Republic of the Congo, 2025

The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Denis Sassou Ngesso, President of the Republic of the Congo. I request protocol to escort His Excellency and invite him to address the Assembly. Mr. Sassou Ngesso, President of the Republic of the Congo. 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 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 inextricably intertwined with that of others, and that only a collective effort can allow global challenges to be overcome. Multilateralism, or the acknowledgement 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. The 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 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 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, 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, no longer reflects 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, a more effective multilateralism, one that is closer to the aspirations of the people and one that is more representative of the realities of the 21st 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 the Sustainable Development Goals and put an end to the machinery that strangles vulnerable economies, such as unsustainable debt or unfair trade rules. International solidarity remains vital to allow for developing countries 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, inter alia. The climate is a 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 the 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 conflagration which could 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 instable 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, 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, and responsibility. Therefore, together, united in diversity, let us bring to life the founding promises of our organization, namely peace, dignity, and progress. Let us not allow history to be made without us. I thank you. Thank you. On behalf of the Assembly, I wish to thank the President of the Republic of the Congo.