As the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary, President of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, H.E. Philemon Yang, has reflected on the organisation’s achievements and urged Member States to recommit to multilateralism in the face of global crises.
In a statement commemorating the milestone, Yang described the UN as a symbol of hope for international cooperation and a bulwark against the “scourge of war,” noting that its endurance since the signing of the UN Charter in San Francisco in 1945 was a significant global accomplishment.
“The United Nations remains the only organisation of its kind, and the only one to have endured for so long. That longevity is remarkable considering its origin from the ruins of two world wars,” he said.
Yang acknowledged that while the UN is not flawless, it has fulfilled its foundational role of preserving peace and preventing another world war—especially significant in the nuclear age. Despite ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, and tensions between Iran and Israel, he said the world has managed to avoid a third global war, a feat he described as “an achievement we must never take for granted.”
Highlighting the organisation’s developmental strides, he cited the successes of the Millennium Development Goals, which by 2015 had helped to more than halve extreme poverty and drastically reduce child mortality. He also referenced the education gains made, particularly for girls.
Turning to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Yang stressed the need to build on previous progress by tackling hunger, improving healthcare, and promoting sustainable production and consumption. He also noted the role of the UN in ending colonial rule across Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, describing it as a triumph of self-determination and a reaffirmation of the Charter’s principle of sovereign equality.
However, he acknowledged that the organisation faces mounting challenges, including a deepening financial crisis, slow progress on the 2030 Agenda, persistent gender inequality, and failure to meet global climate targets.
“These setbacks do not call for reduced ambition but for greater resolve,” Yang stated. He called for unity among Member States, recalling the cooperative spirit of the San Francisco Conference that birthed the UN.
He praised recent multilateral efforts such as the Summit of the Future held in New York in September, where world leaders adopted the Pact for the Future, the Declaration on Future Generations, and the Global Digital Compact.
Yang concluded by urging Member States to uphold the vision and urgency that gave rise to the UN 80 years ago.
“We built a world order once, in the ruins of war. We did so with vision and urgency. Now, again, we find ourselves at a moment of consequence. The risks are high. So too is our capacity to act,” he said.
