Human rights
Human rights at UNGA 81
Raised by 136 of 223 speakers. Read verbatim UN transcript quotes and select a time to hear the speech.
Speeches that raised human rights
Ghana · Day 3John Dramani MahamaMr. President, everybody in this chamber today and every global citizen listening to my words possesses an origin.
We carry inherited memories, values, rich cultures, and distinct identities of our homelands.
Belonging anchors us, and it reminds us that we are part of a human story that is far larger than ourselves.
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Barbados · Day 3Mia Amor MottleyIn the growing age of AI, governance cannot be left to voluntary corporate practices or to a small number of technologically advanced states.
We need globally agreed rules that protect human dignity, preserve meaningful human oversight, and ensure that the benefits of AI are shared widely and equitably.
I caution, a technology that will affect every state must be governed by the rules that every state has had the opportunity to shape.
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Slovenia · Day 3Janez JanšaLast year, we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
The convention was the fruit of the tireless effort of the Polish jurist of Jewish descent, Raphael Lemkin.
I would like to remind you that since the end of the Second World War alone, There have been more than 80 countries witnessing mass atrocities.
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Uruguay · Day 3Yamandú OrsiMr. President of the General Assembly, Mr. Secretary-General, Heads of State, ladies and gentlemen.
It is fitting that I begin by paying tribute to the people of the United States who 250 years ago, a quarter of a millennium ago, decided and understood that people have rights, the right to life, to their liberty and to happiness, and that these rights should guide every government, and that it is the governed who should decide who should govern them.
We in South America, also peoples of migrants inherited these same principles 50 years on.
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Ireland · Day 3Micheál MartinWe should also remember what our collective commitment to the United Nations has achieved.
The multilateral system anchored in the United Nations Charter, has been the foundation of many of humanity's greatest achievements.
It has driven advances in poverty alleviation, healthcare, education, social protection, and food and nutrition security.
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South Africa · Day 3Ronald Ozzy LamolaAt the same time, Mr. President, with this being the valedictory UN General Assembly session for the Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, permit me to salute him for his numerous accomplishment at a time of his unprecedented global challenges.
60 years ago, in the chamber of this assembly, the United Nations adopted a resolution condemning apartheid as a crime against humanity.
The demise of apartheid freed the people of South Africa from racial segregation, and slaughter, domination and deprivation, humiliation and exploitation.
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- Iran (Islamic Republic of) · Day 3
Mr. President, this organization was founded to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.
Yet today, the chief architect of that very scourge, the notorious Prime Minister of the Israeli regime, addressed this Assembly, an utmost disgrace to this body.
This is the ultimate insult to all noble values such as justice, equality, and dignity and worth of the human person enshrined in this Organization's Charter.
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Palestine (State of) · Day 3Mahmoud AbbasAnd it has targeted all the basic necessities of life and the future of entire generations.
In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, settler expansion is accelerating.
The West Bank is being fragmented and Jerusalem is being isolated and Judaized.
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Colombia · Day 3José Manuel RestrepoAre we measuring our results rigorously enough?
Another matter that I wish to address is human rights.
Colombia defends human rights and will continue to do so.
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Thailand · Day 3Anutin CharnvirakulWe must give countries a genuine stake in the international system, including a stronger voice for the global South.
And we must take shared responsibility for turning commitments into results.
Mr. President, the UN's purposes remain as relevant as ever to promote peace and security, human rights and dignity, sustainable development, and cooperation among sovereign equals.
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Bangladesh · Day 3Tarique RahmanI respectfully remember the contributions of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the struggle to establish democracy, justice and people's rights in our country since independence.
I also pay my sincere respect to all those who were martyred and injured in the mass uprising of courageous students and people in July-August 2024 against fascism.
After more than a decade, and a half of movement and struggle against fascist rule and exploitation, and through the sacrifice of thousands of lives, Bangladesh is now free from fascism.
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Netherlands (Kingdom of the) · Day 3Rob JettenWe see the unending human suffering in Gaza, Sudan, and so many other places in the world.
We see violations of international law and of human rights which are in stark contrast to the UN's aims.
And we see institutions being undermined, institutions that were established to protect people and populations.
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Zimbabwe · Day 3Emmerson Dambudzo MnangagwaRegrettably, however, my country's national development initiatives have continued to be undermined by unilateral coercive measures imposed by some Western countries.
