nuclear weapons, By demonstrating that the principles on which the United Nations was founded still hold life and weight and meaning and hope for the people who need the most, and nowhere is that task more urgent than the Middle East. For decades, leaders have come to this podium in search of new words and new ways to call the world to action on a two state solution. Today, I look to words that Australia helped write eighty years ago. Australia is calling for a ceasefire, for the immediate release of the hostages, for aid to flow to those in desperate need and for the terrorists of Hamas to have no role in Gaza’s future. And this week, Australia recognized the state of Palestine because, to quote from the charter that forms the very foundations of this institution and reflects the very best of its idealism, we are determined, quote, to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom. And for these ends, to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors. That was right eighty years ago, and it’s right today. Every nation that takes a seat in this room has put its name to those principles. Peacekeepers and aid workers from all over the world have risked and lost their lives in the service of those ideals. So we must ask ourselves when can those words hold meaning if not now? Where can those words apply if they do not apply to the Middle East? And what can we, the members of the United Nations, say we stand for if we cannot say we stand for this? There is a moment of opportunity here. Let us seize it. Colleagues, in the early days of this assembly, Papua New Guinea was considered an Australian territory. And last week, that proud nation celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of its independence. And soon, Australia’s nearest neighbor will become our newest ally. Times change, nations and regions change with them, but the ideals and imperatives that built this place are timeless. More than ever, we must trust in each other’s humanity. More than ever, we must choose to succeed together rather than risk failing alone. More than ever, we must work to see the promises of this place deliver real progress for the people that we serve. More than ever, we must work to build a future true to the United Nations’ noble purpose and worthy of our people’s greatest qualities. We all have a part to play, and Australia, just as we always have, will always play our part. I thank you very much.

##The President of the General Assembly: [00:41:32] On behalf of the Assembly, I wish to thank the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia.The assembly will now hear an address by his excellency, mister Faustin Archange Touadera, head of state of the Central African Republic. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Central African Republic: [00:42:19] Madam president Of the general assembly, majesties, excellencies, heads of state and government, mister United Nations secretary general, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, it is with a profound sense of responsibility that I take the floor on behalf of the people of the Central African Republic as our organization marks its eightieth anniversary. This anniversary reminds us of a simple truth. Our destinies are intertwined. Humanity is one and indivisible. Our peoples can only prosper if peace is secured, if development is shared, and if human dignity is guaranteed for all. Eighty years after the founding of the UN, the world is confronted by an unprecedented accumulation of threats, protracted wars, geopolitical rivalries, rising terrorism, and organized crime, climate crisis, humanitarian relief, and food security crises that are unprecedented. Not since the Cold War have we witnessed such fragility. In Europe, the war in Ukraine continues to cause immense human suffering and to undermine global stability. In The Middle East, the persistent violence between Israel and Palestine plunges entire generations into grief and undermines the prospects for peaceful coexistence. In Africa, the crises in Sudan, in the East Of The Democratic Republic Of The Congo, in the Sahel, and in the Horn Of Africa. Recall the fragility of the equilibrium that we have struck and the urgency for enhanced support for prevention and the peaceful settlement of the disputes. Faced with these tragic situations, the Central African Republic Republic proposes the strengthening of the United Nations mechanisms for preventive diplomacy through the creation of a global conflict prevention fund financed by the major powers and administered transparently. Such a fund should make it possible at the earliest warning signs of a crisis to finance good offices missions, international mediation, and the deployment of rapid intervention, credible peacekeeping forces. Likewise, we must systematize the creation of regional coalitions of mediators able to act alongside the United Nations to prevent local disputes from degenerating into open warfare. Madam president, if we wish to grasp the gravity of the moment, let us look particularly at Africa. In 2025, more than 40% of the world’s armed conflicts are taking place on the African Continent. The Sahel alone accounts for thousands of victims every year and millions of displaced people. One single figure is enough to summarize the urgency here. In certain African regions, one child in two lives in a conflict affected area. How can we speak of the future when half of a generation is threatened by war? From the Central African Republic, we know that our own stability affects that of the whole of Central Africa. We also know that peace is never permanent, but always to be forged with patience and solidarity. To mitigate the harmful effects of climate change, we call for an integrated African mechanism for food and climate security, supported by the United Nations, to break the link between resource scarcity and conflict. We call for structural, sustainable financing of peace operations in Africa, based on mandatory contributions rather than voluntary ones. We affirm that peace must be inclusive. It must guarantee the participation of women and young people. Without security, there can be neither prosperity nor the effective enjoyment of human rights. Faced with the conflicts and humanitarian crises that have sorely tested our world, we must collectively recall the normative force of the United Nations Charter. This founding text which, in 1945, embodied the hope of a world free of the scourge of war. Yet today, eighty years later, the question arises: Is the UN still capable of fulfilling that mission? The proliferation of conflicts, the fragmentation of the world into antagonistic blocs, The overuse of the veto and the paralysis of the Security Council give the impression of an organisation that is running out of steam. Yet, it isn’t the UN that is weary. It is those it is the member states, which through a lack of political will obstruct its action. Yes, madam president. The UN can still carry weight in the Concert of Nations, but on one condition. That is that we, its members, choose consensus over division, unity over deadlock. I commend and encourage the sustained efforts of the international community to promote peaceful outcomes to the various conflicts. For each day that passes prolongs the agony of the innocent and weakens global peace. In Africa, particularly in Sudan, unresolved conflicts are tearing apart a sister people and risk transforming our continent into a mosaic of fragmented states, unable to ensure stability or meet the needs of their citizens. This prospect is unacceptable. Africa calls for urgent mobilization. Not to further militarize our land, but to invest in peace, mediation, and inclusive dialogue. It’s for this reason that my country supports the Quad declaration initiated by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates, and The United States Of America concerning the restoration of peace and security in Sudan. In my own country, the Central African Republic, we’ve chosen the path of dialogue.The policy of reconciliation has led to restored trust and the self disbandment of almost all the group armed groups. This choice is not an easy one. It would have been simpler to give in to the logic of weapons, but we preferred the boldness of forgiveness, patience, dialogue, the force of consensus, our experience shows that it is possible to substitute a dynamic of sustainable peace to a cycle of hatred. The Central African Republic, which was once considered as a place of violence, is today is an example that it is possible to bring about a return of p of peace instead of war. Thanks to restored peace, we are today preparing, for general elections in December 2025 that we want to to be democratic, inclusive, and transparent to consolidate the democratic consolidation of the country that was began in 2016. We think that this model can be studied and strengthened as an example of African good practices in the framework of the United Nations and the African Union. This example of good practice requires courageous political action, reforming the UN, reforming the world financial architecture, establishing a global prevention fund, strengthening the role of regional organizations, mobilizing major powers, not to divide, but to unite. The Central African Republic, based on this valuable experience, is ready to share its experience in building a world order based on justice, human dignity and respect for international law. But peace cannot suffice without development. The February agenda for sustainable development remains our road map. We are working to reduce poverty, to strengthen food security, to promote education and health care as levers to bolster dignity, to implement reforms for an inclusive growth that creates jobs and respects the environment. The Central African Republic today has come here to affirm our simple conviction that sustainable development and international cooperation are essential for world peace. In a world where crises follow each other seem to replace one after the other. No country can take up the challenges of the century alone. We need active solidarity. We need truly shared prosperity. We need a true upsurge in humanity. For this upsurge in humanity, madam president, allow me to deliver three simple but essential messages. First of all, inclusive development is a weapon of prevention. Wherever there’s exclusion, poverty and injustice, anger takes root, resentment accumulates and conflicts break out. But where wherever, we invest in education, health care and employment, it is in fact the, the seeds of peace that are planted. An open school is not merely school desks behind which there are students, but rather it’s a society that chooses for the future instead of violence. A job that’s created is not simply an income. It is a dignity of an entire family that is preserved, that once again believes in peace. Secondly, international cooperation is essential. Our challenges disregard borders, climate, pandemics, migrations, markets, all this exceeds the capacity of a single isolated state. No wall, no closed door, no barriers can lastingly protect against the storm, a virus, or the despair of those who migrate. The only protection is collective action. It is multilateralism. Thirdly, sustainable development is also a moral debt that we have towards our children. Will we leave them a planet that is that that is in an environmental that is an an environmentally unsustainable? Will we condemn them to to this as they begin their life as adults, or will we leave them a world that is more just, more green, more more dignified? This is the choice that awaits us. Madam president, for a world that is more just, the Central African Republic would like to chart a path of hope by, sharing three, suggestions that are not simply technical proposals, but rather an entire choice of civilization. First of all, we need to imagine a global initiative for the rebuilding of the most fragile states in a world that leaves some of its members shattered. We cannot claim to seek universal peace. Nations broken by conflicts must not be left alone to heal their wounds. They need the international community to help them get back on their feet, to support them, to restore their their trust. Investing in institutional reconstruction, it means refusing the endless cycle of war and despair. Now this institutional this rebuilding of institutions must must be followed by a powerful commitment to our planet. This is why we call for a UN, pact for the protection of critical ecosystems, a pact that links climate by diversity and human rights. Destroying a forest not only means cutting down trees, it means, erasing cultures. It means threatening lives and paving the way for future crises. Protecting nature is protecting peace. Lastly, the time has come for for ambitious dreams for Africa. That is the the idea behind a green corridor, a development corridor in Central Africa, which brings together modern infrastructure, clean energies and regional integration. From Bangui to Kinshasa, from Dwala to Liberville, this corridor would be a bridge between our peoples and a promise of the future for all of humankind. Because Africa is not a continent that needs simply help, but it’s a a it’s a continent that is awaiting a courageous partnerships. The role of Africa in the in the community of nations must be respected, sovereignty rather than subordination, partnership rather than exploitation. It is unacceptable that poverty is worsening in Africa while rich while wealth is accumulating in the northern countries. It’s time for the injustice has caused Africa to be repaired. That is why the Central African Republic supports the Pan African initiative on reparations as well as the efforts of the continent aimed at establishing a respectful and equitable dialogue with partners. Along these lines, my country supports the initiative for global governance launched on the September 1 by China, and that is continuation of global initiatives for development, security and civilization, stressing the need for the development of a more just and more equitable system of international governance. Madam President, we all agree on the principle of sustainable development. However, two obstacles stand in that way: financing and the distribution of responsibilities between the North and the South. On these two points, it is time for us to speak the truth. Each one should bear the burden based on their historic responsibilities, because solidarity is not a moral option. It is a political obligation. That political obligation implies that sustainable development is the very condition of our of our common future. The Central African Republic, in spite of its modest means, but strong with its unshakable political determination is ready to take its place in this collective combat. We know that we’re vulnerable. However, we also know that our vulnerability gives us a a single voice, a voice that reminds the world that peace, justice, and solidarity are not mere far off promises, but rather urgent choices to be made here and today. On this eightieth anniversary, this the Central African Republic reaffirms its unshakable, attachment to the values embodied by the United Nations. However, we would like to underscore that these values cannot be ensured without a a profound reform of the multilateral system, and in particular of the United Nations Security Council. Its current composition has become obsolete and even illegitimate. Eighty years ago, when the United Nations was born, Africa was not free. Most of our countries still were living under, colonial control. Our voice did not count at the time. Today, Africa is a 400,000,000 inhabitants. In thirty years, there’ll be 2,500,000,000. One human being in four will be African. Africa will be the youngest continent and the one that will be will play decisive role in throughout the century, and yet not a single permanent seat in the Security Council belongs to Africa, not not a single one. How can we speak of, international justice and security when the continent of tomorrow is treated as though it was the continent of the past. The Central African Republic brings to you the voice of Africa to say enough. Africa must have two permanent seats with the right to veto, not as a favor to it, but as as as a measure of justice, not as a privilege, but as a need. We propose also the establishment of a global charter for digital governance and ethical artificial intelligence so that human rights are protected in the digital sphere. We call on the establishment of a a global index of equity and democratic resilience in addition to GDP to measure dignity, to measure justice and inclusion. My country is already acting within its means. We have valid validated our third national report on resolution thirteen twenty five, women, peace, and security. We have updated our our follow-up plan of Beijing plus 30. We’re strengthening national accountability mechanisms to put women, young people, the most vulnerable at the heart of public policies. On this eightieth anniversary of the UN, let us recall the vision of its founders to to substitute the force of the powerful by the force of law and to build a future of dignity for all. Thank you very much.

