The general debate of the 81st United Nations General Assembly opened. Leaders from many countries spoke to discuss multilateralism and global governance.

China News Service, United Nations, September 22 (Reporter Wang Fan) The general debate of the 81st United Nations General Assembly opened on the 22nd at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in his speech at the opening ceremony that the world is moving toward irreversible multipolarity, but this process may either move toward fragmentation and transactionalism characterized by division, confrontation, and zero-sum games, or it may move toward a networked pattern in which centers of influence are interdependent under common international law and shared rules. The latter helps prevent the world from splitting into two opposing camps. Power requires rules, and the Charter of the United Nations and the work of the United Nations are more important than ever.

Khalil, President of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly and Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, said in his opening speech that the reason why the United Nations can continue to this day lies in its irreplaceability. The core topic of this session of the UN General Assembly is to rebuild trust. Standing at the starting point of the ninth decade, the United Nations must face up to its own shortcomings, deepen reforms, and make its work more inclusive in order to regain trust.

As usual, Brazilian President Lula was the first to speak in the general debate. He said that the United Nations is facing a critical moment. The year 2025 has recorded the most armed conflicts since World War II. War is no longer a continuation of politics, but a manifestation of the complete collapse of political systems in an interdependent world. The United Nations Security Council must conduct in-depth discussions on decisive issues concerning the future of mankind and make a choice between multilateralism and unilateralism.

Later, US President Trump spoke. He emphasized that the United States is in the midst of a "rise" and introduced the achievements his government has made since taking office in terms of economy, military, energy, border security, and science and technology. He also elaborated on the U.S. position on Iran, Palestine, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the situation in the Western Hemisphere, criticized the United Nations and some of its agencies, announced that the United States will further reduce budget allocations and positions to the United Nations, and emphasized that the United States will "maintain its leading position in the field of artificial intelligence."

In his speech, King Abdullah II of Jordan criticized the Israeli government's expansion ambitions for becoming a regional threat. He said that the ongoing conflicts in Lebanon, Yemen, Sudan and other places, as well as economic disparity, food insecurity, climate change and other issues, require continued attention and action from the international community.

French President Macron said in his speech that in the face of the resurgence of the logic of "might makes right", the international community cannot retreat and should adhere to the United Nations Charter, international law and multilateralism. At present, wars and crises are increasing, and power is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few people. All countries should jointly safeguard the people's right to freely choose their own destiny, development model and future. France will continue to take action in areas such as war and peace, international law, North-South cooperation, and artificial intelligence.

Leaders who spoke that day also included Turkish President Erdogan, Chilean President Castel, and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.

The theme of this session of the UN General Assembly is "Rebuilding Trust, Managing Change: A United Nations that Delivers Effective Results for All." The general debate will continue until September 28. Heads of state, heads of government and high-level representatives from United Nations member states will speak around the theme, express their respective national positions and propose solutions. (over)