NEW YORK: The United Nations General Assembly features many voices each year. While some dominate headlines, others do not. Here are some notable remarks from the second day of the 2025 debate that might not have captured the headlines.
Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio emphasized equality among nations, saying sovereignty is not diminished by size and that it is “equal, and our responsibilities are the same. Leadership is not the loudest voice in the room. It is the clearest voice for justice,” he said.
Spain’s King Felipe VI underscored the importance of rules and how they “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,” he said.
He called rules “the best defense against the rule of the strongest.” He warned that without adherence, the world risks sliding back to “the Middle Ages.”
Kenyan President William Ruto cautioned that global institutions lose relevance when they resist change. “Institutions rarely fail because they lack vision or ideals. More often, they drift into irrelevance when they fail to adapt, hesitate to act, and lose legitimacy. To remain relevant, institutions must be re-imagined, reformed, renewed, and aligned with emerging realities,” he said.
Estonian President Alar Karis spoke bluntly on global conflicts, declaring, “Brutality prevails. We simply cannot let this go on.”
Croatian President Zoran Milanović linked peace efforts to breaking cycles of past violence. “Peace is more than silencing the guns. It requires preventing new wars and breaking the cycles of violence from the past,” he said.
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