##The President of the General Assembly: [01:03:23] I thank the president of the Central African Republic. Now the assembly will hear an address by his excellency, Andry Nirina Rajoelina, president of The Republic Of Madagascar. I request kindly the protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly. Madam president.

##Madagascar: [01:04:07] Madam president of the eightieth General Assembly of the United Nations, excellencies, heads of state and government, secretary general of the United Nations, distinguished assembly, ladies and gentlemen, It is with sincere emotion that I represent my country, Madagascar, at our general assembly at the United Nations in this temple of multilateralism, which is our common home. We are celebrating this year the eightieth year anniversary of our organization. Eighty years. Eighty years of keeping the flame burning, the flame of unity, of establishing peace to craft a fair world with solidarity. Eighty years of the United Nations is a stage rather than an ending point. And here in this symbolic place at the General Assembly of the United Nations, it is here that we are discussing, proposing, and deciding on the main guiding lines for a peaceful and prosperous world. And it is here that we are looking for and finding solutions to conflicts, and we’re finding an answer to crises. It is here in this very place that we are sketching out the path of our common future. Allow me to extend my warm congratulations to miss Annalena Berbock for her election as president of this eightieth general assembly. Madam president, I wish to wish you every success as you implement your mandate. Rest assured that you will have the full support of Madagascar as you carry out your mission. I also wish to hail the secretary general of the United Nations whose commitment and leadership remind us of our mission, which is to put human beings at the heart of all of our actions. Ladies and gentlemen, the UN has always conveyed an ideal that of forging a world together, a world of peace, justice, and hope. The topic chosen this year, better together, eighty years and more for peace, development, and human rights, reminds us that for several decades, the United Nations has been bringing people and nations together to promote peace, foster development, and protect human rights. Today, more than ever, we must reaffirm our collective commitment to build a future of solidarity to overcome challenges because by pooling our efforts, we can transform the hopes of humanity into reality for everyone. This theme gets to the heart of our priorities, and this is why since the proclamation of our independence sixty five years ago, Madagascar joined the United Nations. This shows my country’s belief in the ideals of peace, solidarity, and cooperation among people, the ideals championed in the charter. Today, to further strengthen this conviction and in order to ensure the continuity of the work of the United Nations in Madagascar, we are going to provide several thousand square meters of office space so as to host a hub for a larger presence of the United Nations on the territory of Madagascar. The challenges have evolved, but we have continued to appreciate the force of this heritage and the need to adapt to everyday realities. It should suffice to mention economic divides, inequality, and above all, the impacts of climate change. All of these threats imperil peace in our societies, and they require strong common measures. One of the challenges of our time is that of development, which is so much desired by our peoples. The mission of leaders is to set up the conditions needed for every citizen to contribute to national development. This requires a vision grounded in the understanding of the realities of the country by using its assets and overcoming its difficulties. Madagascar, like many African countries, has rich abundant natural resources, and yet our development has been slowed for too long. And it is this delay that we are overcoming today with the projects and the programs that we are undertaking to transform our country. We need to seize our destiny, and we need to be the architects of historic change. We refuse to give in to fatalism, and we are committing to act with resolve and with conviction. With this spirit of inclusivity and this this spirit of sharing, I am addressing you today. I’m speaking not only on behalf of Madagascar, but I’m also speaking on behalf of a continent and our organization. I am conveying to you the voice of SADAC, the South African development community, which has 16 countries of Southern Africa in it, and I am serving as the president of this regional organization now. Our goal is to promote industrialization, the transformation of the agricultural system, and the energy transition so as to make our countries and our peoples more resilient. Clear sighted and forward looking, this goal shows our common ambition to strengthen our economies, to leverage our resources, and ensure the well-being of our populations. It is a pact. It is a commitment. It is a road map of a region which wants to write its own destiny with its own hand and for its people. Today, in the world we are living in, wars are present in several forms. There are armed wars, which are visible and bloody, which destroy infrastructure, entire cities, and even claim the lives of innocent people. But there are also wars against pandemics, like against COVID nineteen, which we faced together. That was a global battle that cost more than fourteen million people their lives. And at present, there is another form of war. There is an economic and trade war. This war is more silent, but it can be destructive because its impact can deprive millions of people of income, jobs, and future. What do all these wars have in common? Well, they kill people directly or indirectly. They make our societies more fragile, and they threaten peace and human dignity. This is why we need to remain watchful. Today, there’s a subject that is at the very center of the news, which is of particular relevance for us because among the 16 countries of SADC, that’s the South African Development Community, 14 of those countries are beneficiaries of the AGOA program, the AGOA program. The AGOA program, I’ll recall, is an American initiative that allows African countries preferential access to US markets by fostering duty free exports and by fostering commercial exchange. And just for the SADAC region alone, this program means 358,000 direct jobs, are currently in jeopardy. 60% of them are in the textile sector, and the rest of them are spread out among various sectors. The nonrenewal of the AGOA will have serious social consequences. The employability of thousands of young people and the economic momentum of our nations will be under threat. Because today, thanks to Agoa, the countries of SADAC export more than 11,000,000,000 US dollars annually to The United States. Behind this figure, there are more than 1,700,000 people that are affected. Therefore, if Agua disappears, then that will be over 700,000 direct and indirect jobs that will be lost in the South African Southern African region alone. And behind every one of these jobs, there’s a woman who is feeding her children. There’s a young person continuing their studies, and there is a family which has is maintaining hope. So a Goa, that’s not only a simple trade law. It is faces, lives, entire communities that are fighting every day for their dignity. Thus, as the acting president of SADEC, I want to solemnly request the renewal of AGOA so as to avoid economic and social consequences that would be disastrous. I therefore wish to sound an appeal to our American partners. Let us together choose stability, hope, and dignity. I advocate for the continuation of a sustainable partnership between The United States and the African Continent. Preserving Agoa, that means preserving social peace in the countries that depend on it. It also means protecting twenty years of progress. It means guaranteeing a better future for our families and our youth. We want fair trade. We want equitable partnerships, and we want shared prosperity. We’re speaking of this here in the concert of nations. We’re speaking of peace and security. Thus, solidarity among nations should not only be promises, should not only be speeches, but it needs to be made manifest by commitments that guarantee the everyday lives of millions of families throughout the world. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, madam president, our vision is clear, developing our country through the promotion of industrialization, producing and trans and processing locally everything that our people need. We need to reduce imports, innovate, build factories, and value chains that are capable of generating decent lasting jobs In Madagascar over the last five years, we have moved forward by building infrastructure and semi industrial parks throughout our territory so as to spur growth. I firmly believe that development requires investment, relying on the potential of every country, its human capital, and the political will of its leaders. Furthermore, the agricultural transformation is the key to combating poverty for our food security is the foundation of our economic independence. Therefore, let us plant today the seeds of prosperity and autonomy so that tomorrow tomorrow our people can feed themselves. In Madagascar, in the area of agriculture, we have supported the transformation and the sale of local products. We have started the process of mechanizing our agriculture, and we provided assistance to our farmers by providing them with seeds with with improved seeds and inputs. Our goal is to double or even triple agricultural yields moving from three to nine tons per hectare per hectare so as to achieve food sufficiency. Ultimately, there is no development without reliable, accessible, and affordable energy. In Madagascar, we are in the process of accelerating the energy transition to achieve energy production that is 7070% green by 02/1928. In order to do this, we are going to tap our massive capacity that we have in solar, wind, and hydroelectric energy. As you know today, still in many African countries like Madagascar, the production of electricity relies mainly on thermal plants. This dependency on fossil fossil fuels has a has an enormous economic cost. Thus, investing in renewable energies is not only an obligation, but it is a duty for a sustainable inclusive future. In six years alone, the rate of access to electricity in my country moved from 24% to 40%. Major headway has been made, but we are aware that much remains to be done. We’re going to further step up our efforts to increase the production of clean energy so that isolated rural populations are not left behind. In this context, the collaboration with the United Nations system is playing a crucial role by prioritizing impactful projects for rural communities. These initiatives are illustrative of the desire to build an energy future that is more equitable, sustainable, and innovative. And finally, building modern infrastructure that is an an essential stage for the economic and touristic development of the country. From the East to the West, from the North to the South, Madagascar is transforming. We’ve started the project of building the first highway of our country that links Antonana Rivo to the big to to the to the large port in the East of the island. We’ve modernized transport public transport in our capital through building cable cars and by establishing urban trains. This has unburdened the city by transporting more than 40,000 passengers every day at full capacity, thus taking 2,000 vehicles out of traffic on a daily basis. Furthermore, we have strengthened the presence of the state in all of the areas of our country, above all, in the hardest to reach areas. We’ve done this through building infrastructure that is close to the to the people and infrastructure that the people needs. We have built thousands of social housing units. We’ve modernized health care by building public hospitals and health care centers throughout our national territory. Country only had 16 only 16 university hospital centers in 2018, but we’ve tripled that number by building 30 new hospitals in nearly six in only six years. We are bolstering the entrepreneurship of, young people and women to ensure their empowerment. We’ve built stadiums and, sporting facilities, which have become places for cohesion, national pride, and emancipation for young people. Furthermore, we held the youth the Youth Connect Summit in November. We’ll be doing that in November, and that will fit into the framework of this commitment for the youth through equality and inclusion, and we want to invite everyone to participate in this event in great numbers. Finally, from the standpoint of social protection, over 250,000,000 has been transferred directly to the most vulnerable families to improve their everyday lives. These achievements convey our desire to build a country that shows solidarity, a country that is connected and looks toward the future, but the demographic, issue remains a variable that needs to enter the equation. We need to change the structure of the population because the current demographic growth is out of proportion to our economic growth. In some regions, young girls who are under the age of 18 are already mothers, and the majority of women have an average of five or even eight children to take care of. They have more difficulty feeding them, bringing them up, caring for them, and educating them properly. This is why we have intensified a family planning program in order to get the birth rate under control and transform a population which is currently dependent into a population that is active and economically productive. Demography is thus becoming an asset for Madagascar and not an impediment to development. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, madam president, we need to offer a better future to our children. So we need to protect protect the planet that is their home. Madagascar is a sanctuary of nature with 5% of its global biodiversity and 80% of endemic species. We absolutely need to protect this biodiversity. And like other areas of the world, these treasures are in jeopardy. Faced with deforestation and climate challenges, island countries like ours are undergoing the consequences of planetary warming. Cyclones have become increasingly frequent, coming one after another, and they’re more and more devastating. Flooding has destroyed our fields, and it has threatened our harvest and, the incomes of our farmers. Madagascar is one of the countries that is the victim of the repercussions of climate change. Our planet is burning. Our ecosystems are degrading while action and financing is not forthcoming. It is high time to move to action. We all know the facts right now. Let us act together. This is why we wish to sound a call once more for climate justice so that polluting countries can live up to their responsibilities and so that the promised financing for adaptation is actually provided. So these promises are kept, we reaffirm our commitment to the preservation of this common heritage with a program of massive reforestation, by planting millions of trees every year. Thus, Madagascar joined the coalition of carbon neutral countries known as g zero, and we are positioning ourselves as a model actor. We’ve also strengthened the protection of our protected areas. Our ambition is to restore our forests and develop the green and blue economy. Excellencies, dear leaders, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, madam president, here and now from this August rostrum, I call for unity and action. This is not a time for reflecting. It is a time for concerted strategies. This is not the time for dependency, but rather for sovereign affirmation. This is not a time for sluggishness, but rather for acceleration, for boldness, and for effectiveness. Our mission, this is our reason for being. It is our destiny, a destiny that aims to improve the everyday lives of citizens and which affects every life, every child, every mother. Therefore, we need to ask a question. What world will we choose for our children and for the future of succeeding generations, for my people, for progress, I will never stop bringing to bear all the ways and means possible to accelerate the transformation of my country. We need to go farther. We need to go fast faster with courage and hope. Yes. The task is huge, and the aspirations of the population are great. But we have but we know one thing. Division is not a solution. Conflicts brings rise to instability. So let’s choose unity, solidarity. Let us choose to build rather than to destroy. Because every child has the right to dream, and every people has the right to hope. So let’s move together, united, upright together. Let’s move toward the world that we want. I have a dream for my country, for Madagascar, for Southern Africa, for the African Continent, and for all of the voices that are not heard very often, the dream of a future where peace always wins out of a war, where development benefits every human being, where fundamental rights are never up for negotiation, and where nature is preserved as our most sacred heritage. So, yes, we will be better together for peace, for development, and for future generations. Because history has shown us that when we choose unity, we combat instability. When we cultivate solidarity, we plant the seeds of prosperity. So the may the eight next decades be marked by a global governance that is more fair, more inclusive, and more effective. Long live the United Nations, long live cooperation among peoples, and long live Madagascar. May God bless us. I thank you for your attention.

