The emergency reflects a global reality – that the UN risks losing relevance to today’s polycririsy – of the blatant contempt for international standards and endless conflicts to climatic disasters and the crushing of debt charges.

The leaders of Africa founded their calls in lived experience, describing constant difficulties with extremely fragile economies, recurring droughts, Jevénile Private Opportunity populations and the persistent imbalance of power within international institutions.

Thursday, the global message was clear: without reform, the promise of Charter of the United Nations cannot be filled, and a low nations of the United Nations cannot serve “we peoples”.

Guinea-Bissau: We are equal

President Umaro Sissoco Packó de Guinea-Bissau underlined the unique role of the UN as a forum where all nations, large or small, can speak as equals.

He described a world assaulted by conflicts, inequalities and development status, noting that the United Nations agencies – of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) on the global food program (Wfp) – Support hope and dignity but cannot succeed without systemic reform.

He called the Security advice To develop, democratize and offer a real place for the world South, arguing that faith in multilateralism can only be rebuilt if developing countries see their voices shape decisions. In his words:

“The legitimacy, strength and future of the UN reside in the inclusion and full participation of all of us in deliberations and decision -making.”

▶ Look at the address.

Gambia: assume your responsibilities

From West Africa, Vice-President Muhammed Jallow underlined the pursuit by the Gambia of inclusive development, peace and respect for fundamental freedoms.

He highlighted the vulnerability of world southern countries to external shocks – from food and energy crises to debt and unemployment pressure – and urged international partnerships that prioritize resilience in food security, infrastructure and implementation of Sustainable development objectives (ODD).

Regarding international peace and security, he stressed: “We call the United Nations Security Council to assume its responsibility to resolve unrest in Africa and elsewhere.”

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Ethiopia: no shortcuts to true justice

The president of Ethiopia, Taye Atskeselassie Amde, made an energetic appeal to the reform, declaring that the UN must overcome the “systemic problems”, including a lack of impartiality, selectivity and double standard.

He warned that military accumulations, island policies and retirement of development and climate commitments constitute global threats that undermine peace between nations.

While Ethiopia has reached important national development stages, Mr. Amde warned that these successes will not hide systemic obstacles such as debt, coercive trade measures and the absence of Africa from decision -making on the Security Council.

“There is no shortcut or half-solution for this long-standing prosecution of justice,” he said, putting pressure for the cancellation of the debt and the complete inclusion of Africa in global governance.

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South Sudan: we are all better together

Vice-president Josephine Joseph Lagu spoke of the point of view of a young nation still struggling with internal fragility.

She supervised the difficulties of South Sudan in the broader failure of the international community to support post-conflict recovery, emphasizing peace, humanitarian aid and space to consolidate institutions without undue interference.

She called for a stronger commitment to solutions directed by Africans, arguing that the credibility of the UN depends on the most vulnerable support.

“We all know that it is better together. It is better together for us on a national scale, it is better together for us in the world, ”she said.

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Botswana: Listen to the voice of Africa

President Duma Gideon Boko of Botswana has delivered a message anchored both in gratitude and urgent calls for action, recognizing the founding vision of the UN and emphasizing the continuous inequalities of the continent.

He relied on the experience of Botswana on the use of the wealth of diamonds to finance schools and hospitals, he underlined the fragility of dependence on resources and the need for global partnerships in renewable energies, technology and sustainable agriculture. For semi-arid nations-like Botswana-he warned, climate change is a current reality.

The strongest advocacy of President Boko concerned the UN reform: “The voice of Africa is not heard.”

He demanded a permanent seat of the Security Council, arguing that without her, the UN cannot claim to be really universal.

▶ Look at the address.

At the heart of his speech was the urgency of freeing himself from spiral violence, in parallel with a call to close what he described as two centuries of historical injustice.

Laurent Saint-Cyr painted a dark image: murders, gang rapes, famine and more than a million displaced people.

“It is a war between criminals who want to impose violence as a social order and an unarmed population who fights to preserve human dignity,” he said.

The armed gangs now control a large part of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and continue to distribute terror nationally.

Thin stretched support mission

In the past 15 months, a multinational security support mission led by Kenyan (MSS) – authorized by the Security advice But depends on voluntary contributions – tried to restore stability.

