This edition of UN News’s The Takeaway recaps key highlghts at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, including focus on the war in Ukraine and a renewed push by African countries for Security Council reform.
Conflicts test the UN’s ability to deliver peace
Why it matters: World leaders offered sharply different assessments of the United Nations as conflicts, geopolitical tensions and economic shocks increasingly extend beyond national borders.
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- Argentina’s President Javier Milei accused the UN of failing to guarantee collective security.
- Czechia’s President Petr Pavel described the Organization as indispensable, particularly as a forum for dialogue between adversaries.
- Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for renewed nuclear non-proliferation efforts and strict regulation of AI.
War in Ukraine poses a major test
The big picture: Leaders warned that Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine threatens regional security, global food supplies and contravenes the principles of the UN Charter.
- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had lost nearly 250,000 troops on the battlefield between January and August this year.
- Estonia’s President Alar Karis called the aggression “one of the biggest tests for the UN’s relevance”, pointing to attacks on Black Sea ports and the resulting threat to global food security.
- Latvia’s President Edgars Rinkēvičs stressed the risk of regional instability: “What happens in Ukraine does not stay in Ukraine.”
Distant conflicts bring local consequences
Reality check: Leaders from several regions described how wars and instability affect countries far from the fighting.
- The President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader stressed that conflicts in Europe and the Middle East directly affect food and energy prices in his country.
- He also warned that criminal networks controlling territory and trafficking arms and people in Haiti threaten regional peace and security.
- Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned attacks on his country and accused the international community of applying double standards to Iran’s nuclear activities and Israel’s nuclear capabilities and actions in Gaza.
- Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo presented opposing accounts of the conflict in eastern DRC, where Rwanda-backed M23 fighters have seized and held key cities such as Goma and Bukavu, while both emphasized the need for progress towards peace.
From conflict and division to recovery
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One bright spot: Some leaders highlighted efforts to move beyond years of destruction, displacement and political division.
- Syria’s President Ahmad Al-Sharaa declared that “Syria is rising”, pointing to reconstruction, transitional justice and the return of 3.5 million refugees and internally displaced persons.
- Libya’s Presidential Council President Mohamed Al-Menfi called for a unified, sovereign State and for the Mediterranean to become a bridge for development, trade, investment and security.
- Saida Mirziyoyeva of Uzbekistan said that Central Asian countries had begun to see one another as partners rather than as sources of threat.
- Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides called for substantive negotiations on the island’s future within a UN-agreed framework.
Africa renews its call for Security Council reform
What was said: African leaders again argued that the Security Council no longer reflects current global realities.
- Kenya’s President William Ruto noted that Africa’s 54 countries represent almost one quarter of UN membership but have no permanent Council seat.
- “That imbalance might have reflected the world of 1945; it does not reflect the world of today,” he said.
- King Mswati III of Eswatini called for fair African representation and greater international support for African-led peace and stability initiatives.