##The President of the General Assembly: [01:27:37] Behalf of the assembly, I wish to thank the president of the Republic Of Madagascar. The Assembly will hear an address by His Highness, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, Crown Prince of the State Of Kuwait. I request the protocol to escort His Highness and invite him to address the Assembly.

##Kuwait: [01:28:25] In the name of God, the most compassionate, most merciful, your excellency, madam president Annalena Baerbock, president of the general assembly, your excellency, mister Antonio Guterres, UN secretary general, your excellencies, your majesties, Heads of Delegations, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, may the peace of God be upon you. At the outset, it gives me pleasure to convey to you the greetings of His Highness, Emir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Mishal al Ahmad Jabir al Sabah. May God protect him. And I convey his wishes for a successful UNGAAT And I express to you, Madam President, and to your friendly country, our congratulations on your election as President of the UN General Assembly. And I would like to applaud the efforts of your predecessor, Mr. Filimon Yang, during his presidency of the last session of the General Assembly. And I would be remiss not to highly appreciate the wise leadership of his excellency, Mr. Antonio Guterres. And I would like to seize this opportunity to reiterate Kuwait’s continued support for him and his efforts to promote the mission and purposes of the United Nations. Madam President, we share your vision for the objectives of this session under the theme Better Together. The theme embodies the necessary spirit of solidarity in order to overcome the multiple and interconnected challenges today. It is incumbent on member states to work together to preserve this organization as the cornerstone of multilateralism and as the refuge for states and peoples in order to address their disputes and overcome the challenges and to determine the means to achieve economic, social and human development throughout the world. Before we look towards the future, we must reflect on the previous eight decades since the establishment of the United Nations. The UN was established when countries agreed in 1945 to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice has brought untold sorrow to mankind. While we have not seen a third world war since the establishment of the UN, we did witness, and especially lately, an incapacity to address the political challenges and security, climate, human and health related challenges as necessary. In addition, we must heed the lessons of our shared failures in the context of this organization. We must draw the lessons as states and governments and peoples to realize the best means for non recurrence of our mistakes and to grant our future generations a safer world. Madam President, there are multiple successes of this organization that we cannot forget. I recall here gratefully some of the most prominent success stories of the United Nations and of the Security Council in particular when the world thirty five years ago stood in solidarity with the state of Kuwait and in support of truth, justice and the rule of law. On the 09/27/1990, late Emir of Kuwait, the Sheikh Jabre al Ahmad al Jabre al Sobah, stood here at this podium carrying a message from a people who have loved peace and worked for peace and who have endured invasion. And the audience in this hall expressed their support for this people, this peace loving people of Kuwait and the Kuwaiti people’s just cause. And this message of of support remains in the hearts of every Kuwaiti citizen today as well as the efforts to liberate Kuwait from a brutal invasion. The Security Council at the time demonstrated its ability to discharge its mandate for the maintenance of international peace and security. It demonstrated a successful model and succeeded in discharging its duties and adopted a historical resolution to take all means necessary to liberate Kuwait. And this action by the Security Council remains forever remembered in the hearts of the Kuwaiti people. The Security Council at the time embodied an excellent example in achieving justice and peace. And we would be remiss here not to remind the continued human issue that concerns every Kuwaiti, which is the whereabouts and the fate of the missing persons, some of whom have returned to their lord as a result of the injustice they suffered. And it will continue to be remembered by the state of Kuwait after three decades. This multidimensional issue, dimensions including human and social and political, requires good faith and determination to be successfully addressed and requires close follow-up from the Security Council. We hope to heal the wounds of the family members of the missing persons who continue to grieve over their loved ones, and they hope to bury their loved ones in their homeland. In this regard, we welcome the adoption of Security Council of Resolution two thousand seven and ninety two this year, which has provided for the appointment of a high level UN representative to follow-up the issue accordingly. And as a result of the consequences of this issue, This representative’s mandate must be used to close these outstanding issues in a manner that aligns with the legitimate aspirations of the state of Kuwait and the international community. This is a matter that will undoubtedly contribute to enhancing the cooperation between the state of Kuwait and the brotherly nation of the Republic Of Iraq. Madam President, the Secretary General has launched the UN AT initiative, which aligns with the reform efforts pursued by the United Nations to enhance its effectiveness and efficiency to make it more fit for purpose and more fit for overcoming the challenges. And when addressing reforms in multilateralism, we must prioritize Security Council reform. We are firmly convinced that there is a dire need to reform the Security Council in a manner that enshrines justice, transparency and credibility and the non selectivity in order for the Security Council to become more capable of addressing contemporary threats and so that its composition more accurately reflects the world we live in today. Madam President, Kuwait is honored to preside over the current forty fifth session of the Supreme of presidency of the the Supreme Gulf Council to promote our joint efforts in the GCC and our strategic relationship with regional and international organizations. And we take pride in our efforts on behalf of our brothers and sisters in adopting the resolution related to the cooperation between the GCC and the United Nations. We look forward to the initiatives that will be taken in different spheres. We people of The Gulf do not know the impossible. And we will navigate towards the future with strong hearts and determination believing in our joint destiny. Madam President, our region has witnessed lately a dangerous military escalation and an expansion of conflict. And we have repeatedly warned against this in the past and warned against its consequences for the region. And we condemn in the strongest of terms in this regard the brutal Israeli aggression against Qatar. We consider this attack a blatant violation of all international customs and norms and an attack against a mediator that is working faithfully for the sake of peace. And we reiterate our complete solidarity with our brethren in Qatar. And we reiterate that any threat against any member state of the GCC is a threat against every member of the GCC. Just a few days ago, two emergency summits have been held, the first for the Supreme Council of the TCC and the second, the Arab Islamic Emergency Summit in Doha to discuss the Israeli aggression against Qatar. We reiterate the different provisions in both outcome documents of the summits. Madam President, Kuwait continues its tireless efforts that have continued throughout two decades to assist Iraq to achieve the legitimate aspirations of the Iraqi people and our brothers and sisters in Iraq and in order to promote stability and security in the region through bilateral agreements that are the cornerstone for defining our means of cooperation in order to build a better future for both our countries and to turn the page on the painful past. Accordingly, from this podium, we reiterate for the third year in a row our commitment to the provisions of the agreement to regulate maritime navigation in the Khur Of Adallah with the Republic Of Iraq since 2009, and we reiterate our commitment to correcting the negotiation course in order to determine our maritime boundaries beyond 0.162 as per international law and the U. N. Convention on Law of the Sea of 1982 and without prejudice to the territories and islands in the area. And we reiterate at the same time our call on our sisters and brothers in Iraq to respect the provisions of the effective agreements between us in order for us to be able to unleash the prospects for cooperation between our two countries to greater heights. Madam President, what is taking place in the Gaza Strip for almost two years punishment killing and of tens of thousands of Palestinians and of innocent people, most of whom are women, are children. And using starvation as warfare is only an unfolding of genocide before our eyes. And we have reached this point because of the double standards in the application of international law. We cannot call for respect of international law in one area and ignore the application in another. This leads to undermining trust in the international system. The state of Kuwait once again condemns the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip and against all occupied Palestinian territory. And we call for an end to this aggression immediately and to allow for uninterrupted humanitarian access. And we also applaud the efforts of Qatar, Egypt, and The United States in order to reach a ceasefire. We recall in this regard the High Level Conference on the Two State Solution under the joint leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the French Republic. And we look forward to building on the momentum generated by the conference. And we commend the decision by many friendly states to recognize the state of Palestine. And we emphasize the need for the remaining states to do the same. The State of Kuwait also reiterates its firm commitment to support UNRWA because of its critical role in securing the basic needs of millions of Palestinian refugees. And we categorically reject the settlement activities and forced displacement of the occupying power. And we call on measures to be taken to hold Israel accountable for its crimes. The state of Kuwait also reiterates its historical and firm support for the Palestinian people and their just cause and their legitimate right to the establishment of a Palestinian state on the borders of 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital as per UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002.Madam President, the state of Kuwait stands in support of the Syrian Arab Republic and the Republic Of Lebanon in their efforts to build a secure and prosperous future that fulfills the aspirations of their people. And we reiterate the need to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of both states. And we follow with great concern the developments in Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Libya. And we call on our brothers and sisters to prioritize wisdom and dialogue in order to settle the disputes in accordance with international law in order to preserve sovereignty and the unity, independence and territorial integrity of these states. And based on our commitment to good neighborliness, we reiterate once again our call on the Islamic Republic Of Iran to initiate a serious path to build for confidence building measures. And we believe that creating the conducive environment for negotiations will contribute to resolving the nuclear program and all other outstanding issues. Madam President, we in Kuwait, as a result of our people’s determination, continue confidently towards the future as per Kuwait Vision 02/1935, which aims to establish Kuwait as a financial and trade hub in the region. Similarly and in parallel, we work to achieve these sustainable development goals, drawing inspiration from the ancestors in their dedication throughout succeeding generations in order nation. And we reiterate at the same time the important role of Kuwaiti women and Kuwaiti youth in the different areas, and we applaud their contributions on the path towards development and prosperity. Now that only five years remain until 2030, we emphasize the need to continue our efforts so that we can achieve these noble goals and to leave no one behind. And based on our experience and our knowledge of the experiences of developing states, we have committed to international development And the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development since its establishment in 1961 has provided support for development projects in 107 states. And we reiterate our support for global development and our continued efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance throughout the world without discrimination or politicization or conditions. In conclusion, Madam President, the state of Kuwait was and continues to be, as you have known Kuwait throughout time, a strong supporter of the United Nations and its noble efforts in the different parts of the world. We firmly commit to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and commit to the UN as a beacon of hope and a hub for the coordination of international joint efforts. And we support the international efforts to settle disputes through dialogue and peaceful means, and we believe in a culture of tolerance and peaceful existence. And we will continue to love peace, and we will continue to work for the sake of peace, and may the peace of God be upon you.

##The President of the General Assembly: [01:48:11] I wish to thank the Crown Prince of the State Of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah. The assembly will hear an address by his excellency Kashim Shetima, vice president of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria. I request the protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly.