Of the 2,500 police officers initially promised, less than 1,000 were deployed. While the force secured Haiti’s main airport and reopened certain roads, it did not interrupt the Port-au-Prince slide near anarchy.

“Their bravery was not sufficient to contain the crisis,” said Mr. Saint-Cyr to the United Nations General Assembly.

Press a new “deletion force”

With the MSS mandate which expires in early October, Haiti-supported by the United States and Panama-urges the creation of a gang suppression force of 5,500 people.

Washington wants the new mission to be mandated under chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nationsallowing the use of force against threats to peace.

The proposal includes a new United Nations support office in Haiti and a clear mandate: neutralize gangs, secure key infrastructure and restore minimum institutional stability.

“Haiti wants peace. Haiti awaits peace. Haiti has the right of peace, “said Saint-Cyr, warning against a security vacuum if the current mission ends. A vote would be expected in the coming days.

Unfinished political transition

Safety alone, however, will not resolve the bustle of Haiti. Since the assassination of President Jenel Moïse in July 2021, the country has been without elected government. Successive interim administrations have failed to restore order.

The Transitional Council, formed in 2024 after a compromise negotiated by the Community of the Caribbean Nations (Caricom), is responsible for organizing elections.

Saint-Cyr said that more than 85% of polling stations had been identified and that $ 65 million obtained. “The Haitian people must be able to choose their leaders,” he said, calling for free and credible elections essential to end the provisional state.

The “ransom” of independence

The Haitian chief also put pressure for France’s repairs, recalling the 1825 order which forced Haiti to pay 150 million golden francs in exchange for the recognition of independence-a “ransom” which drained its economy until 1947, he told the delegates.

“Our voice is raised to demand repairs, not in a spirit of revenge, but with a concern for justice and truth,” he said. The French National Assembly recognized injustice in June and Haiti has since set up a national committee for repairs and restitution.

“France now has the opportunity to write a new page in its history with Haiti,” insisted Mr. Saint-Cyr, echoing broader debates on colonial repairs.

Beyond historical reflections, the Haitian chief said that Urgent was necessary to slow down the power of gangs. “Each passing day, benefits the suffocating Haiti gangs,” he warned. “If the Security Council does not act quickly, the country may sink more in chaos.”

The North African country has been divided between two competing administrations for more than a decade, after the overthrow of former leader Muammar Gaddaffi in 2011.

Last month, the UN proposed a roadmap This would last from 12 to 18 months leading to general elections and a new unified government.

Not critical support

“I am in front of you today to represent the will of a people who are always due to hope, always believing in their ability to build a stable and prosperous future,” said Mohamed Younis al-Menfi of the Government of National Unity (GNU) recognized internationally.

“Libya is not an area for fighting. It is not an arena to adjust the scores or a place where crises can be exported. It is a nation rich in natural resources, a coherent society, with young people who have enormous potential “which” are the backbone to build a modern state. “

He stressed that “at this critical moment, we turn to the United Nations to play an effective and complementary role because he helps us to overcome this crisis towards stability and democracy.

Past failures, broken confidence

Mr. Al-Menfi insisted that despite challenges and threats, the Libyan people firmly believes that they can overcome obstacles.

“But let me be honest with you,” he said. “In Libya, several traditional models and mechanisms have been exhausted. They did not match the complexity of the social and political situation. They harmed the confidence of Libyans in the solutions proposed. ”

He warned that “any solution that does not restore the national property of the political track, any solution which is not derived from the free will of the Libyan people, would be intended to fail, as we have seen in the past.”

A new approach

In this regard, Mr. Al-Menfi presented what he called “a clear political vision based on four pillars”.

The first calls for “fully restoring national sovereignty and rejecting all forms of foreign interference, regardless of the form that this could take and regardless of justifications.”

The sovereign institutions of Libya – in particular its security, defense and financial institutions – must be united “according to professional mechanisms, without polarization and without fixing quotas”.

The final pillar concerns the end of the current transition period on the basis of a new constitution, “through free and fair elections, allowing Libyans to freely choose who would governed them, without guardianship, without any position of external actors.”

Mr. Al-Menfi said that despite the challenges, the authorities had been able to maintain the highest level of stability and prevent a relapse in violence.

“We emphasize that the blood of the Libyan people is a red line,” he said. “Territorial integrity, sovereignty and social cohesion of Libya are not negotiable.”

