As Palestine’s envoy to the UN, Riyad Mansour, launched his candidacy for president of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, he urged member states to recommit, at this time of growing global division, to multilateral cooperation, the principles of international law and the founding ideals of the UN.
Mansour, whose candidacy was endorsed by the UN’s Arab Group, presented a vision grounded in the three core pillars of the UN: human rights, development, and peace and security.
In his vision statement, he said: “The world we live in today needs more, not less, United Nations. It needs us to honor our commitments, not renege on them; to uphold our responsibilities, not abandon them; to respect the rules of international law, not grow accustomed to their breach.”
The 81st session of the UN General Assembly begins in September, and the election of its president will take place on June 2 in the General Assembly Hall at the UN headquarters in New York. In accordance with the established regional rotation of the position, the next president will be chosen from among the Asia-Pacific group of states.
Two others candidates have announced their intentions to stand so far: veteran diplomats Touhid Hossain from Bangladesh and Andreas S. Kakouris from Cyprus.
Mansour, who has served as the permanent observer of the State of Palestine to the UN since 2005, framed his candidacy through the lens of personal experience, describing himself as “a refugee, a migrant, the son of a steelworker,” who had lived through conflict, poverty and displacement.
“I know what it means when the United Nations is at its best, and I know only too well its shortcomings,” he said.
In his vision, Mansour reflected on the origins of the UN in the aftermath of a global conflict, describing the institution as a response to humanity’s “darkest moments” and a platform designed to replace war with cooperation.
He credited the General Assembly with enabling collective action that has delivered tangible gains, including advances in development, health, human rights and environmental protections.
“Together, we rejected the impulses of war and destruction and chose cooperation, common security and shared prosperity,” he said, citing milestones such as the Millennium Development Goals, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and international agreements on climate change, disarmament and gender equality.
Despite those achievements, however, Mansour warned that many pledges have not been kept and trust in the international system is eroding.
“Too many promises remain unfulfilled, and too much suffering continues,” he said. “The international order has grown increasingly uncertain, and the ideals of the United Nations are too often left unenforced.”
He cautioned against a return to a world in which “conflict prevails over dialogue” and “coercion replaces diplomacy,” arguing that the scale of present-day crises — from armed conflict and humanitarian emergencies to climate change and technological risks — requires a renewed, collective resolve.
“We cannot risk a return to a world where disorder undermines the rule of international law,” Mansour said. “We must rise above division and recommit to partnership.”
He called for reforms within the UN system itself with the aim of improving efficiency, inclusivity and engagement, saying that such changes were necessary to restore confidence in the organization’s ability to deliver peace and security.
“This moment demands engagement grounded in mutual interest and sustained by persistent action,” he said, adding that reform was essential “to restore trust in our United Nations and its enduring capacity to contribute to international peace and security.”
He described his vision as pragmatic rather than ideological, shaped by decades of multilateral diplomacy and a belief in the UN as “an anchor for a more peaceful and just world.”
He continued: “At a time of profound strain on the multilateral system, my vision seeks to mobilize member states and stakeholders to preserve and safeguard what we have accomplished, and to pursue progress with urgency, so that dignity, opportunity and hope are extended to all.”
The president of the General Assembly is elected annually and is responsible for presiding over its sessions, representing its decisions, and facilitating negotiations among member states.
