International law
Sovereignty and non-interference at UNGA 81
Raised by 154 of 223 speakers. Read verbatim UN transcript quotes and select a time to hear the speech.
Speeches that raised sovereignty and non-interference
Libya · Day 2Mohamed Younis MenfiIts repercussions have extended to the Arabian Gulf, most recently in the attack against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
We affirm our full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in safeguarding its security, its territorial integrity, its citizens, and its holy sites.
We reject any targeting that threatens it or endangers Islamic holy sites.
12passages
Argentina · Day 2Javier Gerardo MileiThat's why the Malvinas are not merely an issue between Argentina and the United Kingdom; they also raise a question regarding the ability of this organization to enforce its own resolutions.
Argentina has taken note of that reality and in the face of the unauthorized exploitation of our resources in the disputed area, we've acted.
We've submitted formal notes of protest.
8passages
Serbia · Day 2Aleksandar VučićTo be completely precise, the order based on respect for the UN Charter and the law founded upon it no longer exists.
It was destroyed by those who tore apart the territories of other countries for the sake of their own political and economic interests.
They did so unscrupulously, recklessly and shamelessly.
8passages
Ukraine · Day 2Volodymyr ZelenskyyLadies and gentlemen, for almost five years now, Russian generals have been trying to carry out Putin's crazy order to seize our eastern land, the Donetsk region.
And just this year, from January through August, the Russian army lost 248,964 people on the battlefield in Ukraine in eight months.
248,000 killed and badly wounded.
7passages
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) · Day 2Delcy Eloína Rodríguez GómezSome attempt to interfere in the domestic affairs of Venezuela.
I come to this rostrum to talk to you about a Venezuela whose national life has been affected by a crisis that has disrupted political coexistence, a crisis that disrupted national life and upset our relationships with the world.
Interests alien to the common good of the Venezuelan people were pursued.
7passages
Poland · Day 2Karol NawrockiIt is not too late to restore the primacy of international law and strengthen the foundations of a system in which principles matter, and in which the international community, acting jointly and in solidarity, opposes aggression, which is prohibited by the Charter of the United Nations.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Russian Federation, guided by an imperial and neo-colonial vision of the world, is attempting to impose its will on others.
In doing so, it is effectively challenging the right of every nation to determine its own destiny.
6passages
Democratic Republic of the Congo · Day 2Judith Suminwa Tulukahave never ceased to believe in the need for international cooperation, a cooperation which, at the most difficult times, can be promptly mobilized, but in other circumstances may seem to drag its feet, when territorial integrity is vigorously defended in one crisis but seems negotiable in another, when the suffering of civilians calls for immediate action in one place but seems less urgent in another.
In reality, there can be no lasting trust when the force of our principles varies depending on the people's crises or circumstances.
In a world in constant flux, the trust of our peoples in multilateralism begins when the law is applied uniformly, regardless of geography, economic power, or alliances.
6passages
Latvia · Day 2Edgars RinkēvičsAnd we already have it, the United Nations Charter and its principles.
sovereignty, territorial integrity, the peaceful settlement of disputes, respect for human rights, the rejection of aggression.
These principles were not written for an easy world.
5passages
Honduras · Day 2Nasry Juan Asfura ZablahToday, the global economy is facing an energy crisis resulting from the high prices of oil.
That crisis is having a direct impact on our people.
This is the only forum in which the voice of a country of 11 million inhabitants is heard.
5passages
Palau · Day 2Surangel WhippsI stand before this assembly for a people whose future depends on a healthy ocean and a stable climate, and the sovereign right to determine their own path.
For us, sovereignty is lived in our ability to feed our people from healthy oceans, power our homes independently from distant fuel markets, and protect our shorelines from rising seas and chart our own path.
It is a responsibility that grows more urgent each day, especially as UNEP's latest findings make clear that the world is now certain to exceed 1.5.
4passages
Guinea · Day 2Mamadi DoumbouyaBut today I am once again speaking before you with a different mindset.
I do not seek to denounce, but rather to share with you, to share with you factual elements about the progress and the headway that has been made by the Republic of Guinea as we have achieved results that have emanated from the choices that we have made.
On the basis of our constitution, the Republic of Guinea organized an entire direct presidential legislative communal elections and we have established all institutions which are entirely financed by our treasury.
4passages
Burundi · Day 2Évariste NdayishimiyeThis is what must build trust between Africa and other continents, as well as with international institutions.
We no longer wish to see the Human Rights Council become a forum for oppressing countries that are deliberately singled out because they defend and fight for the interests of their peoples.
We want to see this council working for justice and equity for all states without distinction.
3passages
Paraguay · Day 2Santiago Peña PalaciosFor this reason, we defend freedom, democracy, the sovereignty of states, respect for human rights and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
For this reason, we uphold human life from conception and we recognize the family as the fundamental unit of our society.
Because when human dignity is forgotten, humanity itself disappears.
