Rules-Based Order ‘Best Defence’ against Law of Strongest, Leaders Stress, amid Calls for Responsible Use of Power in Day Two of Debate

24 September 2025

Eightieth Session,
6th & 7th Meetings (AM & PM)

Global System at a Crossroads 

Emphasizing the emerging new world order is not a better one, he added:  “There is an attempt to create the world where the might makes right.” International cooperation must be strengthened to tackle the crisis in Gaza and dire humanitarian situations in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  As a Council member, Latvia will call for collective action and facilitate access to humanitarian aid.

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Spain: Don Felipe VI, King 

Pointing to the devastation, bombings, famine, starvation and the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza, he asked:  “To what end?”  His country is pained by the actions of the Israeli Government in Gaza, he said, stressing:  “We, therefore, cry out, we implore, we demand:  stop this massacre now.  No more deaths.”  While unequivocally condemning the heinous terrorism of Hamas and the brutal massacre of 7 October 2023, he demanded that “the Israeli Government fully uphold international humanitarian law throughout Gaza and the West Bank”.

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Iran: Masoud Pezeshkian, President 

Turning to the present global order, he asked: “Is this the state of our world?”  He listed the atrocities, pointing to “genocide in Gaza”, the destruction of homes in Lebanon, the devastation of Syria’s infrastructure, the starvation of children in Yemen and the assassination of Iran’s scientists.

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Latvia: Edgars Rinkēvičs, President

International cooperation must be strengthened to tackle the escalating crisis in Gaza and dire humanitarian situations in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “We will not look on helplessly as crises unfold.”  As a Council member, Latvia will call on the international community to take collective action and facilitate access to humanitarian aid.

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Kenya: William S. Ruto, President

Mr. Ruto underlined Kenya’s stance on human rights and humanitarian law, stressing:  “We cannot condemn suffering in one place and turn a blind eye in another”.  He expressed grave concern over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, calling for a permanent ceasefire, unconditional release of hostages and a credible political process towards a two-State solution.

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Estonia: Alar Karis, President 

In Gaza, he said, the international-law-based multilateral system has failed to protect Palestinians and Israelis.  Condemning Hamas’ brutal terrorist attacks on 7 October, he stated:  “Hamas cannot have any role in the future governance of Gaza and Palestine.”  However, ordinary people and children in Gaza must not be the ones to pay the price.  “What has unfolded in Gaza has crossed all red lines.”  He called for a comprehensive political process, with the goal of two States, to end the cycle of violence.

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Argentina: Javier Gerardo Milei, President

He also called for the immediate release of the hostages in Gaza.

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Syria: Ahmad al-Sharaa, President

“The suffering Syria endured we wish upon no one,” he declared.  For this reason, ”we stand firmly with the people of Gaza, its children and women and all peoples facing violations and aggression.”  He called for an immediate end to the war.

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Croatia: Zoran Milanović, President 

Turning to today’s crises – including in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan – he warned that armed conflicts are “more numerous than at any time since the Second World War”, overwhelming humanitarian systems and eroding trust in the world’s capacity to solve them.  Peace, he underlined, “is more than silencing the guns.  It requires preventing new wars and breaking the cycles of violence from the past”, rooted in democracy, legitimate governance and the right of peoples to choose their leaders freely.

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Cyprus: Nikos Christodoulides, President

Spotlighting the need for both collective and individual State responsibility, he said:  “This is the moment to renew our collective commitment and stand firmly and boldly in support of multilateralism and international law.”  Cyprus will assume, even more, the role of an enabler of security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and the greater Middle East, “determined to transform our geography in a complex region into a blessing.” He recalled the development of the Amalthea maritime corridor for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza.

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Finland: Alexander Stubb, President

Israel has no right to violate international law in Palestine.

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In the Middle East, civilians in Gaza are experiencing immense suffering.  “The deepening humanitarian crisis has reached unbearable levels and represents a failure of the international system,” he told the Assembly.  At the same time, Hamas continues to hold the hostages it has taken, and many have already lost their lives.  An immediate ceasefire is needed in Gaza.  Safe and unhindered access to humanitarian aid must be granted.  “The hostages must be released,” he stressed.

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Sierra Leone: Julius Maada Bio, President

In that vein, the Security Council’s limits have been laid bare, he said, stressing that the genocide in Gaza was preventable.  The two-State solution has been obstructed. “We say again: Ceasefire now in Gaza. Ceasefire now in Sudan. Ceasefire now in Ukraine.”  He said “a veto should never be a verdict against humanity,” underscoring that selective adherence to international law has tested the UN’s legitimacy.

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Comoros: Azali Assoumani, President

Azali Assoumani, President of Comoros, said that since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, inequality and conflicts have only increased, with the Palestinian tragedy being the most shocking example.  The terrorist attacks of 7 October 2023 were barbaric, but Israel’s response in Gaza is disproportionate. How could the Government of a people who were victims of the Holocaust inflict similar trauma on others, he wondered. “As the old adage goes, we don’t choose our neighbours, but we have to live in peace and security with them.” He praised the courage and humanity of those Israelis who are raising their voices against barbarity, reaffirmed Comoros’ support for the two-State solution and welcomed this week’s decision by France and others to recognize the State of Palestine.

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Namibia: Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, President 

Further, the failure to address the crisis in Gaza could become the moral failure that defines this era.  “Namibia’s history is one of untold suffering, marked by apartheid, colonialism and genocide.  It is our painful history that compels us to speak out, not out of bitterness” but out of a conviction in the power of international solidarity, she said.

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Senegal: Bassírou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, President

He went on to address the “now indescribable” tragedy that the Palestinian people are living through under a “daily shower of bombs, with all lines crossed”, adding:  “We cannot remain silent nor look away because Gaza is no longer alive.”  Nothing can justify the agony faced by Palestinian men, women and children deprived of food, water and healthcare, he said, underscoring the need for the creation of an independent, viable Palestinian State, as the Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People stated.

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Slovakia: Peter Pellegrini, President

Reaffirming Israel’s right to defend itself, he said it is crucial not to blur the thin line between legitimate defense and unacceptable human suffering.  “In Bratislava, we already have the Embassy of Palestine,” he said, reaffirming the importance of a two-State solution achieved through diplomatic means.

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Kuwait: Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, Crown Prince

He condemned the situation in Gaza and called for an end to the Israeli occupation there. Further, he welcomed the 22 September recognition of the State of Palestine and urged States which have not done so to act likewise.  He also urged Iran to “initiate a serious path for confidence-building measures” regarding its nuclear programme and other issues.

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Australia: Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister

Australia stands with the people of Ukraine in their struggle against the Russian Federation’s illegal and immoral invasion, he continued, adding that in the Middle East, his country — which this week recognized the State of Palestine — is calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate release of hostages, humanitarian aid for those in desperate need and no future role of the terrorists of Hamas.  Where can the Charter’s pledge “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war” apply if they cannot apply to the Middle East, he wondered.

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Italy: Giorgia Meloni, President of the Council of Ministers

“It is no coincidence that Hamas took advantage of the weakening of this architecture to launch on 7 October 2023 its attack against Israel,” she said, noting that the “ferocity” of the attack on unarmed civilians prompted Israel to a reaction that was, at first legitimate, but now exceeds the limit of proportionality, with a largescale war disproportionately affecting Palestinian civilians.  Her country will therefore vote in favour of sanctions proposed by the European Commission against Israel.  To end the war, concrete solutions are needed, she said, noting that her country has signed the New York Declaration on the two-State Solution, emphasizing as “indispensable preconditions” the release of all Israeli hostages and Hamas’ renunciation of any role in the government of Palestine.

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