What were the highlights, key points, priorities and notable excerpts and quotes in Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa's speech at the UN General Assembly?
Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa opened Watch Day 3 of the 81st UN General Assembly general debate with a speech built around five interlocking demands: lift sanctions, reform the UN Security Council to give Africa permanent seats, fix the global financial architecture, address the climate and technology divide, and include women in peace processes.
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This is a fuller look at what he said and the thinking behind it, drawing on reporting from New York and his own words before and after the address.
Highlights
- Sanctions, the sharpest point. Mnangagwa Zimbabwe called on Western governments, primarily the United States and Britain, to drop what he described as illegal, unilateral coercive measures against Zimbabwe. His argument was direct: trust cannot be restored when the global financial system is weaponized against developing nations, which makes the Assembly's own theme, "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation," ring hollow while those measures remain in place.
- Africa as one voice, not 54 separate countries. Before he took the floor, Mnangagwa told reporters after meeting UN Secretary-General António Guterres that the issues he would raise were collective, not individual to Zimbabwe. "We in Southern Africa, or rather the African voice, is that we need to be heard, we need to be understood, we need to be listened to. We are solid in that, we are united," he said. He also wrote on his official social-media account: "Our message was clear: we come not merely as individual nations, but as one unified voice for Africa."
- Security Council reform. He pressed the case for Africa to hold permanent seats with veto power on the UN Security Council, the body that holds primary responsibility for international peace and security under the UN Charter. The Council was designed in 1945 and has never given Africa a permanent seat despite the continent accounting for a substantial share of the Council's country-specific agenda. Mnangagwa framed this as the clearest test of whether the Assembly's transformation theme was real or ceremonial.
- Global financial architecture. He argued that the right to development remains a promise rather than a reality for the Global South because of what he called "skewed global development, inequality, unsustainable debt, unfair trade conditions, and inadequate development financing." He made this case both in the main general debate and at a separate high-level meeting marking the 40th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development, where he said: "Development requires its fullest meaning when every person and nation has a genuine opportunity to shape its course and share in its benefits."
- Climate and technology divide. He warned that climate change and a widening technological divide were compounding the problem, saying both continued "to constrain prospects of many peoples, particularly in the Global South."
- Women in peace processes. He called explicitly for the inclusion of women in global peace negotiations, framing it as a condition for lasting stability rather than an optional extra.
- Zimbabwe open for business. On the sidelines, he addressed the Zimbabwe Business Forum at The Peninsula Hotel, telling international investors that Zimbabwe "remains unequivocally open for business," pointing to mining, agriculture, tourism, energy and aviation as priority sectors.
Priorities
- Immediate removal of US and British sanctions on Zimbabwe
- Two permanent African seats with veto power on the Security Council
- Structural reform of global financial institutions and trading rules
- Climate adaptation financing and water diplomacy for water-scarce nations
- Mandatory inclusion of women in international peace processes
- Positioning Zimbabwe as an incoming non-permanent UN Security Council member for the 2027-2028 term, with a seat taking effect January 1, 2027
In his own words
On Africa's collective voice at UNGA81:
"We in Southern Africa, or rather the African voice, is that we need to be heard, we need to be understood, we need to be listened to. We are solid in that, we are united."
On Africa's standing:
"We come here with our heads up as sovereign nations. Africa rises, and we are rising with Africa."
On the message delivered to Secretary-General Guterres:
"Our message was clear: we come not merely as individual nations, but as one unified voice for Africa."
On what structural reform actually requires:
"True global peace and sustainable development cannot be achieved until the international financial architecture and global governance systems are structurally reformed to support developing nations fairly."
On the right to development:
"Development requires its fullest meaning when every person and nation has a genuine opportunity to shape its course and share in its benefits."
On what four decades of the Declaration on the Right to Development shows:
"Four decades later, the importance of people-centred development and fundamental principles of equality, participation, international cooperation, remains both critical and compelling."
On what persists despite progress:
"However, skewed global development, inequality, unsustainable debt, unfair trade conditions, and inadequate development financing are still prevalent."
On women and peace:
"We also firmly reaffirm that lasting stability requires the inclusion of women in global peace processes and the urgent resolution of ongoing international conflicts."
On Zimbabwe's investment pitch:
"I stood before international partners and potential investors to confidently reaffirm that Zimbabwe remains unequivocally open for business."
Worth knowing
Mnangagwa arrived at UNGA81 carrying a new credential: Zimbabwe was elected to the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member for the 2027-2028 term, taking its seat on January 1, 2027. That context turned his Security Council reform argument into something more than rhetoric. He was not just demanding change from the outside; he was about to sit at the table.