Since 2014, Yemen has been engulfed in conflicts between the internationally recognized government and Houthi activists (officially known as the Ansar Allah movement). A fragile truce negotiated in 2022 has helped reduce fighting, but violations are underway.

Millions have been moved across the country-already one of the poorest in the Middle East-while public services and infrastructure collapsed.

The humanitarian workers have also been targeted by the Houthis – which control the major expanses of the country, including the capital – with dozens of United Nations staff owned by group and agency offices.

“The Houthi militias are no longer a rebellious group in a remote region,” said President Al-Alimi to the annual debate of the General Assembly.

International Terrorism Group

“On the contrary, they are [an] International terrorist organization armed with the teeth with an advanced Iranian arsenal, including missiles and ballistic drones, trapped boats and sea mines, and missiles and other qualitative weapons that are internationally prohibited. »»

Mr. Al-Alimi-who directs Yemen, the presidential leadership council-said that after more than a decade of war, the Yemenis live “one of the greatest humanitarian crises” while facing “security threats that transcend our borders and spread to the region and the whole world”.

He accused Houthis of using “hunger as a weapon, religion as a tool and maritime passages as a means of blackmail”, warning that the Red Sea and the international shipping channels are likely to become a permanent prey to terrorism.

He has rejected years of international and ineffective containment efforts.

“The conflict management policy by offering more incentives has only caused more disasters and destruction,” he said.

He said the UN was not “unable to protect his own staff, who had been kidnapped in Sanaa, unable to protect oil and commercial ships.”

Call to effective action

The Yemeni leader called for an “effective international coalition to restore security, stability and a coalition that would reconstruct state institutions and release the country of militias claws and all forms of terrorist groups.”

The Yemen crisis is an international credibility test, he said.

“What we ask for you are not new declarations, but international action – an international action firm – to support the legitimate government as a trusted partner on the ground.”

He reaffirmed Yemen’s support for the Palestinian cause, praised the growing international recognition of a Palestinian state and expressed his gratitude to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for their supported support for his country.

“Yemen and Gaza … are the moral test field [United Nations]. They are the place where we can certainly confirm that the power on the right is always able to face the right of the power. »»

In the last days of the Second World War, when the idea of ​​the United Nations began to take shape, the atomic attacks of two Japanese cities sent a frightening warning to the world, of the terrifying destructive power of nuclear weapons. Eight decades later, in the midst of increasing geopolitical tensions and ongoing conflicts, the threat of nuclear weapons increases.

Highest level of threat in decades

In his message for the ‘International day for the total elimination of nuclear weapons“, Observed each year on September 26, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres reminds the world that” nuclear weapons have no security – only the promise of annihilation “.

Nuclear disarmament has remained an absolute priority for the UN since its creation. In fact, the very First resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly In 1946, focused on nuclear disarmament.

In the decades that followed, the UN continued to lead diplomatic efforts in this direction. In 1959, the General Assembly officially supported the objective of general and complete disarmament. In 1978The first special session of the general assembly on disarmament said that nuclear disarmament was the highest priority.

Each UN secretary general has actively pursued this objective. The current holder, António Guterres, has warned several times in recent years that “geopolitical tensions and distrust have increased the risk of nuclear war to its highest levels in decades”.

“These weapons are increasing in power, in range and stealth. An accidental launch is an error, a calculation error, an act of recklessness “,” He said to Security advice Last year.

What is at stake

Although nuclear weapons have only been deployed twice, their shadow still hangs on humanity. Over 12,000 nuclear warheads still exist today. Their destructive potential threatens entire cities, millions of lives, the environment and future generations.

More than 50% of the world’s population lives in countries with nuclear weapons or are part of nuclear alliances. Deep concerns about the possible use of these weapons have intensified due to conflicts, including the war in Ukraine.

Many nuclear countries also plan to modernize their arsenals. The integration of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, raises the possibility of bad judges and misunderstandings, which makes the risks even more complex and unpredictable.

A renewed nuclear weapon race?

A Range of multilateral treaties And initiatives have been established to curb, regulate or eliminate nuclear weapons over the decades, helping – to a certain extent – to slow down proliferation and advanced disarmament.