##Nigeria: [01:49:05] Madam president, mister secretary general, excellencies, heads of state and government, distinguished delegates. The chaos that shadows our wall is a reminder that we cannot afford the luxury of inaction. We’ll have been consumed by our differences had there been no community such as this to remind us that we are one human family. Even in our darkest hours, we have refused to be broken. This community was born from the ashes of despair, a vehicle for order, and for the shared assurance that we could not afford to falter again. Our belief in this community is not a posture of moral superiority, but an under in faith in the redemption of humanity. It is, therefore, with profound humility that I stand before you today as vice president of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria on behalf of president Bola Ahmadinebou to renew this pledge on behalf of my country. Madam president, Nigeria joins the committee of nations in congratulating you on your election as the president of the general assembly for the eight days for the eight days session and assure you of our unalloyed support during your tenure. I commend your predecessor, my brother, his excellency, Philemon Young, and the secretary general, his excellency, Antonio Gutierrez, for the outstanding stewardship and unifying leadership during these extraordinary times. This anniversary will not be a sentimental retreat into nostalgia. It must be a moment of truth. A pulse to measure where we have stumbled on how we might have done better in turning our values into action that meets the demands of today. We are here to deliver a world of peace and development where the respect for human rights is paramount. We must recalibrate the delicate balance between our roles as sovereign governments and our duties as collective partners to renew multilateralism in a world that has evolved far beyond what it was in 1945. The pace of change across borders is a pause without pause. It manifests in the tools of technology, in the movements of information and penance, in the corrosive ideologies that preach violence and division, in the gathering storm of the climate emergency, and in the title of irregular migration. We must own this process of change. When we speak of nuclear disarmament, the proliferation of small weapons, security council reform, peer access to trade and finance, and the complex and human suffering across the world, we must recognize the truth. These are stains on our collective humanity. For all our careful diplomatic language, this slow pace of progress on this highly perennial perennials of the UN general assembly debate has led some to look away from the multilateral model. Some years ago, I noticed a ship at this gathering. Key events were beginning to take place outside this hall, and the most sought after voices were no longer heads of state. These are indeed troubling times. Nigeria remains calmly calmly convinced of the merits of multilateralism. But to sustain that conviction, we must show that existing structures are not set in stone. We must make real change, change that works and change that is seen to work. If we fail, the direction of travel is already predictable. We are here to strengthen the prospects for peace, development, and human rights. Madam president, I want to make four points today to outline how we can do this. One, Nigeria must have a permanent seat at the UN Security Council. This should take place this should take place as part of a wider process of institutional reform. Two, we need urgent action to promote sovereign debt relief and access to trade and financing. Three, countries that host minerals must benefit from those minerals. And fourth, the digital divide must close. As our prince, the secretary general has said, AI must stand for Africa included. On my first point, The United Nations will recover its relevance only when it reflects the world as it is, not as it was. Nigeria’s journey tells this story with clarity. When the UN was founded, we were a colony of 20,000,000 people. Absent from the tables, why decisions about our paid were taken? Today, we are a sovereign nation of 236,000,000 people projected to be the third most populous country in the world with one of the youngest and most dynamic populations on earth. A stabilizing force in regional security and a consistent partner in global peacemaking. Our case for permanent seat at the security council is a demand for pianists, for representation, and for reform that restores credibility to the very institution open with the hope of multilateralism race. This is why Nigeria’s sons family behind the UN 80 initiative of the UN secretary general and the resolution adopted by this assembly on eighteenth July twenty twenty five. A bold step to reform the wider United Nations system for greater relevance, efficiency, and effectiveness in the face of unprecedented financial strain. We support the drive to rationalize structures and end the duplication of responsibilities and programs so that this institution may speak with one voice and a good greater coherence. Madam president, Africa, none of us in this world can function peacefully in isolation. This is a heavy burden of sovereignty. Sovereignty is a covenant of shared responsibility, a recognition that our survival is bound to the survival of others. To live up to this church, we must work hand in hand with our neighbors and partners. We must follow the trails of weapons of money and of people. For these opposes, too often driven by perilous non state actors ignite the powers of conflict across our region. Madam president, Nigerian soldiers and civilians carry a proud legacy. Have participated in 51 out of 60 United Nations’ peacekeeping operations since our independence in 1960. We have stood with our partners in Africa to resolve conflicts, and we continue that commitment today to the multinational joint task force. At home, we confront this culture of insurgency we resolve from this long and difficult struggle with violent extremism. One truth stands clear. Military tactics may win battles measured in months and years, but in wars that span generations, it is values and ideas that deliver the ultimate victory. We are despised by terrorists because we choose tolerance over tyranny. Their ambition is to divide us and to poison our humanity with a toxic rioty of hate. Our difference is the distance between shadow and light, between the sphere and hope, between the ruin of anarchy and the promise of order. We do not only fight wars, we pit and shelter the innocent victims of war. This is why we are not indifferent to the devastations of our neighbors near and distant. This is why we speak of the violence and aggression visited upon innocent civilians in Gaza, the illegal attack on Qatar, and the tensions that’s caused the wider region. It is not only because of the culture of impunity that makes such acts intolerable, but because our own bitter experience has taught us that such violence never ends where it begins. We do not believe that the sanctity of human life should be trapped in the corridors of endless debate. That is why we say without stuttering and without doubt, that a two state solution remains the most dignified past to lasting peace for the people of Palestine. For too long, this community has borne the way to moral conflict. For too long, we have been caught in the crossfire of violence that opens the conscience of humanity. We come not as partisans, but as peacemakers. We come as brothers and sisters of a shared wall, a wall that was never reduced the right to live into the currency of devious politics. The people of Palestine are not collateral damage in a civilization searching for order. They are human beings, equal in work, entitled to the same freedoms and dignities that the rest of us take for granted. Want to make the choice crystal clear. Civilized values over fear. Civilized values over vengeance. Civilized values over bloodshed. We show the opportunities that peace brings. Just as the extremists hope to drive apart rival communities and different religions. We work through multilateral platforms within the rule of law to build the consensus and support that makes this immensely difficult and dangerous task that much easier. This is how we deny our enemies the space they crave to fuel tension and despair. It is our experience that this offers the best perhaps only hope for peace, reconciliation, and victory for the civilized values of a shared humanity. Nigeria is a diverse country, also recognizes the variable geometry of democracy in different forms and suites. For this reason, we are working with the United Nations to strengthen democratic institutions in our region and beyond through the regional partnership for democracy. Madam two, madam president, point two, The price of peace is eternal vigilance. The increasingly difficult security outlook has prompted many members to take account the cause of the emerging world order. We in Nigeria are already familiar with so difficult choices, infrastructure renewal or defense platforms, schools or tanks. Our view is that the path to sustainable peace lies in growth and prosperity. The government has taken difficult but necessary steps to restructure economy and remove distortions, including subsidies and currency controls that benefited the few at the expense of the many. I believe in the power of the market to transform. Our task is to enable and facilitate and to trust in the ingenuity and enterprise of the people, but the process of transition is difficult and brings unavoidable hardship. This year, we held the inaugural West African Economic Summit in Abuja to bring investors and opportunities together. The results far exceeded our expectations and a clear indication of what innovation can deliver. It is in that same spirit of dynamic review that I invite the United Nations to examine the best use of scarce resources. One critical area is climate change. It is not an abstract issue about an indeterminate pit to be settled at some distant point in the future. It is not even solely an environmental issue. It is about national, regional, and international security. It is about irregular migration. Truly, this is an everyone issue. We are all stakeholders, and we are all beneficiaries of the best outcomes. Madam president, this is why relevant ministers have been instructed to work with the UN to make the best use of climate ponds. We believe there are huge share dividends to accrue from increased support for education, for resilient housing, for access to technology and financing, to allow vulnerable communities to thrive, to become part of solutions rather than problems. Nigeria and Africa have made significant strides in recent years to put our peers in order. We can take that progress to the next level, a level that presents new opportunities for trade, investment, and profit. If we can assess reforms to strengthen the international financial architecture. We need urgent action to promote debt relief, not as an act of charity, but as a clear path to the peace and prosperity that benefits us all. I’m calling for new unbinding mechanism to manage sovereign debt, a sort of international court of justice for money that will allow emerging economies to escape the economic straight jacket of primary production of unprocessed exports. It has been over four decades since the labor’s plan of action outline a route away from debt independence that highlighted opportunities that today should still be explored for local added value for processing and manufacturing in everything from agriculture to solid minerals and petrochemicals. The African Continental Free Trade Area is a remarkable achievement of cooperation. We remain fully committed to the achievement of the SDGs. And I’m convinced that this can be best delivered by focusing principally on our primary mission of growth and prosperity. Madam president, on our third point, we welcome steps to move towards peace in the Democratic Republic Of Congo. We agreed that international investment and engagement offer a way out of the cycle of decay and violence. Access to strategic minerals from Sierra Leone in the nineteen nineties and Sudan today has for too long been a source of conflict resident prosperity. Africa, and I must include Nigeria, has in abundance the critical minerals that will derive and drive the technologies of the future. Investments in exploration, development and processing of these minerals in Africa will diversify supply to the international market, reduce tensions between major economies, and help shape the architecture for peace and prosperity on a continent that too often in the past has been left behind by the rivalries and competition between different power blocks. We know in Nigeria that we are more stable when those communities that have access to key resources are able to benefit from these