We call for their immediate and unconditional removal.
I reiterate, Zimbabwe is a friend to all and an enemy to none, unless you choose to be an enemy.
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European Union · Day 3António CostaAnd this is why Our message is clear.
We need multilateralism, multilateralism that is strong, effective, representative, and capable of delivering for people.
Multilateralism that protects human rights, strengthens democracy, and advances gender equality.
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Gambia (Republic of The) · Day 3Mohammed JallowThis is why this Organization was created with understanding that disputes must be resolved through dialogue, human dignity must be protected, and that nations must work together if development, peace, and human rights are to be sustained.
In other words, that our common future required common institutions.
Eight decades later, we must ask ourselves whether we have remained faithful to that insight.
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Austria · Day 3Beate Meinl-ReisingerIt is the refusal to give violence the last word.
During the Cold War, states that deeply distrusted one another still met in Vienna.
Austria will keep the door open whenever dialogue can prevent bloodshed, and peace rests on human rights.
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Somalia · Day 3Hassan Sheikh MohamudIt will be restored when institutions act consistently, uphold international law, and produce results that people can see and experience.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the United Nations Charter is found on sovereign equality, territorial integrity, peaceful coexistence, human rights, and dignity of every person.
The most important word in this year's theme is all, not some.
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Comoros · Day 3Azali AssoumaniRestoring trust, mutual respect, and equality before the law is our collective responsibility during this 81st session.
Mr. President, distinguished participants, A year ago, we called in this very hall for peace to be the foundation of development and human rights.
Twelve months later, we must acknowledge that the gap between our commitments and reality remains evident.
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Liberia · Day 3Joseph Nyuma BoakaiTrust in multilateralism is broken and needs to be restored, not because the principles of the Charter are no longer relevant, but because we have applied them inconsistently and selectively during global fragmentation.
Our answer So that is a better multilateralism.
80 years ago, Liberia was among the only four nations to sign the charter establishing the United Nations.
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Hungary · Day 3András Bálint BakaHungary is ready to do its part.
We will stand for human rights, support peacekeeping, and work with countries across the world to protect people and help diplomacy succeed.
We must also look beyond the problems today.
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Senegal · Day 3Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar FayeMr. President of the General Assembly, Heads of State and Government, Secretary-General, Ministers, distinguished delegates.
President, on behalf of Senegal, I wish to thank your predecessor and convey to you my hearty congratulations.
I also wish you every success as you steer the work of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
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Nigeria · Day 3Kashim ShettimaWe should all be afraid of a world in which we can no longer tell the victim from the aggressor, when our investment in propaganda shields perpetrators from justice, to the point that telling the truth becomes a crime.
The promise of this institution stands betrayed.
We place our faith in diplomacy because military victories alone cannot secure lasting peace.
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Yemen · Day 3Abdullah Abdulkader Al Alimi-BawzerRestoring the state is not a victory for one Yemeni party over another.
It is the restoration of the rights of all Yemenis to their state and institutions.
The Yemen for which we struggle belongs to all Yemenis.
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Kuwait · Day 3Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabahas well as nationals of third countries, and the recovery of Kuwaiti property, including the national archives.
Mr. President, the State of Kuwait reiterates its principled and firm position condemning the ongoing violations by the Israeli occupation forces against the brotherly Palestinian people.
The Palestinian people continue to suffer under difficult living conditions caused by policies of displacement, arrests, and settlement.
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Greece · Day 3Kyriakos MitsotakisYet further concrete progress must be demonstrated, particularly when it comes to protecting the rights and security of all religious and ethnic communities.
This, of course, includes the Orthodox Christian minority, which unfortunately continues to face the violence of Islamist extremists.
The search for stability extends to Libya.
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Australia · Day 3Anthony AlbaneseAnd instead of surrendering to fear, or dealing in retribution, or abandoning their fate to a world governed by force alone, they came together to renew and affirm their faith in humanity, in the essential and equal dignity and worth of every individual, in the sovereignty of every nation, and in the capacity and indeed the responsibility of all of us to give the Universal Declaration of Human Rights life and weight and real meaning by engaging in the dialogue that builds trust and deepens understanding, and backing those words with actions.
In this moment, we need to lean in and strengthen and modernise the fundamental parts of the UN system that help to build peace and promote economic development and sustainability.
Sovereignty, prosperity and peace are never guaranteed.
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