Lebanon's prime minister has told the UN that the withdrawal of peacekeeping troops risks creating a vacuum. Leaders from Pakistan and Iraq will also speak on day 4 of a conference dominated by the Middle East.
UNGA Day 4 opens with remarks from Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam as well as the prime ministers of Iraq and Pakistan and others. The addresses come one day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered defiant and controversial remarks on Thursday afternoon. The Israeli leader defended his country's wars after many representatives walked out of the assembly hall in protest. The president of Kiribati and the vice president of the Maldives, two island nations acutely threatened by rising sea levels, will also address the General Assembly on Friday.
We are resuming our coverage of the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, September 25. The general debate is scheduled to begin its fourth day of the assembly at 9 a.m. New York time (1300 UTC). Iraq, Pakistan, Lebanon and others are to speak in today's morning session, while countries such as Egypt, Mexico, Kazakhstan and Sweden will take the stand in the afternoon. Friday's debate comes after a day of speeches that was centered on Gaza, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address sparking a walkout by several delegates.
We're wrapping up for the day, with the third day's sessions of the 81st General Assembly now complete. Gaza dominated the speeches today. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the assembly, denying that his country's actions in Gaza amount to genocide, an accusation leveled by several speakers on Thursday, including Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. Several delegates exited the hall as the Israeli prime minister began his speech. Protesters had also gathered outside the UN Headquarters in New York ahead of Netanyahu's address, with some being arrested. Before the session wrapped up, the representatives of Iran, Turkey and Qatar used their right of reply to lambast Netanyahu's address.
Four weeks after catastrophic flash floods ravaged Nepal, the small Himalayan country's young prime minister stood at the podium of the UN General Assembly to warn leaders about the impact of a warming world. "I wish I could stand here today simply to speak about development, democracy, peace and the hopes of a young nation. Instead, I must speak about death and destruction of epic proportions," said Balendra Shah as he began his address to the UNGA on Thursday. The Nepalese leader stressed that the perils of climate change transcend national borders as he made a case for greater international cooperation for protecting the Himalayas. "The Himalayas are not peripheral to the planet. They are part of the planet's life-support system," Shah said, proposing the establishment of a "Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism," which he said would be led by Nepal, India and China.
Netherlands Prime Minister Rob Jetten, addressing the General Assembly on Thursday, said the International Criminal Court, which is based in The Hague, was "under attack." Jetten did not name the US or President Donald Trump, who on Tuesday urged countries to leave the court, the latest move in his administration's campaign against the ICC. "How can you possibly be opposed to prosecuting the very worst crimes?" Jetten asked the assembly, drawing loud applause from the delegates. "I believe there can be only one response. To say: hands off the ICC, and all those other institutions that protect the international legal order. Because the reality is that we still need to fight impunity."
Yemen and Kuwait, both heavily impacted by the Iran war and its regional spillover, have used their General Assembly addresses to stress the importance of the freedom and safety of navigation, while condemning Iran and its proxies in the region. Abdullah Abdulkader Al Alimi-Bawzer, vice resident of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, represents the internationally recognized government, which has been at war with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels for more than a decade. Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah stressed that freedom and safety of navigation, as well as the right of passage through the Straits of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, must be guaranteed.
Nigeria's Vice President Kashim Shettima Shettima addressed the assembly on behalf of President Bola Tinubu. Among a range of issues, he weighed in on the question of AI with an appeal for an optimistic and proactive approach more than what he deemed undue caution. "We refuse to surrender our technological future to paranoia," he said. "An invention can be destructive or beneficial, depending on the purpose it serves and the judgment of those who use it."
Fijian President Ratu Naiqama Tawakecolati Lalabalavu addressed the chamber on behalf of one of the low-lying island nations at severe risk from climate change on Thursday. He noted that many of the UN's sustainable development goals remained off track with 2030 approaching. He called for a wider financial system that would better enable Fijians to help themselves, specifically regarding remittances, stating they are not aid but earnings of Fijians abroad.