resources. This has been our journey in the oil producing region of the Niger Delta. I believe that will strengthen the international order when those countries that produce strategic minerals benefit purely from those minerals in terms of investment, partnership, local processing, and jobs. When we ask for raw materials, as we have been doing, tension, inequality, and instability pester. Madam president, the fourth pillar for change that I’m advocating is a dedicated initiative, bringing together researchers, private sector, government, and communities to close the digital divide. As we stand on the threshold of new and dramatic technological chain, we are still absorbing the impact of the revolution on information and communication of the past twenty years. We are we understand better than we did the opportunities technology offers as well as the safeguards we need to enable growth and mitigate the potential for corruption. Some worry about tech news. Truly, we have plenty of that with the potential of devastating real world consequences in countries rich and poor. I’m more worried about an emerging generation that grows ever more cynical because it believes nothing and trustless. As technology checks of public administration, law, finance, conflict, and so much of the human condition. I’m calling for a new dialogue to ensure we promote the best of the opportunities that are arising and promote the level of access that allows emerging economies more quickly to close a wealth and knowledge gap that is in no one’s interest. I join you today to reassert Nigeria’s commitment to peace, to development, to unity, to multilateralism, and to the defense of human rights is beyond compromise. For none of us is safe until all of us are safe. The road ahead will not be easy, and we know there are no quick fixes to the trials that test the human spirit. Yet history reminds us that bold action in pursuit of noble ideals has always depend the story of of the United Nations. Time and again, we are pound the wisdom to balance sovereign rights with collective responsibility. That balance is once again in question. But I believe quite passionately that a renewed commitment to multilateralism, not as a slogan, but as an articular path remains our choice path forward. Nigeria dedicates itself fully and without reservation to that noble cause. I thank you all for listening.

##The President of the General Assembly: [02:08:06] On behalf of the Assembly, I wish to thank the Vice President of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria. Excellency. The assembly will now hear an address by his excellency, Bajram Begaj, president of the Republic Of Albania. I request protocol to escort his excellency and invite him to address the assembly. 

##Albania: [02:09:01] Madam president, honorable and excellencies, it’s an honor for me to address the General Assembly today on behalf of the Republic Of Albania on this important anniversary of the United Nations. It is also a special significant moment for my country as we mark the seventieth anniversary of our membership in the United Nations. I would like to thank the President of the General Assembly, Her Excellency, Ms. Annalena Baerbach for choosing this meaningful theme Better Together and extend to her best wishes for her success in her esteemed role presiding over the eightieth session of the United Nations General Assembly. I also would like to express my gratitude to the Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Guterres for his leadership, for his service to the United Nations and for his unwavering commitment to upholding the UN Charter and its core values. Ladies and gentlemen, the eightieth anniversary of the United Nations is a powerful reminder of the vision that inspired the creation of a world in which nations choose dialogue and cooperation. It is also an opportunity to renew our commitment to the values embodied in the UN Charter peace, equality and cooperation among nations to choose cooperation over conflict, dialogue over division and solidarity over indifference. For the Republic Of Albania, the United Nations has been and continues to be the universal platform for dialogue, giving every country large or small a voice in shaping our shared future. Its achievements are undeniable. The prevention of conflicts, the advancement of human rights and the provision of humanitarian aid to millions. Yet in the context of today’s global crisis, it is natural to demand more from this organization and more from ourselves. This is the moment to renew our commitment to ensuring that the UN continues to serve as the foundation of peace, justice and solidarity, not just for us, but for future generations. Albania believes that global challenges from conflicts and terrorism to climate change, artificial intelligence and economic insecurity are not only complex, but also deeply interconnected. Humanity therefore needs more multilateral cooperation. As a member of the United Nations, a member of NATO and a proud European nation, the Republic Of Albania is well positioned to contribute to the strengthening of international peace and security. We support a global order in which conflicts are resolved through sustainability. Societies are strengthened by solidarity and peace is developed is built and maintained on the foundations of trust, cooperation and progress. Albania remains firmly committed to the UN Charter and will continue to contribute to peacekeeping missions, humanitarian efforts and the building of a world in which disagreements are resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. Madam President, for nearly four years, our organization’s credibility has been tested by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Albania has stood in full support of Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and has consistently condemned Russia’s violations of the United Nations Charter and international law. We condemn Russia’s continued attacks across all of Ukraine. At the same time, we recognize and value diplomatic efforts under the leadership of President Trump aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace in full respect of Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. Albania is equally committed to peace, security and stability in the Middle East. The war in Gaza must end. All hostages must be released immediately and the dire humanitarian situation must be addressed urgently. We express our support for the efforts of The United States, Egypt and Qatar in implementing the cease fire agreement in all its faces with the aim of reaching a permanent and to hostilities remain committed to a sustainable peace between Israel and Palestine, one that provides a better future in security and prosperity for Palestinians in Israelis and all the peoples of the region. Ladies and gentlemen, Albania actively promotes dialogue and good neighborly relations and regional integration as the only path towards sustainable stability and prosperity. Our vision is peaceful integration, sustainable development and preservation of democratic values. We believe that the future of our region lies in cooperation, not conflict, in shared progress, not rivalry. In this spirit, Albania stands ready to cooperate with all its neighbors to ensure that the Western Balkans becomes a zone of peace, development and opportunity, contributing positively to Europe and to the wider international community. The new state in our region, the Republic Of Kosovo, is increasingly contributing to peace dialogue and coexistence in the Western Balkans. Seventeen years after declaring its independence, Kosovo has demonstrated through its actions that it is a responsible member of the international community committed to peace, stability and democratic values with strong institutions and a vibrant population. Its contribution to regional and broader cooperation is undeniable. And yet Kosovo’s seat in this assembly remains unjustly empty. Recognition of Kosovo’s independence and support for its membership in the United Nations and other international organizations is an act of justice, a step towards consolidating the peace in the Western Balkans. Albania asks, calls for the rights of Albanians in the Peshawar Valley to be respected, that they not be discriminated against, but rather integrated, that the Albanian language be used and that their culture, values, identity and traditions be protected and promoted. Madam President, my country’s journey from isolation to Euro Atlantic integration, from dictatorship to freedom and human rights proves that dialogue, partnership and shared values can transform societies. Today, Albania is closer than ever to realizing its long held dream of joining the European Union. Following the opening of accession negotiations, we are advancing our reforms at full speed aiming to complete the negotiations by 2027 and become a full member of the EU by 2030. Our path toward the EU is not merely a political ambition. It is deeply rooted in the values we uphold, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Albania has understood that the prosperity and well-being of its citizens are closely linked to tangible progress in achieving a sustainable development goals. We are investing in clean energy, strengthening climate resilience, advancing digital transformation and working to ensure that no one is left behind. Our efforts are focused on education, healthcare, gender equality and youth empowerment because inclusion is the only path to sustainable development. Last year we endorsed the pact for the future as a guiding framework to revive multilateral cooperation. Now we must turn words into action, turning commitments into concrete progress on peace and security, sustainable development, climate, digital cooperation and protection of human rights. The Republic Of Albania stands ready to work with all member states to ensure that the pact for the future becomes a guiding light for a fair, more sustainable and more united world. We will lead by example by integrating the pact into our next Voluntary National Review. Excellencies, distinguished participants. Climate change is the defining challenge of our century and Albania is committed to the transition to clean energy and environmental protection. Recurring floods, fires and droughts remind us that we must strengthen global commitments, mobilize funding and ensure that no one is left behind. In recent years we have witnessed the rapid spread of digital technologies. Technological progress is valuable only when it advances in a parallel with human progress. We must remain faithful to our values, placing technology at the service of humanity no matter how advanced. The problems of this world cannot be solved by artificial intelligence alone, but by human intelligence and compassion. The digital age must be guided by international cooperation, ethical standards and rests respect for human Albania is proud to co lead with Kenya the review process of the World Summit on the Information Society and will work with all member states to ensure a successful outcome. Madam President, human rights and the dignity of every individual must remain at the heart of our mission. Albania has demonstrated through its democratic transformation that societies thrive when individual freedoms are protected, when women and youth are empowered and when diversity is embraced as a strength. We are honored to bring our experience to the Human Rights Council where we have worked tirelessly to promote the universality of human rights and the indivisibility of all freedoms. During our mandate, we have focused on protecting vulnerable groups, advancing gender equality and defending the rights of those most at risk of violation. We will continue to raise our voice against discrimination, intolerance and violence whenever they occur. Albania is proud of the progress it has made in advancing gender equality not only as a moral obligation, but as a driver of societal development. Today, women hold some of the highest offices in our country, in and outside of the country and works closely with partners to make equality a tangible reality for all. No country can envision a better future without placing youth at the heart of national strategies. Through reforms in education, digital transformation and employment, Albania is working to expand opportunities for young people to learn, innovate and participate fully in society. We believe that investing in youth is the most effective investment for peace, prosperity and sustainable development. So it’s under our obligation as a generation that inherited eighty years of peace and progress to ensure that our children we give our children the condition to live in a world of safety, dignity, cooperation and advancement. Together let us choose to make this session the moment we embrace unity, responsibility and chose courage. Thank you.

