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
Maldives · Day 4Hussain Mohamed LatheefThis small state can be highly vulnerable to external threats and acts of influence.
In response, this Assembly adopted resolution 44/51, an initiative led by the Maldives, affirming the importance of protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of small states.
That was true then, and it is true even today.
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Niger · Day 4Lamine Zeine Ali MahamanThey want to make us believe that we are incapable of governing, of governing ourselves, incapable of producing, of thinking, and of defending ourselves.
They want to make us believe and convince us that we do not have the science, the intelligence or the sovereignty needed to build something precious by and for ourselves, and that as a consequence, therefore, we should accept the tutelage of Emmanuel Macron's France and his allies.
A France which very often acts through its local proxies, networks and complicity.
12passages
Albania · Day 4Edi RamaWe did not do this to transfer sovereignty from people to a machine.
We did it to make public services more accessible, procedures more transparent, and the state more accountable.
No machine possesses democratic legitimacy.
11passages
Bahamas (the) · Day 4Philip Edward DavisIts ideals have proven its worth.
No nation is too small to be sovereign, no people too poor to be equal, and the strong should be bound by the same law as the weak.
Sad to say, United Nations has drifted from its promise.
9passages
Lebanon · Day 4Nawaf SalamTogether, they constitute the very essence of the mission we pledged before our people, before our Arab brothers, and before the entire world on the day I was entrusted with leading the government of Lebanon.
We assumed this responsibility at a time when our country faced three existential challenges.
The first was to regain the trust of its people after the financial collapse and the Beirut port explosion and the tragedies and wounds they left behind.
7passages
Egypt · Day 4Moustafa Kamal MadboulyBelieving that stability can be achieved in the region while ignoring the suffering of the Palestinian people and merely managing the occupation rather than ending it is nothing but illusion.
The goal remains unequivocally clear: the establishment of an independent, sovereign, and territorially contiguous Palestinian state, state on the lines of.
the 4th of June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, within the framework of the two-state solution and in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions.
7passages
Tonga · Day 4Lord FakafanuaUnder King George I, Tonga preserved its independence during an era of colonial expansion.
Our constitution of 1875 secured Tongans' rights and freedoms over seven decades before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
It reflects our fierce determination to chart our own course.
6passages
Mauritania · Day 4Mohamed Salem MerzougMr. President, ladies and gentlemen.
the Islamic Republic of Mauritania renews its commitment to the principles and purposes of the UN Charter and the norms of international law, as well as the resolutions of international legitimacy.
Our foreign policy is based on good neighborliness, the respect of states' sovereignty, independence and the non-interference in their internal affairs as well as the peaceful settlement of disputes and ensuring the just causes.
4passages
Mexico · Day 4Roberto Velasco ÁlvarezOne, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.
2. Shared but differentiated responsibility 3.
Mutual respect and trust 4.
4passages
Monaco · Day 4Christophe MirmandMr. President of the General Assembly, Secretary-General, Heads of State, Heads of Government, Delegates, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am addressing you as the representative of the smallest Member State of this Organization in terms of its land mass and one of the smallest in terms of its population, barely two squared kilometers bordering the Mediterranean.
And yet, in this forum, there are no small or large states.
Here, every one of the 193 members has a voice, one alone, and of the same weight.
3passages
Papua New Guinea · Day 4James MarapeNo nation can address them alone.
We must therefore continue to work together, respecting the sovereignty of all nations upholding the international law and the United Nations Charter, resolving our differences peacefully, and recognizing that every nation, regardless of its size or economic strength or military might, has a voice and a place in this Assembly.
For Papua New Guinea and all the nations of the Pacific, multilateralism matters.
3passages
Saint Kitts and Nevis · Day 4Geoffrey HanleyAnd in 2025, global average temperature remained about 1.43 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial baseline, while global mean sea level stood approximately 11 centimeters higher than in 1993.
For island nations, this is a question of sovereignty and statehood.
If our coastlines retreat, Our sovereignty must not.
3passages
Azerbaijan · Day 4Jeyhun Aziz oglu BayramovThrough inclusive multilateralism, all states, large or small, particularly developing countries, must have the opportunity to participate equally in global decision-making.
In this context, reform of the UN Security is essential to make it more representative, effective and responsive.
Ladies and gentlemen, Restoring global trust begins first and foremost with respecting international law, sovereign equality, and peaceful coexistence.
3passages
Norway · Day 4Espen Barth EideIt's a normative crisis.
is a financial crisis and an institutional crisis.
First, the normative crisis.
3passages
Iraq · Day 4Ali Falih Al-ZaidiThis is so that the law is the final authority and national interest is the compass.
Our implementation measures in this field are moving on track, as they represent the basis for building a state based on institutions, protecting sovereignty, ensuring stability, and creating the environment necessary for development and investment.
With the end of the international coalition's mission in Iraq, we are moving our relationship with our strategic partners to a new phase, moving from military cooperation to economic and development cooperation in service of our common interests.
2passages
Marshall Islands · Day 4Hilda HeineThis week's UN high-level meeting on sea level rise has helped achieve new understanding in international law.
