Source: United Nations (video statements)
The UN commemorated 80 years since its founding in the historic General Assembly Hall. The ceremony was held as world leaders arrived in New York for the annual debate.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that “the principles of the UN are under assault as never before” and urged the international community “to rise to this moment with clarity, courage, and conviction” and ‘realize the promise of peace.’”
#unga80
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Young people are leading the way toward a more just, peaceful world.
In honour of Peace Day, JazzysWorldTV visited the United Nations to speak with current and future leaders about how we can all act now for peace.
Learn more at un.org/peaceday
Learn more about the Hear Us campaign: https://www.un.org/en/peace-and-security/hear-us
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Opening remarks by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the High-level plenary meeting to commemorate the eightieth anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations – General Assembly, 80th session.
"Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
As we mark the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, I invite you to return for a moment to our earliest days.
When the Organization first opened its doors, many of its staff bore visible wounds from war — a limp, a scar, a burn.
One of them was Major Brian Urquhart, the second person to be hired by the UN.
A British soldier during the Second World War, he had been blown up on a ship in the Channel;
Witnessed the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp;
And carried, for the rest of his life the limp from a parachute that failed to open.
He was not alone.
A clerk might quietly mention a bullet wound.
A delegate, the shard of shrapnel still lodged in his chest.
They had seen the worst of humanity — the horrors of the death camps, the cruelty of combat, cities entirely wiped out.
And it was precisely because of what they had witnessed that they chose to serve peace.
Excellencies,
There is a persistent myth that peace is naïve. That justice is sentimental. That the only “real” politics is the politics of power and self-interest.
But those early staff were not idealists untouched by reality.
They had seen war. And they knew:
Peace is the most courageous, the most practical, the most necessary pursuit of all.
In building the United Nations, they created something extraordinary.
A place where all nations — large and small — could come together to solve problems that no country can solve alone.
And yet, at this moment, the principles of the United Nations are under assault as never before.
As we meet, civilians are targeted, and international law trampled in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and beyond.
As we meet, poverty and hunger are on the rise as progress on the Sustainable Development Goals falters.
As we meet, the planet burns, with fires, floods, and record heat raging through climate chaos.
At the same time, we are moving towards a multipolar world.
But without strong multilateral institutions, multipolarity has its risks –– as Europe learned in the First World War.
To meet these challenges, we must not only defend the United Nations, we must strengthen it.
That is the purpose of Agenda 2030, the Pact for the Future, and the UN80 initiative: to renew the foundations of international cooperation, and to ensure that we can deliver for people everywhere.
Excellencies,
Over the years, our Organization has lead the way to some of humanity’s greatest triumphs:
The eradication of smallpox.
Healing the ozone layer.
And, above all, the prevention of a third world war.
The tests of the next 80 years will be both familiar and new.
The battle will continue against war and poverty.
But also climate chaos, runaway technologies, the militarization of space, and crises we cannot yet imagine.
To meet the challenges, let us remember what our founders knew:
The only way forward is together.
Let us rise to this moment with clarity, courage, and conviction.
And let us realize the promise of peace.
Thank you".
Full remarks: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2025-09-22/secretary-generals-remarks-the-general-assembly-marking-the-80th-anniversary-of-the-united-nations-bilingual-delivered-scroll-down-for-all-english-and-all-french
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Comments to the media by Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, joined by the governments of Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Fiji, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, The Republic of Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, The Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, Ukraine, The United Kingdom, The United States of America, and the European Union, on the emergency meeting on threats to International Peace and Security.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
For 80 years, the United Nations has brought countries together with one purpose: to make the world better. Together, we advance peace and security, promote development and defend human rights. By uniting nations, we transform shared goals into collective action.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
It takes extensive planning to welcome scores of leaders from around the world along with thousands of other participants to the United Nations General Assembly’s high-level week. Go behind the scenes with an expert at the centre of it all: Claudio Santangelo, Chief of Plant Engineering section. From temporary tents to long-term heating and cooling systems, he and his team solve technical problems ahead of the arrival of delegates working to address global challenges.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Young people are leading the way toward a more just, peaceful world.
In honour of Peace Day, @JazzysWorldTV visited the United Nations to speak with current and future leaders about how we can all act now for peace.
Learn more at un.org/peaceday
Learn more about the Hear Us: Act Now for Peace campaign at Hear Us | United Nations
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Following the "7th Summit of the African Union Committee of Ten Heads of State and Government (C-10), H.E. Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone and Coordinator of the C-10 address the media on the position of Africa in the United Nations Security Council.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
The SDG Moment serves to place an annual spotlight on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and will be held at the beginning of the United Nation’s General Assembly’s High-Level Week (UNGA80).
Opening Segment
Statements by the United Nations Secretary General and President of the General Assembly
Overview of the Progress on the SDGs
World Leaders Panel Discussion: An interactive discussion with world leaders from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean and Small Island Developing States to reflect on the progress made on the SDGs and share their strategic insights on what must be achieved to reach the 2030 Agenda milestone.
Multistakeholder Panel Discussion: The multi-stakeholder panel will convene change makers and thought leaders representing youth, businesses, women and people with disabilities, and fragile settings, to inspire accelerated action and targeted investments to ensure that development shapes a just and inclusive future.
Closing Statements
The SDG Moment is held every year — as mandated by the 2019 SDG Summit — to highlight inspiring action on the Sustainable Development Goals. It showcases stories of transformation from communities, countries, and regions driving change across sectors — from renewable energy to gender equality. As we cross the two-thirds mark on the road to 2030, the 2025 SDG Moment marks a critical juncture. The event will bring together a constellation of transformative global and national efforts and will demonstrate how just and inclusive transitions are accelerating progress, even in the face of global challenges.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
High-Level meeting to mark the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations, with UN officials and Heads of State and Government reflecting on the achievements of the past eight decades and the path ahead for a more inclusive and responsive multilateral system.
• Musical Performance
• Remarks by H.E. Ms. Annalena Baerbock, President of the General Assembly for its 80th session
• Screening of UN80 Video
• Remarks by H.E. Mr. Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General
• Reflections by eminent speakers on the role of the United Nations
• Poem Recitation
