Development
Climate change at UNGA 81
Raised by 151 of 223 speakers. Read verbatim UN transcript quotes and select a time to hear the speech.
Speeches that raised climate change
Kyrgyzstan · Day 1Sadyr ZhaparovOnly then will decisions be implemented promptly and the United will become a strong and respected organization.
Otherwise, existing sanctions will become sort of children's toy.
Dear friends, as you know, climate change has become a global challenge.
10passages
Secretary-General of the United Nations · Day 1António GuterresThe power fueling climate chaos and war on nature.
And the power unleashed by artificial intelligence.
Excellencies, the first great power test in the 21st century is peace and security.
9passages
France · Day 1Emmanuel MacronMadame President, Deputy Secretary-General, Majesties, Heads of State and Government, Ministers, Ambassadors, distinguished delegates, dear friends.
Since this morning, we've heard A number of speeches from this rostrum about the state of the world, and I fear I will not be very original in my description.
Every speaker has described the return of imperialism, of arrogance, the return of unrestrained force which knows no rules, a world in which we see power concentrated in the hands of the few, a world in which some believe that they can undermine the international order so as to push their borders outwards, those that believe that people's sovereignty can be toppled over, that they could use that sovereignty, people who believe that they can decide the fate of the planet, whether that be as regards the climate or AI.
9passages
Dominica · Day 1Sylvanie BurtonWe are living through an age of profound transformation.
Technology is changing how we work, communicate, and understand the world.
Climate change is reshaping economies, communities, and entire ecosystems.
7passages
Mongolia · Day 1Khurelsukh UkhnaaIt is time for all of us to ponder and reflect with common sense on what progress could have been achieved in the development of human society if these huge budget and funds had been spent on tackling pressing issues such as combating global warming and climate change and improving education, health, food security, and advancement of women and children.
According to the SDG Report 2026, Mongolia has achieved 68.8% of the SDGs, reflecting the tangible results of our efforts and the progress we have made in recent years.
As a country experiencing the adverse impacts of climate change firsthand, Mongolia has remained steadfast in contributing to global collective efforts to protect and preserve our natural environment.
5passages
Brazil · Day 1Luiz Inácio Lula Da SilvaAnti-vaccine campaigns are bringing back diseases we thought were eradicated.
Weakening the World Health Organization makes everyone more vulnerable.
Until recently, the response to climate change was firmly established at the center of the international agenda.
4passages
Türkiye · Day 1Recep Tayyip ErdoğanDistinguished members, We all derive our livelihood and the source of our life from nature.
But our world stands on the threshold of serious environmental and climate-related threats.
Air, water and soil, and also many living species, are being affected by climate change.
4passages
Republic of Korea · Day 1Lee Jae MyungThe glacial flooding in Nepal that claimed many lives and destroyed the foundations of people's livelihoods evidences that the climate crisis is a reality of today, not tomorrow.
Persistent armed conflicts around the world, including those in Ukraine and the Middle East, continue to threaten the survival of humanity.
Emerging technologies such as drones are rapidly transforming warfare and posing serious challenges to human rights and the international law-based order.
4passages
Suriname · Day 1Jennifer Geerlings-SimonsThat is the important issue now.
It is therefore that the CARICOM 10-point plan for restorative justice is now of eminent importance.
Mr. President, Suriname occupies a unique position.
4passages
Seychelles · Day 1Mathew Antonio Patrick HerminieIt is unreasonable to expect nations safeguarding vast oceanic domains with modest budgets to meet standards set by heavily resourced states without providing them the tools to do so.
Resilience without resources is not resilience.
It is merely survival.
4passages
Bhutan · Day 1Tshering TobgayBut GMC's operating system was designed around a deeper conviction that prosperity and values should reinforce one another.
That means rejecting the assumption that we must choose between enterprise and well-being, between technology and humanity, between development and nature.
At GMC, we believe a balanced approach can deliver substantial profits while protecting the values that makes prosperity worthwhile.
4passages
Japan · Day 1Takaichi SanaeSeveral large scale disasters have occurred and continuously caused extreme damage around the world this year, including in Japan.
Natural disasters are becoming more severe and frequent, Japan is striving to become the world's leading nation in disaster risk reduction.
To share Japan's expertise and technology in disaster risk reduction and contribute to global efforts in this field, I appointed a new Minister of State for International Disaster Risk Reduction Cooperation in my cabinet reshuffle last week.
4passages
Chile · Day 1José Antonio KastIn the last six months, we've had requests to invest more than $44 billion in our economy.
And these investment projects applications are being assessed by our environmental evaluation systems.
More than $33 billion have been approved for projects that had been in the wings for years.
3passages
Sierra Leone · Day 1Julius Maada BioA gas future, like the future of every young person, will be shaped by forces already remaking our world, climate change, artificial intelligence, and the energy transition.