It is the seas that are rising around us, and not our islands which are sinking.
Our boundaries and baselines of today, the political footprint on the map, will endure in the face of aggressive sea level rise scenarios.
2passages
Malta · Day 4Robert AbelaEurope must never accept that despair.
The world must never turn its head away in despair.
Malta remains a sediment in our condemnation of that invasion today as we were on day one in February 2022.
2passages
Tuvalu · Day 4Feleti TeoAnd restoring that trust in that architecture is critical, particularly for small island developing states like Tuvalu, whose sovereignty and future are anchored in that very architecture.
Tuvalu, therefore, stands in solidarity with fellow member states in contributing to the restoration of that trust and advancing the necessary reforms and transformation that will enable the United Nations to deliver for all.
Mr. President, Tuvalu, like other countries, is being challenged by various enforced transformations that threaten our land, values, knowledge and cultures.
2passages
Liechtenstein · Day 4Sabine MonauniPresident, Liechtenstein joined the United Nations 36 years ago as its 160th member.
We did so driven by the conviction that we, as one of the smallest members of the international community, should be part of the most important conversation on global governance, with the participation of all states, big or small, in developing international norms and standards, and also in upholding respect for them.
Sovereignty was a key theme of our domestic discussions, resulting in our UN membership.
2passages
Bahrain · Day 4Abdullatif bin Rashid Al ZayaniWe are now not only defending a regional interest, but a rule that applies to every international waterway.
And if it does apply to one, to our strait alone, it wouldn't have been a rule.
The Kingdom of Bahrain has not only stated its position in principle on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council states and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and by virtue of its current presidency of the GCC and its non-permanent membership of the Security Council, Bahrain led efforts resulting in the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2817 with a historic and unprecedented support of 136 countries.
2passages
Mauritius · Day 4Dhananjay RamfulMauritius calls for the principle that statehood and sovereignty are not impacted by sea level rise to be formally codified.
Mr. President, water stands at the frontline of the climate crisis.
Water is a major concern globally.
2passages
Chad · Day 4Abdelmadjid Abdelrahim MahamatMy country does not support any of the parties to the conflict in Sudan and in no way authorizes the use of its territory or its infrastructure to their benefit.
Chad reiterates its commitment to peace in Sudan.
and reiterates its support for all initiatives, including those of the Quad and the Quintet, seeking to establish a ceasefire and to promote dialogue between the warring parties.
2passages
Guatemala · Day 4Carlos Ramiro Martínez AlvaradoThe sovereignty and territorial integrity of states must be respected.
Disputes must be settled by peaceful means.
Human rights must be protected.
2passages
Sweden · Day 4Maria Malmer StenergardPeace must not be taken for granted.
Defense of sovereignty and territorial integrity has been at the heart of Swedish foreign policy ever since.
Eight decades later, these principles are once again being challenged.
2passages
Kiribati · Day 4Taneti MaamauYet, distance does not make a difference to the suffering caused by war and conflicts elsewhere.
The people of every nation deserve peace.
We reaffirm that disputes must be resolved peacefully, in accordance with the international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter.
1passages
North Macedonia · Day 4Hristijan MickoskiAnd a state that does not expect others to build it in its place.
That, to me, is modern sovereignty, not isolation capability.
This year, Secretary General, Antonio Guterres reminded us on the charter begins with the words, "We, the peoples."
1passages
Solomon Islands · Day 4Matthew Cooper WaleBut we cannot do this alone.
I call on this Assembly to match the courage of our Pacific communities with collective international resolve to scale up adaptation and resilience finance and to support communities facing climate mobility needs.
Solomon Islands reaffirms that maritime boundaries, once established and deposited in accordance with UNCLOS, together with the rights and entitlements that flow from them shall continue to apply, notwithstanding any physical changes caused by climate change related sea level rise.
1passages
Saint Lucia · Day 4Philip J. PierreCuba has long been celebrated for its continued contribution to health, education, and development across our region and beyond.
Saint Lucia stands with the Cuban people in the hope for a better future, supported by the friendship and solidarity of the international community.
In the same spirit of transformation and consistent with our commitment to the right of all people to self-determination, Saint Lucia supports Taiwan's full membership in the United Nations.
1passages
Kazakhstan · Day 4Mukhtar TileuberdiTo the contrary, through international trust, it strengthens sovereignty, enhances security, and promotes development.
Today, the trust is again in danger.
New START has expired, while the 2026 NPT Review Conference ended without substantive outcome for the third consecutive cycle.
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Togo · Day 4Robert Komlan Edo DusseyWe are convinced that no lasting solution can be imposed from the outside without actively listening to local and sovereign realities and what's going on on the ground.
Africa is not asking for others to act in its place.
It is asking for its efforts to be recognized, assisted and supported.
1passages
- India · Day 4
At the heart of the issue, Mr. President, is the longstanding practice of cross-border terrorism by Pakistan.
We demonstrated last year that terrorists will have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
Our right to defend ourselves against terrorism will be exercised, and continued terrorism by Pakistan will have consequences.
1passages