The theme for this year's Assembly, "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All," was chosen by Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh, President of the 81st session. Mnangagwa used that language directly and turned it back on the room: trust and transformation cannot coexist with sanctions and a Security Council that excludes the continent most affected by its decisions.
Watch Day and read the full speech
The general debate is live on UN Web TV. Zimbabwe spoke first on Day 3.
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Follow-ups
What were the highlights, key points, priorities and notable excerpts and quotes in John Dramani Mahama's speech at the UN General Assembly?
Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama delivered one of the most wide-ranging speeches of the 81st UN General Assembly, built around five interlocking arguments: reparatory justice for the transatlantic slave trade, a permanent African seat on the UN Security Council, reform of the global financial architecture, a cease
Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama delivered one of the most wide-ranging speeches of the 81st UN General Assembly, built around five interlocking arguments: reparatory justice for the transatlantic slave trade, a permanent African seat on the UN Security Council, reform of the global financial architecture, a ceasefire and accountability in Gaza, and a showcase of Ghana's own economic recovery as proof that democracy delivers.
spio.comHere are the highlights and key excerpts from President John Dramani Mahama's address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Highlights
- Reparatory justice, the opening salvo. John Mahama opened by making good on a pledge he had made from the same podium a year earlier. On the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, Ghana had tabled Resolution A/RES/80/250, and 123 nations voted to affirm that the transatlantic slave trade and chattel enslavement were the gravest crimes against humanity. He argued that this was not symbolic: the structural legacies of those crimes still shape today's financial architecture, credit ratings, and trade regimes. "True healing requires truth; truth requires acknowledgement; and acknowledgement must lead to meaningful repair," he told the Assembly. He named the Netherlands, Germany, and France as countries that had made positive moves to join the reparatory justice conversation.
- A permanent African seat on the Security Council, with veto power. Mahama said Africa must be given permanent representation on the UN Security Council, including the rights, responsibilities, and veto powers attached to such membership, arguing that Africa, with about 1.5 billion people and the largest regional voting bloc at the UN, could no longer remain without a permanent seat. His framing was blunt: "Security Council reform is not a favour to Africa; it is an imperative for the legitimacy, credibility, and survival of the United Nations."
- Gaza: no more diplomatic euphemisms. Mahama was direct where many leaders are careful. He called collective punishment, enforced starvation, and mass displacement flagrant violations of international law, named five-year-old Hind Rajab by name, and said more than 20,000 children had been killed. He reaffirmed Ghana's recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state and its support for a two-state solution, while also condemning terrorism by Hamas as the trigger for the conflict. His standard: "Our moral standards cannot be selective."
- Climate finance must come as grants, not loans. Mahama described Africa contributing less than 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions while bearing some of the heaviest costs. He cited a devastating flood that hit Ghana and coastal West Africa, dropping 160 millimetres of rain on seven coastal regions in 24 hours, killing 39 people. He demanded that mitigation support come as non-debt-creating grants, not instruments that further indebt fragile economies.
- Africa will process its own minerals. He was explicit that the continent will not replay colonial-era extraction. "Africa will not remain a passive arena for a new scramble for resources," he said, pledging that critical minerals would be processed at home to build local industries and create jobs. He pointed to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the agreement that removes most tariffs between African countries and whose Secretariat is based in Ghana's capital Accra, as the engine for that transformation.
- Ghana's AU Chairmanship. Mahama announced that Ghana would use its AU Chairmanship, which it assumes in January 2027, to champion continental integration, accelerate the AfCFTA, push for peace in conflict zones, and ensure that Africa speaks with "one resolute, undivided, and confident voice."
- Ghana's economic recovery. Mahama said Ghana had achieved a "dramatic turnaround" in its economy, pointing to reduced inflation, a stabilised currency, and lower public debt. He described a new Free Primary Health Care Programme, hailed by the World Health Organization as a benchmark for the Global South, and a fund called MahamaCare covering non-communicable diseases including renal failure, cancer, and diabetes.
Priorities
- A binding, structural reparatory justice process, including restitution of Africa's cultural heritage and dismantling of exploitative trade and credit regimes.
- Two permanent African seats on the UN Security Council, with veto rights.
- Long-term, concessional, grant-based climate finance for developing nations.
- An immediate ceasefire in Gaza, humanitarian access, and accountability for war crimes by all parties.
- Intra-African industrialization through the AfCFTA, with value addition of minerals at home.
