As the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary, global leaders gathered in New York for the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), highlighting growing fractures in the world order, funding crises, rising authoritarianism, and the future of multilateralism.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres opened the debate with a stark warning: the world is facing “reckless disruption and relentless suffering.”
“For every $1 spent on peacebuilding, the world spends $750 on weapons,” Guterres said, urging states to reform global systems and recommit to peace, dignity, and international law.
He condemned the humanitarian crises in Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine, called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and reiterated support for a two-state solution in the Middle East.
He denounced the collective punishment of Palestinians, even while condemning Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks.
Guterres also warned of climate catastrophe, calling for $1.3 trillion per year in climate financing for developing nations by 2035 and urgent regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to prevent its misuse.
“No machine should decide who lives or dies,” he stated, emphasizing the need for human-led AI governance.”
UNGA President Annalena Baerbock (Germany) echoed calls for unity, noting the world faces a “make-or-break” moment amid conflict in Ukraine, Gaza, Haiti, and DRC.
“The UN is not outdated, it is as effective as our collective will,” Baerbock said.
She called for reform through the UN80 initiative, revamped Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), selection of a woman Secretary-General for the first time and greater accountability for UN Charter violations.
“In this globalised world, we either work together or suffer alone,” she warned.
Former U.S President Donald Trump made immigration the central theme of his UNGA address, promising harsh penalties for illegal entrants and accusing the UN of facilitating migration to the U.S.
“The UN spent $372 million to help over 600,000 migrants infiltrate our borders,” Trump claimed.
He criticized President Biden, global green energy policies, and NATO’s “hypocrisy” over Russian oil. His speech was a rallying cry for national sovereignty and strong borders.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva warned that autocratic forces and digital misinformation are threatening democracy.
“The war we must all fight is against hunger and poverty, not each other,” Lula said.
He celebrated Brazil’s removal from the UN Hunger Map, urged regulation of toxic online platforms, and condemned violence in Gaza, calling Israel’s campaign “genocide.”
He also pushed for debt relief for poor nations, greater development aid and global minimum tax for the wealthy.
Speaking via Vice President Kashim Shettima, President Bola Tinubu urged African nations to finance their own mineral sectors and leverage critical minerals like cobalt, lithium, and rare earths as a united continental bloc.
“Africa must finance Africa,” he said, citing tools like the Africa Mineral Token.
Tinubu’s four-point agenda included; Ending raw exports, building value-added industries, controlling African mineral data, accelerated exploration and innovative financing and sovereign funds.
He praised African nations like Zimbabwe, Gabon, and Kenya for banning raw mineral exports and highlighted Nigeria’s solid mineral reforms.
At a separate BCIU roundtable, Vice President Shettima affirmed Nigeria’s role as the hub of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