##The President of the General Assembly: [02:23:04] On behalf of the assembly, I wish to thank the President of The Republic Of Albania.The assembly will hear now and address by her excellency, Giorgia Meloni, president of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Italy. I request the protocol to escort her excellency and invite her to address the assembly.

##Italy: [02:23:41] President Baerbock, secretary general Guterres, fellow delegates, ladies and gentlemen, we are living a historical accelerated phase, rich in opportunities, but also perhaps above all dense with dangers, suspended between war and peace. According to the Global Peace Index 2024, there are currently 56 armed conflicts ongoing in the world, the highest number since the second world war. We live in a world profoundly different from the one in which the United Nations was founded when in 1945, 51 nations, today nearly all of the nations of the world, decided to come together to found an international organization whose main purpose was to prevent war. The question we must ask ourselves eighty years later while looking around us is, have we succeeded? The answer, you all know, because it lies in the headlines and is merciless. Peace, dialogue, diplomacy seem no longer able to persuade or to prevail. The use of force prevails on far too many occasions, and the scenario before us is that which Pope Francis described with unique effectiveness, a third world war fought piecemeal. Obviously, among the major conflicts underway is, of course, the large scale war of aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine. Three and a half years ago on 02/24/2022, Moscow decided to attack Kyiv. And I believe not enough reflection has been given to the consequences of that choice to a point I consider fundamental. The Russian Federation, a permanent member of the Security Council, deliberately trampled on Article two of the UN Charter, violating the integrity and political independent independence of another sovereign state with the aim of annexing its territory. And still today, it shows no willingness to seriously accept any invitation to sit at the peace table. This deep wound inflicted on international law, as could be foreseen, unleashed destabilizing effects far beyond the borders in which that war is taking place. The conflict in Ukraine has rekindled and set off several other crises. Meanwhile, the United Nations has become even more divided. It is no coincidence that Hamas took advantage of the weakening of this architecture to launch on 10/07/2023, its attack against Israel. The ferocity and brutality of that attack, the hunt for unarmed civilians prompted Israel to a reaction that was at first legitimate because every state and every people has the right to defend itself. But the response to aggression must always respect the principle of proportionality. This applies to individuals and all the more so to states. And Israel has exceeded that limit with a large scale war disproportionately involving the Palestinian civilian population. And it is in crossing this limit that the Jewish state has ended up violating humanitarian norms, causing a massacre among civilians. This choice, Italy has repeatedly deemed unacceptable, will lead us to vote in favor of some of the sanctions proposed by the European Commission against Israel. But we do not side with those who heap all the blame for what is happening in Gaza and Israel because it was Hamas that unleashed the war. It is Hamas that could end the suffering of Palestinians by immediately releasing all the hostages. It is Hamas that seems intent on thriving on the suffering of the people it claims to represent. Israel must free itself from the trap of this war. It must do so for the history of the Jewish people, for its democracy, for the innocent, and for the universal values of the free world of which it is part. And to end the war, concrete solutions are needed. Peace is not built only with appeals or with ideological proclamations embraced with enthusiasm by those who in truth do not want peace. Peace is built with patience, with courage, with reasonableness. The children of Gaza, like those Italy is proudly receiving and treating in its hospitals, are asking for answers that can improve their condition. And to that, we are committed. Italy is and will be there for anyone willing to work on a serious plan for the release of hostages, a permanent ceasefire, the exclusion of Hamas from any governance dynamic in Palestine, the gradual withdrawal of Israel from Gaza, and the involvement of the international community in managing the subsequent phase of the ceasefire leading to the realization of the two state perspective. In this regard, we consider very interesting the proposals that the president of The United States has discussed, recently with Arab countries, and we are ready to lend a hand. We believe that Israel has no right to prevent the future creation of Palestinian state nor to build new settlements in the West Bank to to that end. For this reason, we have signed the New York declaration on the two two state solution. This is Italy’s historic position on the Palestinian question and has never changed. At the same time, we believe that the recognition of Palestine must have two indispensable preconditions, the release of all Israeli hostages and Hamas’ renunciation of any role in the government of Palestine for those who unleash the conflict cannot be rewarded. And thus, we return to the starting point, the rules, the force of law in Ukraine, in The Middle East, in every scenario where war dominates and reason seems lost. There’s no escaping, colleagues. The most important question, which is the reason we’re all here together today, is the United Nations architecture we built eighty years ago up to task in the face of the challenges we are facing today? It is not. And multilateralism, dialogue, and diplomacy without institutions that function as they should are only empty words. We must recognize our limits. We must recognize that a profound reform of the United Nations is necessary and urgent, not an ideological reform, but a pragmatic, realistic one, one that respects the sovereignty of nations and opens to shared solutions. We need an agile, efficient institution able to respond quickly to crises, transparent in its mission and costs, capable of minimizing bureaucracy, waste, duplications. What we call the glass palace must be truly a house of glass. The reform Italy has in mind, starting with the Security Council, must respect the principles of equality, democracy, representativeness, and accountability. We do not need new hierarchies nor new permanent seats simply because they would not solve the decision making paralysis that has undermined the credibility of this institution. We are open to discussing reform without any prejudice, including on the basis of proposals already advanced by the Uniting for Concesses Group. But we want a reform that serves to represent everyone better, not to give more representation to just a few. But to be effective, it is not only institutions we must reform because we’re facing a change of era. And this requires a profound revision of all the tools we have to regulate relations among nations and defend the rights of people, including international conventions. I’m thinking, for example, of conventions regulating migration and asylum. These are rules enshrined in an era when mass irregular immigration did not exist nor did human trafficking. Conventions that are no longer current and which when interpreted ideologically and one sidedly by politicized judiciaries, they end up trampling on the law instead of upholding it. Together with other European states, we have raised this issue and tend to pursue it not to lower the level of guarantees, but to build a system that keeps pace with the times capable of protecting fundamental human rights while safeguarding the sacrosanct prerogative of every nation to protect its citizens and its borders, exercise sovereignty, and govern migration, which impacts citizens, particularly the most vulnerable. The international community must unite in combating human trafficking. The United Nations, like other international institutions such as the European Union, cannot look the other way or protect, in the end, criminals in the name of presumed civil rights. Likewise, the United Nations cannot hypocritically consider some human rights less worthy of protection than others. I’m thinking above all of the denied value of religious freedom and of the tens of millions of people worldwide, largely Christians, persecuted, massacred in the name of their faith. We also need a new model of cooperation among nations, but building it requires humility, awareness, and trust in the counterpart before us. Italy is seeking to do its part in this as well. Above all, with the Matei plan for Africa, in the last three years, we have launched our United Nations, the European Union, and its global gateway, the G7, the African Union, and the African Development Bank, international financial institutions, as well as several bilateral partners such as The United Arab Emirates whom I wish to thank. This complementarity has earned us last July the honor of co organizing with Ethiopia the third UN Food Systems Summit, the responsibility of being an active part of the major infrastructure project of the Lobito Corridor between Angola and Zambia, the opportunity to build public private partnerships that attract investment and deliver concrete results. As is happening in Algeria, where we will reclaim over 36,000 hectares of desert for cultivation benefiting over 600,000 people, as is happening with the opening of the AI hub for sustainable development involving hundreds of African startups in the development of artificial intelligence and as is happening with the extension of the blue Raman cable to East Africa, linking India to European economies via the Middle East and the Mediterranean. We, unlike other actors, have no ulterior motives in Africa. We are not interested in exploiting the continent for the rich raw materials it possesses. Rather, we want Africa to prosper by processing its own resources, creating jobs and prospects for its best synergies with stable governments and dynamic secure societies. But this path cannot avoid addressing an issue that can no longer be postponed, the debt of African nations. Italy plans to convert over the next ten years the entire amount of debt for the economically least developed nations according to World Bank criteria and to reduce by 50% that of lower middle income nations. The entire operation over ten years will allow us to convert into local development projects over €235,000,000 of debt. This is an initiative to which the Italian government, especially in this jubilee year, attaches great importance and which we hope may serve as an example for other nations as well because it is not only an economic matter, but one of justice, of dignity, and of the future. Dear colleagues, thirty years of blind faith globalization have ended. Its aftershocks were underestimated, and today, we face unexpected consequences, which were not truly unexpected, grave in their impact on citizens, families, and businesses. Things have not gone well contrary to promises made. And let me give you some more news. Things could get much worse if we do not halt the artificial creation of unsustainable production models such as the green plans that in Europe and across the West are leading to deindustrialization far sooner than decarbonization, the conversion of entire production sectors on the basis of theories that ignore the needs and the economic capacities of people has been a colossal mistake, causing suffering among the most vulnerable social classes and dragging the middle class downward, imposing irrational consumption choices. Unsustainable environmentalism has nearly destroyed the automobile sector in Europe, created problems in The United States, caused job losses, burdened competitiveness, and depleted knowledge. And most paradoxically, it has not improved the overall health of our planet. This is not, of course, about denying climate change, but about affirming reason, which above all means technological neutrality and gradual reforms instead of ideological extremism, respecting the environment while keeping humanity at the center. Because it took centuries to build our systems, but only a few decades to end up in an industrial desert. And as I said many times before, in the desert, there’s nothing green. Colleagues, delegates, ladies and gentlemen, this year, we’re not only celebrating the eightieth anniversary of the birth of this assembly, but also the seventieth anniversary of Italy’s membership in the United Nations, a double anniversary that places on us an even greater responsibility to uphold the founding principles and values of this organization. With the awareness that to do so, we must make the tools effective to defend those principles and values of our time so that our action may be more incisive and truly responsive to the needs of our societies. The choice that we have is simple. Either everything leave everything as it is or take refuge in what is easy or show our citizens that we will not waste the historic opportunity, which this time, with its multiple challenges, has handed us to build a fair and safer world. Because as Saint Francis, the most Italian of saints who gave his name to the city where this organization was born said, difficult battles are reserved only for those who have exemplary courage. It is time, I believe, to show that courage. Thank you.