3passages
Cyprus · Day 2Nikos ChristodoulidesFor small-sized countries, the principle of equality of states is fundamental, and it has formed the binding trust between us.
We rely on an international system in which sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected.
We expect international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, to be applied consistently.
3passages
Syrian Arab Republic · Day 2Ahmad Al-SharaaAny attempts that violate our sovereignty, violate international law, will be stopped.
Golan will remain Syrian territories.
Any other attempts will be thwarted according to Security Council Resolution 497.
2passages
Iran (Islamic Republic of) · Day 2Masoud Pezeshkianso as to avoid being threatened, to avoid its future being threatened.
We do not wish to use our power for hegemony, and we do not seek our security in the insecurity of others.
Vis-a-vis Iran's defense, our defensive systems have been built so that no one can think that bombing of Iranian cities will go unanswered.
2passages
Botswana · Day 2Duma Gideon BokoThat is the tradition I bring to this podium, representing a nation staking its existence on the promise that shared rules, faithfully observed, remain humanity's best instrument for peace and prosperity.
That tradition tests whether trust between nations, large and small, can be restored.
Mr. President, restoring trust must begin with restoring respect.
2passages
Ecuador · Day 2Daniel Roy-Gilchrist Noboa Azincalling for cooperation with full respect for the sovereignty of each nation and with results that we can measure.
This is why Ecuador today is proposing three concrete actions.
First of all, an international mechanism within the framework of the UN to trace and freeze the illicit financial flows from transnational organized crime.
2passages
Central African Republic · Day 2Faustin Archange TouaderaWe are asking for regional and international solidarity to be commensurate with the challenges we are facing.
The CAR, like all sovereign nations, aspires to take full charge of its own security.
And I say this with the same gravity.
2passages
Panama · Day 2José Raúl Mulino QuinteroI feel indignation as a Panamanian.
We are staunch defenders of sovereignty, after all, and we also have a treaty of neutrality for the canal, which is in our constitution, and which ultimately is the guarantee of free trade and the equality for this passage for all nations of the world.
As you can therefore see, Panama believes in these principles and actively works to ensure that this happens in practice.
2passages
Kenya · Day 2William Samoei RutoWe arrived with one vote and the same sovereign rights as every other State.
The promise made in San Francisco now belonged to us as well.
And that promise changed the world.
2passages
Romania · Day 2Nicuşor-Daniel Danthrough repeated violations of our airspace.
A few months back, a drone crashed onto a residential building on our territory, injuring people and causing material damage.
It was one episode in an ongoing series of such incidents.
1passages
Estonia · Day 2Alar KarisLadies and gentlemen, One of the biggest tests for the UN's relevance is Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
For more than 12 years ago, since the illegal annexation of Crimea and occupation of eastern Ukraine in 2014, a permanent member of the Security Council, the Russian Federation, has been perpetrating a war of aggression at the very heart of Europe.
But aggression disregards the principles of the United Nations Charter to its very core.
1passages
Dominican Republic · Day 2Luis Rodolfo Abinader CoronaWe will contribute to building the consensus that made a resolution possible, and we are committing our financial contributions that some proportional for the trust fund of the force and facilitating from our country transit logistics and UN support office we are cooperating with the sanctions regime and supporting the personnel of the mission in our hospitals.
We are doing this because this is above all a question of national security for our country and we must repeat this as clearly as possible, there is no Dominican solution to the Haitian crisis, and no state or organization can impose on our country to do it in their place.
We will continue to protect our borders, to implement our migratory laws, and strengthen and equip our armed forces in exercise of sovereign equality that the United Nations recognizes for each state.
1passages
Ethiopia · Day 2Taye Atske-Selassie AmdeMr. President, Ethiopia has diligently worked to promote cooperation and regional integration through infrastructure development, trade, and people-to-people relationship in the Horn of Africa.
We have achieved notable progress with several of our neighbors in spite of attempts by reckless external actors who are habitually engaged in fuming instability.
Despite continued interference in our internal affairs by adversarial elements, we have exercised immense restraint and remained by the firm conviction of becoming one of the most prosperous and dynamic development engines in the Africa.
1passages
Slovakia · Day 2Peter PellegriniWhat if we, as world leaders, would start again following the UN Charter Would reform even matter if we finally did our best for global peace?
Too many conflicts are still driven by the belief that political problems can be solved by force, by changing borders, violating sovereignty, and ignoring international rules.
We need to reject this logic.
1passages
Eswatini · Day 2King Mswati IIIThe United Nations must remain a house where every nation, large or small, has a voice, and where the sovereignty and dignity of all member states are fully respected.
As world leaders, we come here every year to promote dignity, peace, justice, humanity, and cooperation in order to create a better world and we should never give up to fight for it.
The Kingdom of Eswatini stands ready to work with all Member States, the United Nations system, regional organizations, and international partners to advance peace, dialogue, sustainable development, and human dignity for all.
1passages