- A global health architecture with regional vaccine manufacturing in the Global South.
- Solidarity with Sudan, the Sahel states, Cuba, and all nations facing sanctions or blockades that punish ordinary citizens.
In his own words
On belonging and the dark side of identity:
"Belonging anchors us; it reminds us that we are part of a human story far larger than ourselves. It is a vital wellspring of dignity and pride. But belonging also has a dark side. When weaponised by political expediency, it transforms into nativism, chauvinism, xenophobia and the dangerous prejudices extended to those who are deemed different."
On the founding truth of the UN:
"No race is superior. No nation is inferior. No child's life is worth less because of the language they speak, the faith they profess, the colour of their skin, or the land of their birth."
On international law:
"The UN Charter must reign supreme over the cynical doctrine that 'might makes right.' The veto power must never serve as a license for impunity."
On Africa and resources:
"Africa does not seek charity. Africa seeks equal partnership anchored in mutual respect."
On developing nations and debt:
"Developing nations borrow at interest rates up to eight times higher than industrialised nations. African and Caribbean States nations struck by climate disasters are forced to take on crippling debt to rebuild from floods and droughts they did not cause."
On the human family:
"We must see each other not as strategic rivals, economic targets, or demographic threats, but as human beings who belong. The refugee fleeing violence belongs. The migrant seeking opportunity belongs. The child in Gaza, Sudan, or Ukraine belongs."
His closing call, expanding Kwame Nkrumah:
"The freedom of any nation is insecure unless it is linked to the freedom of all humanity. Our national prosperity is fragile unless it is shared. Our global peace is unviable unless it is anchored in justice."
Watch and read the full speech
Clips from his address, from JoyNews:
Mahama at the UN: "I thank every nation that voted for justice"
Mahama at the UN: "Every human being belongs to the human family, no race is superior"
President Mahama was the third speaker on Day 3 of the general debate. The whole Day 3 session:
Watch Day 3 of the UNGA 81 general debate on YouTube
Watch the session on UN Web TV. The UN posts each country's statement on the general debate website.
UN Web TVUN Web TVWhat were the highlights, key points, priorities and notable excerpts and quotes in Rodrigo Paz Pereira's speech at the UN General Assembly?Bolivia's President Rodrigo Paz Pereira made his debut at the UN General Assembly with an 18-minute speech built around five arguments: the threat narco-terrorism poses to democracy, a frank reckoning of Bolivia's economic collapse under his predecessors, his government's early recovery numbers, a call for investment a
Bolivia's President Rodrigo Paz Pereira made his debut at the UN General Assembly with an 18-minute speech built around five arguments: the threat narco-terrorism poses to democracy, a frank reckoning of Bolivia's economic collapse under his predecessors, his government's early recovery numbers, a call for investment and integration into the global economy, and a plea for the UN not to abandon democracies under siege.
Here are the highlights and key excerpts from Rodrigo Paz Pereira's first address as Bolivia's head of state to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Highlights
- Narco-terrorism as the central threat. Paz addressed the 81st General Assembly holding a coca leaf, and called on multilateralism to act "immediately" against the threats of narco-terrorism and organized crime that he said seek to destabilize democracies around the world. Setting aside his written notes, he warned the Assembly of a "fundamental" danger to Bolivian democracy, telling delegates that the nearly 50 days of road blockades and protests calling for his resignation were financed by "narco-terrorism" with the aim of "breaking the democratic order."
- A political reckoning with the socialist left. His 18-minute address opened with a reference to Venezuela's Hugo Chávez, who in 2006 stood at that same podium and said he smelled sulfur, and to former Bolivian President Evo Morales, both of whom Paz accused of having installed a "political and ideological line" across South America. Holding a coca leaf, he pointed at Morales directly, saying that a leader of his nation had taken a traditional, historic leaf that is part of Bolivian culture and turned it into a betrayal of the country's progress and development.
- Ideology does not feed people. He said Bolivia "was an energy power, in gas, hydrocarbons and mining," and that the country now has to negotiate credits with international organizations and different nations. His verdict on why: "Socialism and ideology do not feed people."
- A hard economic inheritance, with early gains. Paz told the Assembly that Bolivia had been through a contracted economy with inflation above 20% in 2025, and that when he took office the country's reserves did not exceed $21 million. "Today we have close to $1.2 billion and we are aiming for close to $4 billion," he said. Bolivia's Senate ratified a $1.9 billion IMF loan just before his departure for New York, sealing a program that requires Bolivia to fully eliminate fuel subsidies by January 2027, and officials say the credit is designed to unlock roughly $5 billion more in financing from the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and CAF.