The meaning of for all becomes more urgent as we decide how these transformations will be governed.
Artificial intelligence can improve, of course, education, health, agriculture, and public administration.
3passages
Morocco · Day 1Nasser BouritaFourth, the diminishing capacity of existing regulatory structures to play the role in preventing and managing crises.
In this complex international context, Mr. President, I wish to focus on three areas to which the international community must accord priority.
First, confronting non-state armed groups as a threat to international security and stability.
3passages
United States of America · Day 1Donald TrumpMaybe I do and maybe I don't.
We're going to find out pretty soon.
Superintelligence, every major new technology brings challenges, and superintelligence is no exception.
2passages
United Republic of Tanzania · Day 1Deogratius NdejembiYour immense experience and diplomatic skills give us confidence in your ability to guide the proceedings of this session successfully.
Your election is also a fitting tribute to the great country, Bangladesh, with which Tanzania enjoys excellent relations.
Mr. President, about 80 years ago, The United Nations was founded in San Francisco on a simple but enduring principle: that nations can prevent war and advance peace through trust, collective action, and respect the UN Charter.
2passages
Belgium · Day 1Maxime PrévotWe can defend our interests while accepting that others have rights too.
And when rules are clear and predictable enough, a space of competition can still remain a space of cooperation.
The ocean, moreover, are far more than the highways of our trades.
2passages
President of the General Assembly (opening) · Day 1Dr. Khalilur Rahmanand the heartbreaking natural disaster in Nepal and China was not just an isolated event, but yet another horrible climax to our collectively insufficient response to climate change.
The circumstances and the politics of this crisis differ, but our commitment under the United Nations Charter do not.
The principles of multilateralism, International law, international humanitarian law, the protection of civilians and humanitarian access cannot be applied selectively, not if we want the world to trust us.
1passages
Jordan · Day 1Abdullah II ibn Al HusseinEconomic disparity, food insecurity, climate change disasters.
None of these challenges emerged overnight.
The warning signs have been there.
1passages
Luxembourg · Day 1Guillaume of LuxembourgMadam President, Climate change reminds us perhaps more clearly than any other challenge that we cannot solve global problems by acting alone.
It transcends borders and generations.
Small island developing states already experiences consequences that threaten their very existence.
1passages
Angola · Day 1João Manuel Gonçalves LourençoI would like also to congratulate His Excellency Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has been working tirelessly and devoted himself with persistent dedication to the great global causes, building bridges for dialogue in the search for peaceful solutions to the problems facing humanity today.
We highlight his exemplary contribution as a man of dialogue an advocate of the United Nations Charter and international law, a tireless advocate of the need to protect the planet from harmful effects of climate change, and a champion of the global debate on global governance of artificial intelligence.
Mr. President, Your Excellencies, The United Nations General Assembly is always held in the month of September.
1passages
Bosnia and Herzegovina · Day 1Denis BećirovićAmong other things, I would like to remind that Bosnia and Herzegovina is aware of climate change and committed to contributing to global efforts, committed to the transition towards renewable energy sources and the reduction of harmful gas emissions, and determined to combat all forms of terrorism.
We in Bosnia and Herzegovina know that peace cannot be taken for granted.
Peace must be safeguarded every day.
1passages
Switzerland · Day 1Guy ParmelinAdded to this are transformations that are reshaping our societies.
climate change and the increase in the number of disasters, humanitarian crises, inequalities, and also technological upheavals, notably artificial intelligence, which are often advancing faster than our collective ability to assess their implications.
At the same time, multilateral institutions are having to respond to an increasing number of crises while facing pressure on resources and an erosion of trust.
1passages
Viet Nam · Day 1To LamAnd as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, Vietnam champions dialogue and cooperation in promoting and protecting human rights and in ensuring that all can share the fruits of development.
We stand ready to share our experience in poverty reduction, agricultural development, and climate change adaptation to work with partners to broaden cooperation for common interest.
The world will continue to change.
1passages
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland · Day 1Andy BurnhamThat is the level of ambition that we need now to renew the UN for our times, to tackle challenges like improving global health and preventing future pandemics, to end the wars that are causing so much suffering and instability, including the terrible conflict in Sudan, and to tackle climate change.
The climate crisis is now a national security threat for countries around the world, as this summer of extreme heat, wildfires, and floods has proved beyond doubt.
Britain will continue to lead with others to fight this threat, to protect our children and grandchildren, to protect the natural world, and also to seize the benefits for jobs, growth, and reindustrialization that the clean energy transition can bring.
1passages
Croatia · Day 1Andrej PlenkovićFor us, freedom of navigation and maritime security are both a national interest and a global responsibility.
Common rules do not hold us back.
They provide the stability and predictability necessary for countries to advance their ambitions.
1passages