##The President of the General Assembly: [02:39:32] On behalf of the Assembly, I wish to thank the President of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Italy.

 I now give the floor to his excellency, Péter Szijjártó, minister of foreign affairs and trade of Hungary.

##Hungary: [00:00:21] Mister president, dear colleagues, unfortunately, it is not an exaggeration to state that we are now living in the age of dangers, and it’s not an exaggeration either to say that since the conclusion of the second World War, currently, are experiencing the global security being in its worst shape ever. Wars, an increasing threat of terrorism, ethnic based conflicts, spreading of extreme ideologies, and open reference to the use of nuclear weapons. This is the age of dangers, a period when the world has been faced with the risk of the outbreak of the third world war. All these conflicts, unfortunately, are pointing to the same direction. The direction that the world will be divided into blocks again. And this would be a very dangerous phenomenon. We Hungarians know it from our historic experience. We have lost forty years of our lives in an age which was characterized by a world divided into blocks. This is against our national interest. But what is in line with our national interest? It is connectivity. Connectivity meaning that mutual respect should return as a basis of the operation of the system of international cooperation. Such a system would bring mutual benefits to all of us. Hungary’s strategy has been to become a meeting point between East and West. A meeting point where a cooperation of the Eastern and Western economies can take place. Maybe two examples here. A very successful German Chinese cooperation on the field of electromobility in Hungary, or a successful Russian German French cooperation on the field of nuclear industry in Hungary are proofs to what extent the world could take benefits out of a civilized East to West cooperation. If I wanna summarize the approach of Hungary nowadays, how we address the major challenges of the world, I would do it in the following way. No war, no migration, no gender. Let me emphasize these three points. No war. Hungary stands up for peace. We are proud members of the pro peace majority of this organization, and we do hope that this year’s general assembly will help us to find solutions to bring peace to parts of the world which are suffering from wars. And we do hope that this time, this hope of ours will not be transformed into an illusion at the end of this week. Hungary has been living for more than three and a half years now in the neighborhood of the war in Ukraine. We have been confronted with the consequences of this war on a daily basis. A huge wave of refugees, 1,300,000. Imagine, we are a country of less than 10,000,000 inhabitants. The war inflation, skyrocketing energy prices, skyrocketing food prices. We do have to make daily efforts in order to be able to stay out of this war. Regardless all the efforts to drag us into this war and to provocate us into this war. It is the obligation and the duty of the Hungarian government to make sure that the security of the Hungarian people and Hungary itself is being guaranteed. Mister president, since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Hungary has been standing up for ceasefire and peace talks. Unfortunately, we used to be under serious attacks, serious political attacks, accusations, and stigmatization for this position of ours. Very rude accusation, by those who are now speaking about the importance of ceasefire and peace talks by the same countries in Europe. And I have to tell you that if these countries who used to stigmatize us for disposition of ours had not attacked us for disposition, but had they argued in favor of ceasefire and peace talks from the very beginning as we have been doing so, we could have saved lives of hundreds of thousands of people, and we could have avoided huge refugee waves, and we could have avoided, prevented a lot of destruction. But Europe, the European Union has chosen a bad strategy, a failed strategy. Instead of isolating the war in Ukraine, this war has been globalized. The sanction packages the European Union has, introduced have absolutely not fulfilled the expectations. They have caused more harms to the European economy than to the Russian one. And parallel to that, hundreds of billions of euros have been sent to Ukraine in the form of cash and weapons. Every day which goes on in this war brings forward the risk of escalation. All day spent in this war comes up with new casualties and destruction. And if we look at history, it’s obvious that all wars end up around the negotiating table. There is no war which ends up in the battlefield. Therefore, may I express Hungary’s respect towards president Trump and the efforts of president Trump, we do believe president Trump is the only hope to make peace in Ukraine. And we do hope that president Trump will not give up his efforts to make peace regardless of the fact that many politicians in Europe rather undermine the efforts of president Trump than to support those. We Hungarians do have a very sad historic experience. This historic experience of ours says that in case there is a civilized East to west cooperation, the security situation of the world improves. But if there’s a lack of civilized east to west cooperation, global security deteriorates. Therefore, we do hope that the high level US Russia contacts will be maintained. As long as high level US Russia contacts are on, we do have the hope that we can avoid the worst case scenario. As long as the high level US Russia talks are on, we have a good hope to prevent escalation and to prevent the launch of World War three. So Hungary will continue to support all initiatives aiming at peace, and we will continue to support the peace efforts of president Trump, and we will continue to support the high level US Russia talks. And we make sure that Hungary is not gonna be dragged into this war. We will stay out and protect the security of the Hungarian people. Second point, dear colleagues, no migration. Parallelly to the war in Ukraine, Europe has been faced with another tremendous security threat for the last ten years, which is illegal migration. We Hungarians are in a special situation because of geography. We are at the European entrance of the busiest land route of migration to Europe, and we have a very sad experience here. We had been ran over by 400,000 illegal migrants ten years ago. Aggressive people marching through the country, rejecting any kind of cooperation with the local authorities, violating our border, occupying public areas, behaving in a way threatening the Hungarian people. What was our reaction? We have closed our border. We have built a fence, not a wall, but a fence. And we have put tremendous efforts in order to protect us from the illegal migrants. We have stopped 1,000,000 illegal migrants at our southern border by building the fence there. We have spent multiple billions of dollars in order to be able to protect our border and our security. And guess what happens in Europe? The European Commission forces us to pay €1,000,000 penalty on a daily basis because of protecting our border. €1,000,000 penalty on a daily basis for the protection of our borders. This is insane. This is crazy. But I have to tell you that regardless of this penalty, we will protect our border. We rather pay €1,000,000 per day, but we do not allow illegal migrants to come into Hungary. We protect ourselves. May I say, this is the best investment into our own security. And the pro migration policy of the European Union comes forward with very sad impacts in the Western part of Europe. Modern Asia, antisemitism, parallel societies, gang wars, and no go zones. I wanna make clear that regardless of all pressure from Brussels, Hungary will continue to protect the Hungarian people. We will protect ourselves, our culture, our way of life, and our security. And we we stick to our own sovereign right to make the decision who can enter the territory of Hungary. This decision must be made by us and not by bureaucrats in Brussels. We have to consider the violation of border as it is a crime, and those who commit this crime must be punished. International law speaks very clearly. If someone is being forced to leave her or his home, she or he is entitled to stay temporarily on the territory of the first safe country, but not the second, the third, the fourth, or fifth. The first. And we are an example here. We are a neighboring country to Ukraine. So for those who have to escape from Ukraine because of the war, we are the first safe country, and we let all of them come in. All of them. All of them. But at our southern border, those who wanna come in, those are illegal migrants, and none of them has been allowed and none of them will be allowed to enter the territory of our country. Thirdly, no gender. In Hungary, we do consider family as the basis of society. But we have to understand that there is a very aggressive extreme liberal mainstream which has been attacking family not only as an expression but as an institution as well. Therefore, I think it’s appropriate to clarify what we Hungarians do mean under family. We do mean that family consists of a mother, a father, and children. Where mother is a woman, father is a man. And the marriage can be made between one man and one woman. And in order to make sure, we have put all these into our constitution. And when it comes to our economic strategy, we do carry out a family based economic strategy. 5% of GDP we spend on supporting the families, which is far number one in the OECD area. And currently, a family based tax revolution is going on in Hungary. Our basic principle is that if you decide to have a kid, that must not put you in a less advantageous position compared to if you do not have a kid. We do consider children as a blessing. Therefore we do support the families to have as many kids as they wish to. From next year onwards, all mothers who have given birth to two children will enjoy life long exemption from paying personal income tax. And after the birth of each children, a certain part of the salary of the parents is exempted from taxation and we will double this exemption from the beginning of next year. If the mother wishes to stay at home with the newborn kid for two point five years, she receives 70% of her former salary. And all women spending forty years at work can go to pension regardless of age. Young couples can take €28,000 of preferential loan called expecting babies, which means that in case of the birth of a first kid, interest rate is down to zero. After the birth of the second kid, 30% of the loan is being repaid by the State. And after the third kid being born, the State remits the whole loan. And as the most recent decision of the Government, we launched the largest ever housing loan system in Hungary. All families are entitled to take a loan to buy a house or a flat with a fixed interest rate of 3%. So at the end, Mr. President and your colleagues, it is our goal to make Hungary great again. In order to be able to make Hungary great again, we have to protect ourselves from the war, which has been going on for three and a half years in our neighborhood. In order to make Hungary great again, we have to protect ourselves from illegal migration, making sure that we do not allow any illegal migrants to the territory of Hungary. In order to make Hungary great again, we have to be able to protect ourselves from the aggressive gender propaganda, and we have to be able to strengthen our families. No war, no migration, no gender. This is the Hungarian recipe. Thank you so much for your kind attention.