- Open for business, not on its knees. Paz signaled that part of getting out of the crisis depends on Bolivia having partners who understand that "an investment is not just a transfer of money." He said Bolivia wants "a long-term relationship with training, technology, infrastructure, productivity, and a future," adding: "Bolivia is open to the world and we want the world to come to Bolivia." He closed that section with a defiant note: "We are just starting, but Bolivia is never on its knees. It always stands, it rises and walks again."
- Natural resources for the energy transition. Paz said Bolivia wants to be part of an "energy diversification" among countries in the region that contributes to development through multilateral cooperation. He pointed to Bolivia's ecological and cultural diversity and said the country holds natural resources that could be strategic for the global energy transition, adding: "We have the capacity to give the world the resources it needs."
- A plea to the UN on democracy. Paz held the coca leaf visibly as he spoke, and closed his address by urging the Assembly to build a new agenda in the face of technological advances, and calling on the UN not to abandon "our democracies."
In his own words
All quotations below come from reporting by Infobae and EFE out of New York, drawing on the speech as delivered.
On ideology and economic failure:
"El socialismo y la ideología no dan de comer." ("Socialism and ideology do not feed people.")
On coca and Morales:
"Un líder de mi nación hizo de una hoja tradicional, una hoja histórica, una hoja que es parte de nuestra cultura, una traición para con la construcción y el desarrollo y la visión de progreso de una nación." ("A leader of my nation turned a traditional leaf, a historic leaf, a leaf that is part of our culture, into a betrayal of the construction, development and vision of progress of a nation.")
On Bolivia's resilience:
"No todo está resuelto, recién estamos comenzando, pero Bolivia nunca está de rodillas, siempre está de pie, se levanta y vuelve a caminar." ("Not everything is resolved, we are just beginning, but Bolivia is never on its knees. It always stands up, it rises and walks again.")
On what Bolivia needs from the world:
"Queremos una relación a largo plazo con capacitación, tecnología, infraestructuras, productividad, futuro, por eso Bolivia está abierta al mundo y queremos que el mundo venga a Bolivia." ("We want a long-term relationship with training, technology, infrastructure, productivity, a future. That is why Bolivia is open to the world and we want the world to come to Bolivia.")
On the fight ahead:
"Bolivia está peleando para que, superando esa crisis, podamos producir, exportar, queremos inversiones, empleo, tecnología, queremos recursos, queremos integrarnos al mundo." ("Bolivia is fighting so that, overcoming this crisis, we can produce, export. We want investment, jobs, technology. We want resources. We want to integrate into the world.")
His closing words:
"Viva la patria carajo, viva Bolivia, gracias Naciones Unidas." ("Long live the homeland, long live Bolivia, thank you United Nations.")
Worth knowing
Paz was sworn in as the 68th President of Bolivia following the 2025 general election. The trip to New York caps a foreign-policy reset that began the day after his October 2025 runoff win, when he pledged to restore diplomatic ties with Washington after a 17-year rupture.
The protests Paz described ran for weeks, involving widespread demonstrations, blockades and strikes across multiple regions of Bolivia, led largely by indigenous groups, miners, teachers, farmers and other workers. They were sparked by Law 1720, which allows land to be used as collateral for loans, against the backdrop of a wider economic downturn.
The coca leaf he held at the podium was a pointed rebuke of Morales, a former coca-growers union leader who rose to Bolivia's presidency. Morales, as head of the federation of coca growers of Chapare, has long been associated with individuals linked to narco-trafficking activities. Bringing the leaf to the UN General Assembly podium inverted a gesture Morales had famously made there in 2006, turning what was then a symbol of indigenous pride into what Paz framed as evidence of a political betrayal.
On the sidelines of High-Level Week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Paz, welcoming Bolivia's efforts to stabilize its economy through IMF support, multilateral bank funding, and fuel, mining and energy sector reforms, while also discussing regional security cooperation against narco-terrorists.
Watch and read the full speech
President Paz was the tenth speaker on Day 3 of the general debate. His own video is not on YouTube yet; the whole Day 3 session is:
Watch Day 3 of the UNGA 81 general debate on YouTube
Watch the session on UN Web TV. The UN posts each country's statement on the general debate website.
UN Web TVUN Web TV
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (via prerecorded video) are among the confirmed speakers for today. 35 leaders are listed across the day, from Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa to Ghana's John Mahama and Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah last.
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