Time to accept ‘hard truths’ so trust can be rebuilt: General Assembly president

Key points:

• The UN has grown from 50 Member States in 1945 to 193 today, but survival alone is not evidence of success
• Global military spending has climbed toward $3 trillion while development assistance fell 23 per cent year-on-year even as progress has stalled for a third of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets
• Africa remains without a permanent Security Council seat after eight decades, which must change as a matter of “fairness, justice” and credibility

“Outside these walls, people are not asking whether the United Nations still exists. They are asking whether it works,” said Khalilur Rahman.

Acknowledging the UN’s failures – including the unresolved Palestinian question and ongoing wars in Sudan, Gaza, Ukraine, Myanmar and across the Middle East – Mr. Rahman balanced this with lesser-known successes.

He cited the return of nearly five million people to their homes in Iraq, ongoing delivery of aid in Haiti despite security challenges and the work of peacekeepers described by one war-torn nation’s representative as builders of “roads and communities”, not just “Blue Helmets”.

Three paths towards trust

“Trust is not given,” Mr. Rahman said. “It is earned. Passive ownership is not enough. If we do not claim proactive ownership of this place, we cannot expect it to heal.”

He outlined three paths:

• Honest acknowledgment of institutional shortcomings
• Deep structural reform beyond cosmetic budget changes
• Greater inclusion of businesses, scientists and civil society in UN decision-making, particularly on artificial intelligence (AI)

On Security Council reform, Mr. Rahman renewed calls for fairer representation.

“When the Security Council works, the United Nations works,” he said.

After eight decades without a permanent African seat despite the continent’s central role in peacekeeping operations, Mr. Rahman called for action.

“Africa needs a seat at the table, not to be on the menu,” he said,

Watch the full general debate on UN Web TV:

Military spending spikes

He flagged a stark funding imbalance: development assistance fell 23 per cent year-on-year to roughly $175 billion, even as global military spending approached $3 trillion – marking 11 consecutive years of growth.

Despite this, Mr. Rahman pointed to genuine progress:

• Nearly a billion people gained access to safe drinking water over the past decade
• Electricity now reaches 92 per cent of the world’s population
• Internet access has risen from 40 to 74 per cent

AI guardrails

On artificial intelligence, Mr. Rahman urged the UN not to fall further behind.

He warned that AI is already embedded in critical systems worldwide and called for “prudent and reliable guardrails” developed with scientific input from outside government.

“We cannot allow an arms race for control of AI to carry us over the precipice,” he said.

Fighting hate

Hateful narratives are spreading like wildfire across borders and into homes at unprecedented speed and scale, targeting women and girls, minorities, migrants, refugees and persons with disabilities, often for political gain, Mr. Rahman said.

“We must choose dialogue and tolerance and foster a culture in which human rights are respected not only in law, but in our daily interactions, and we must stop the cherry picking of those rights that fit our respective cultures or the politics of the day,” he said.

In addition, new and emerging technologies are used to amplify lies, manipulate public debate, spread hatred and give incitement to violence faster and farther than ever before.

“Whether it is islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, or misogyny, it's all the same... hatred, repackaged and relabelled,” he said. “Let us use the tools of our age not to deepen fear, but to widen understanding and advance human dignity, for everyone, everywhere.”

Transformation time

Mr. Rahman said it was time to address those concerns.

“We cannot continue treating a chronic ailment with temporary painkillers when what we need is a deeper diagnosis and a more profound plan for transformation,” he said.

“The task is not easy, nor can it be done overnight. Let us dedicate ourselves to the task of rebuilding trust and confidence in the United Nations so that it lives up to that incredible potential for many decades to come.”