Khalilur Rahman called on the UN to accept “uncomfortable truths” so that trust in the world organization can be restored, BTA reported.
The President of the 81st session of the General Assembly spoke on the first day of the general political debates in New York. The theme of this year's session is "Rebuilding Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All." Rahman, who was elected to the post in June 2026, said that the mere fact that the UN has survived 80 years and grown from 50 member states in 1945 to 193 today is not enough evidence of success. He said global military spending is approaching $3 trillion and development assistance has declined by 23 percent year-on-year. He said a third of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals were stalled, and Africa still does not have a permanent seat on the Security Council.
“We cannot continue to treat a chronic disease with temporary painkillers, given that we need a deeper diagnosis and a larger transformation plan“, Rahman warned.
In conclusion, he said that the task of restoring trust in the world organization “is not easy, nor can it be done in a day“, but must be accomplished if the UN is to unleash its “incredible potential“ in the decades to come.
Sources: BTA, UN