However, increasing global instability and violent conflicts exerted increasing pressure on these mechanisms. The weakening of these executives may cause a renewed nuclear weapon race.

In 2019, the United States announced its withdrawal from the Intermediate Standing Nuclear Forces Treaty, which targeted the elimination of a specific class of nuclear missiles and, in 2022, a major magazine conference failed to reach a consensus on the Treaty of Nuclear Proliferation.

The following year, Russia withdrew its ratification from the full nuclear trial treaty (CTBT) and suspended its participation in the “New Departure” treaty on the measures to reduce and limit strategic offensive weapons.

These developments have led to increasing frustration about the slowness of disarmament and an increasing concern concerning the catastrophic potential of a single nuclear detonation: since the end of the Cold War, while the number of nuclear weapons deployed has not decreased, not a single nuclear warhead has been eliminated due to a treaty. There is also no active negotiations currently targeting nuclear disarmament.

Renewed elimination efforts

To mark this year’s international day for the total elimination of nuclear weapons, a high -level meeting takes place on Friday September 26, while the high -level week of the general assembly fits at its end.

This initiative, established by a resolution adopted in 2013, is designed to educate the public, promote global dialogue on disarmament, highlight the advantages of a world without nuclear weapons and draw attention to the costs of maintaining these weapons.

This rally should mobilize international support to a world without nuclear weapons and reaffirm the commitment in terms of disarmament and non-proliferation, in particular on the historical occasion of the UN eightieth anniversary.

“The participation of young people is not only to bring young people to meetings”, ” President of the General Assembly Annalena Baerbock said THURSDAY.

“” It is a question of really integrating their lived experience and their expertise to shape political results. “”

Prioritize rights and aspirations

Ms. Baerbock was expressed during an event to commemorate the 30th anniversary of The global action program for young people.

The framework covers 15 priority areas, including education, employment, hunger and poverty; health and environment; globalization, information and communication technologies; armed conflict and intergenerational problems.

This shows that action for young people crosses every problem and that they are engines of change.

Open the way

About 1.2 billion, the generation of young people today – people aged 15 to 24 – is undoubtedly the largest in history.

Young people are at the forefront of climate action, digital innovation, construction of local solutions and human rights defense, said Guy Ryder, United Nations Subsecretary General for Policy, who spoke on behalf of the Secretary General.

” Again Too often, they are excluded from decisions, decisions that shape their lives and face obstacles to education, decent work, health services and political participation“He said.

“At the same time, the violence, the instability and the narrowing of the civic space silence the votes of young people and place obstacles on the manner of their significant contributions.”

Pay the price

The commemoration has been tried to mark progress since the historical framework, but also to treat unfinished affairs.

As the head of the UN youth office said, the international community “must face the reality that gives thought Millions of young people continue to be left. “”

Felipe Paullier said they are “paying the highest price” with regard to the climate crisis, digital disturbances and growing peace threats.

“The reality is that conflict-related deaths have climbed to the highest level since the adoption of the World Action Program for Young people,” he said.

“It means millions of young lives lost, moved or forever affected. From Gaza to Ukraine, from Haiti to the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), Sudan and so many other places in crisis, Young people are deprived of their education, their security and their future. “”

Voice of a generation

Before the event, more than 75,000 young people in 182 countries shared their challenges and hopes thanks to a “pension activity” coordinated by its office.

Information will help guide the action, but the impact of this generation is already felt around the world.

“” Young people do not wait tomorrow to become leaders; These are the leaders of today“Said Ms. Baerback, who recalled that the Recent historical decision by International Court of Justice (Icj) States’ obligations to combat climate change have been launched by a group of Pacific students.

‘Partnership with us’

For AINI ALIDI, a defender of young people from the UN in Malawi, the event was “more than a commemoration” but “a call for action”.

“Young people remain firm in our optimism and determination to build a better future,” she said.

“” What we ask for the United Nations and its Member States is simple but urgent: listen to us. Invest in the United States, and above all, associate with us. “”

James Sustrely of Ireland, defender of young people with disabilities, advised the world leaders of what the participation of young people really means.

“” This is where people who have power listen to us and act Because actions speak more than words, “he said.

“It’s more than a cashier exercise. It is when we can make our own decisions, and not only others make decisions on our behalf. As we always say, nothing of us without us. ”