A session to move the UN forward

In October 1945, at the end of World War II, the world planted a seed of hope by adopting the Charter that gave birth to the United Nations (UN).

For 80 years, every year, General Assembly sessions have been held to address global issues. This year, world leaders are gathering for the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, themed “Better Together: 80 Years and Beyond for Peace, Development, and Human Rights.”

This international diplomatic meeting is taking place in a context that the Organization's Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, describes in terms that reflect the global reality. “We are gathering in turbulent—even uncharted—waters. Geopolitical divisions are deepening. Conflicts are raging. Impunity is intensifying. Our planet is warming. And international cooperation is being tested by pressures never before seen in our lifetime,” he said.

Indeed, the questioning of multilateralism, the principle underlying the UN's multifaceted interventions, by certain member states is paving the way for an uncertain future in a world where problems are increasingly global rather than local challenges. Already, programs for populations around the world are being suspended.

To ensure that the UN remains relevant in the 21st century, the Secretary-General launched the UN80 system-wide initiative to improve operational efficiency, review mandate delivery, and identify opportunities for structural reform.

In the Republic of the Congo, critical sectors such as nutrition, health, protection, and emergencies are experiencing budget cuts, slowing down the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Major restructuring is affecting certain agencies, funds, and programs.

In the face of all these headwinds, this 80th session of the General Assembly is an opportunity to demonstrate the role of the UN as a platform for dialogue. During the general debate from September 23 to 29, heads of state or their plenipotentiaries will be sure to recall the Pact for the Future, a major agreement emerging from the 2024 Future Summit aimed at revitalizing international cooperation, strengthening diplomacy and conflict prevention, reforming the global financial system, taking urgent action on climate change, and accelerating the achievement of the SDGs in favor of solutions for people and the planet.

“Despite an extremely difficult period—and precisely because of it—we can and must continue to work for a better world that we know is within reach,” writes Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the UN's 2024 annual report, published on September 18.

President Denis Sassou N'Guesso, who is participating in this 80th session, will reiterate the Republic of Congo's position on “the importance of an inclusive and responsive multilateral system capable of effectively responding to the challenges of our time.” The President of the Republic reminded us of this in his address to the nation on August 15: “No country today can be an island of growth or prosperity on its own and claim to pursue development in autarky and narrow sovereignties that enshrine sclerotic selfishness.”

Present at every session since joining the UN in 1960, the Republic of Congo has always reaffirmed its faith in the 1945 United Nations Charter. The adoption by the UN General Assembly of the United Nations Decade on Forests and Reforestation (2027-2036) illustrates the country's commitment to contributing to the global climate agenda, especially since the initiative originated in Brazzaville during the International Conference on Afforestation and Reforestation in 2024. in 2024. Congo will speak on behalf of indigenous peoples through the “Brazzaville Declaration,” which emerged from the first congress of indigenous peoples and local communities from the three tropical forest basins, co-organized in Brazzaville last May.

The recent death of five peacekeepers from the Republic of Congo, serving in the police unit of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic, once again demonstrates the country's commitment to multilateralism and its contribution to peace in the world. History will also remember that the Republic of Congo is listed among the states that contributed to the fight against apartheid in South Africa.

The 80th session of the General Assembly should enable the UN to evolve so that it remains strong for the next 80 years.