##The President of the General Assembly: [00:16:44] I thank the minister of foreign affairs and trade of Hungary.And now I give the floor to his excellency, minister of foreign affairs and worship of Costa Rica, Ricardo André Tinoco.

##Costa Rica: [00:16:55] Madam President, Excellencies, Costa Rica congratulates you on your election to preside over the eightieth session of the General Assembly. You can count on the firm and unwearing support of my country in contributing to the success of your tenure. Eight decades ago, we embarked on the journey to San Francisco to save humanity from the abyss of war. Together, throughout this journey, we codified human rights and built an international system based on the rule of law. We established the foundations of our collective security system and generated global processes for environmental protection and development of nations. We achieved the decolonization of more than 80 territories mediated in hundreds of conflicts. Today, however, the mission faces three significant global global challenges: nuclear weapons, the triple planetary crisis, and the governance of artificial intelligence. In the same year that we founded this organization, humanity crossed a threshold when Hiroshima and Nagasaki were reduced to ruins in an instant by atomic bombs. Today, the risk of nuclear conflict is the highest it has been decades. Trust is eroding. Geopolitical tensions are widening. The shadow of the use of nuclear weapons looms once again. Nuclear weapons are once again being considered by their possessors as central to national security strategies and are wielded as tools of coercion. Any nuclear detonation, whether intentional or accidental, would have irreversible humanitarian environmental consequences. There is no possible humanitarian response. There is no margin for error. Fifty five years after the entry into force of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty and looking ahead to its twenty twenty six review conference, nuclear weapon states will have a new opportunity to reaffirm their adherence to the treaty and to the obligations and commitments they have undertaken as states parties, particularly Article We also urge you to recognize that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons strengthens and complements the NPT, and it represents a decisive step toward fulfilling the very first resolution adopted by this assembly, and an essential element of the nuclear disarmament and non proliferation regime. Costa Rica reaffirms that the only effective guarantee against the risk of nuclear weapons is their complete, verifiable and irreversible elimination. Now, at a time when military spending has reached its highest level since the Cold War, behind every dollar spent on weapons, on all weapons. We see a political choice that privileges force over dialogue, weakens trust in multilateral institutions, and contradicts the spirit of the Charter. And this precisely at a time when we’re facing the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time, with more than 300,000,000 people in urgent need of assistance. Sudan, Gaza, and Ukraine are clear examples. Only 190,000,000 people will receive aid. A 115,000,000 will have to wait, if life grants them enough time. This is not a lack of resources, but a will. The means exist, priorities lie elsewhere. We cannot ignore that humanitarian assistance, however vital it may be, is also the bill that we pay for failing to act in a timely way to prevent the crises. The consequences of arriving too late, far too late, are reflected in every refugee camp, every food distribution point, and every field hospital. Humanitarian and refugee crises transcend human tragedy and become direct vectors of insecurity in our region. Costa Rica observes with concern how these crises fuel the power of drug trafficking and organized crime. Organizations that exploit institutional gaps and operate across borders in the absence of effective multilateral coordination. Our country, as both a host and a transit state, experiences firsthand how criminal networks transform migration routes into illicit corridors, taking advantage of the vulnerability of those seeking international protection. Isolated responses are insufficient, they simply shift these networks to territories with less capacity to respond, expanding transnational organized crime, human trafficking, and drug trafficking, while creating new epicenters and hot spots of criminal activity. Costa Rica calls on the international community to recognize that humanitarian security requires a multidimensional response and an integrated regional architecture. It requires real time information sharing mechanisms, harmonized regulatory frameworks, strengthen institutional capacities, and shared responsibility with coordinated action to preserve the stability that our peoples deserve. Madam President, excellent. Preventive diplomacy costs millions, but repairing its failures costs billions. We in The Americas know that price very well. In Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Haiti, we see the consequences of arriving too late. We could have acted in time. We could prevented the repeated and systematic violations of human rights and the exodus of millions who now seek refuge and other forms of international protection, but we did not prevent it. The multiple crises across Latin America and The Caribbean, in democracy, human rights, security, migration and development, all bear witness to our own shortcomings. And it is always the most vulnerable who pay the price, those who demand protection and justice. The triple planetary crisis is another of the greatest existential threats of our time. The seas are rising, the oceans are acidifying, and millions will be forced to migrate. A temperature increase of only 1.1 degrees Celsius already puts food security, health, and peace at risk. Costa Rica suffers from devastating hurricanes, droughts that affect our farmers and energy sources, and and cause economic losses in the billions. But for decades, of contributing to the problem, Costa Rica has been part of the solution. We doubled our forest cover. We generate nearly all our electricity from renew renewable sources and protect almost one third of our territory. The great challenge remains that no country can face the triplet planetary crisis alone. It is a global problem, and therefore, we must all accelerate the energy transition, finance climate action, and respond with justice to the loss and damage suffered by countries like Costa Rica that endured the dam devastating consequences of climate change. Confronting these crises requires joint action, science based decisions, adequate financial resources, and compliance with our international legal obligations. Without any excuses, without any pretexts, without any delays, this triple crisis is also an ocean emergency. That is why Costa Rica is driving the process of concluding a binding treaty on plastic pollution that covers its entire life cycle, advancing scientific research, and calling for a precautionary pause on deep sea mining, as well as urging the full implementation of the BB and J treaty with conservation as its top priority. Time is running out to respond to these threats that do not recognize any borders. Time is also running out to bridge the digital divide and confront a technological revolution driven by artificial intelligence that is advancing at high speed. Artificial intelligence can strengthen our national economies and our collective efforts to achieve development. It can optimize resources, accelerate medical research, and democratize access to knowledge, but it can also divide us between those who have access and those who do not. Artificial intelligence also poses risks to international peace and security. It can become a vector of mass disinformation and enable cyber attacks that paralyze critical infrastructure. Artificial intelligence also challenges our ability to maintain meaningful human control over life or death decisions as military automation advances without adequate regulatory frameworks. Establishing such frameworks is urgent and time is running out. One application of AI that deserves special attention is autonomous weapons Costa Rica urges the conclusion, before 2026, of a legally binding instrument that establishes prohibitions and regulations for autumn for autonomous weapon systems capable of identifying, selecting, attacking targets without meaningful human control. No algorithm should ever make life or death decisions. Madam president, excellencies, Costa Rica has demonstrated for decades that our impact in this organization is not determined by our size. Small states lead through action. We build bridges and forge consensuses that once seem distant. That is how we move forward. That is how we prove that together we’re stronger and that this is our common home. Just this year, Costa Rica in the face of the most devastating humanitarian crisis since the founding of the United Nations. Together with a 150 states launched a call to action while chairing the humanitarian affairs segment of the Economic and Social Council. Faced with the grave humanitarian consequences of the use of explosive weapons of populated areas, Costa Rica will host the second international conference on the political declaration on strengthening the protection of civilians to be held in San Jose from November. In light of the risks and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence, Costa Rica together with Spain has led the process that established the independent international scientific panel and the global dialogue on AI governance to be launched tomorrow. Its adoption by consensus is a milestone in itself. Faced with the urgency of protecting the environment and the ocean, Costa Rica co organized with France, UNOC three, where we reach significant political and financial commitments for ocean governance and health. In confronting the persistent inequalities that limit the dignity and rights of women and girls. Together with Cabo Verde, Costa Rica achieved the consensus the adoption by consensus of the political declaration marking the thirtieth anniversary of the fourth World Conference on Women, and Costa Rica, with great responsibility and commitment, assumed the presidency of the seventieth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. Madam President, excellencies, the person who will hold the office of Secretary General as of January 2027 must have the leadership and vision required to face the three great global challenges. The vision that comes from experience and the courage that only years of service at the highest level can provide. What is required is authority that is born of integrity. There must be a person who embraces with wisdom and conviction the three pillars of this organization. Someone who forges consensus and inspires hope, even in the most difficult circumstances. Someone with the determination to renew and strengthen this organization. We are confident that we will find that person, and we are confident also that we will find that person in our region, because it is a turn of Latin America and The Caribbean. The world has changed and our organization must change with it. But what cannot change is our commitment to the spirit of San Francisco and the determination that took us there. Thank you. I thank, the minister of foreign affairs and worship of Costa Rica.