The 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly opened against a backdrop of overlapping crises and institutional strain, a moment that asks not only whether the UN can still be celebrated, but whether it can still deliver. Leaders met under the theme “Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights,” yet many interventions made clear that commemoration alone would not answer the pressing tests of climate, conflict, economic fragility, and technological disruption. The Secretary-General’s UN80 Initiative, launched earlier in 2025 to improve efficiency, realign mandates, and propose structural reforms across the UN system, and supplied the procedural spine for much of the debate.
This high-level week came amid financial pressures across the UN system and the continuing humanitarian consequences of protracted conflicts and climate shocks. Delegations used the platform not simply to list grievances but to press for concrete institutional change — reform that would make multilateralism faster, fairer, and more responsive to the unequal burdens borne by the Global South.
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UNGA 80 was as much about the organisation’s existential question as the world’s entrenched problems. Delegations from every region interrogated whether the UN, and especially its security and economic architecture, remains fit for purpose. That interrogation echoed through calls to streamline mandates, cut waste, and reposition the organisation to meet new threats, from cyber-driven disruption to humanitarian catastrophes. The UN80 Initiative provides the framework for such operational fixes, but member states pressed for tangible follow-through.
Climate resilience and climate finance dominated the diplomatic crosscurrents. Many African leaders underscored that their nations contribute little to global emissions yet face disproportionate damage to livelihoods and infrastructure. At the same time, leaders warned that the regulation of artificial intelligence, data governance, and the digital economy will be as determinative for global power in this century as trade rules were in the last. Negotiations at UNGA 80, therefore, linked climate justice to digital inclusion: an agenda of both mitigation and opportunity.
The Assembly elevated health and social resilience as pillars of security. Non-communicable diseases are a growing burden in many developing countries, cutting into productive life and straining public budgets; in Nigeria, for example, NCDs account for roughly three in ten deaths, according to WHO-based analyses and public health studies, a reality underlined in national statements and health briefs. That epidemiological shift, combined with heavy sovereign debt loads in parts of the Global South, framed repeated appeals for concessional finance, innovative debt workout mechanisms, and investment in universal health coverage.
From Gaza and Sudan to other theatres of violence, the moral pressure on the multilateral system was intense. Delegates argued that the UN’s instruments for peace and accountability must be effective and equitable. Calls to reform the Security Council were renewed with an urgency born of perceived paralysis, while many African leaders insisted that justice and representation are not abstract ideals but prerequisites for the institution’s legitimacy.
Africa’s Voice in the Global Chorus
African delegations used UNGA 80 to shift the narrative from petitioning to agenda-setting. Their interventions combined immediate policy asks with systemic demands, not only for resources, but for representation and rule-making power.
President Bola Tinubu’s national statement, delivered through Vice-President Kashim Shettima, placed resource sovereignty and institutional reform at the heart of his intervention. He argued that countries rich in strategic minerals should reap the full benefits of processing and value addition on the continent rather than exporting raw materials that deepen dependency. Tinubu insisted that institutional change at the UN must reflect current global realities, calling for permanent African representation on the Security Council and for new mechanisms to manage sovereign debt more fairly. He also emphasised that digital governance must include Africa, urging that “A.I. must stand for ‘Africa Included’.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address wove together South Africa’s G20 presidency priorities with the UN’s reform imperative. He presented the UN80 Initiative and the broader reform agenda as essential to restoring multilateral credibility and stressed the need to reform multilateral development banks and trade architecture so developing countries can finance their own progress rather than be trapped by debt service. Ramaphosa was emphatic about the Security Council’s present shortcomings, urging text-based negotiations to make the Council “more accountable, representative, democratic and effective,” and he called for full respect for international law in situations of tension and conflict.
President William Ruto used his national statement to argue that African autonomy must be economic and technological as well as political. His speech pressed for reform of the international monetary architecture that leaves many countries exposed to volatile capital flows and crushing debt burdens. He also framed data and AI as strategic assets: the countries that set the rules and host the infrastructures will shape global advantage, so Africa must be an active shaper of digital governance. Ruto underlined practical security concerns too, including the need for logistical support for international missions and regional stability initiatives.
At the Assembly, Ghana’s President delivered a strong call for Africa’s place in shaping the future global order. He reminded world leaders that Africa had been excluded from the founding moments of the United Nations and its precursor, the League of Nations, but that “the tables have turned” with Africa now central to the world’s demographic and economic future.
He showcased Ghana’s Resetting Ghana Agenda, which has already reduced inflation from 23.8% in December 2024 to 11.5% by August 2025, strengthened the cedi, and boosted investor confidence. The President used this as an example of Africa’s resilience and capacity to reset.
Crucially, he demanded reform of the UN Security Council, arguing that Africa deserves a permanent seat with veto powers. He further called for a reset of the global financial system, stressing that Africa must have greater influence in multilateral financial institutions. He also urged reparations for slavery and colonial exploitation, fairer terms for resource exploitation, and more equitable global investment.
Key Takeaways from UNGA 80
“Reform or irrelevance” was the refrain that ran through the week. Leaders across regions said the UN must change to remain authoritative. The UN80 Initiative provides an institutional roadmap, but the hard work of negotiation and implementation will now begin.
The Global South, and Africa in particular, did not appear at UNGA 80 as supplicants. Instead, African leaders arrived as architects and agenda-setters: demanding financial architecture reform, insisting on resource sovereignty, seeking digital inclusion, and pressing for Security Council reform that recognises the continent’s weight.
Health and social protection were elevated to matters of security. The prominence of non-communicable diseases, mental health concerns, and the financing shortfalls exposed by debt servicing framed a renewed case that human-security investments are central to peace and resilient development.
Technology emerged as the new frontier of power. Delegations warned that AI, data sovereignty, and platform control will shape economic and geopolitical advantage in the coming decade, and African leaders insisted that their countries must be part of the rule-making.
Finally, unresolved conflicts remained the moral test for multilateralism. From Gaza to Sudan and other theatres, delegates asked whether the UN can move from declaratory statements to enforceable norms and accountability. The answer will determine not only the institution’s credibility but also the lived reality of millions.
The statements and side events at UNGA 80 were bound together by broader frameworks. The UN80 Initiative sets out a programme for system-wide reform and mandate realignment. The Pact for the Future and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provide political and normative bearings for those reforms, and the ongoing climate and digital governance negotiations will determine whether the world protects the vulnerable or simply reassigns power to already advantaged actors. These frameworks form the benchmarks by which the Assembly’s rhetoric will be judged.
Between Promise and Performance
UNGA 80 was a test of political will. It was not notable for the novelty of its requests; reform, representation, debt relief, and climate action have been raised for years, but for the tone and unity with which leaders from Africa and other parts of the Global South advanced them as fundamental prerequisites for a viable multilateral order.
Nigeria’s demands for resource sovereignty and digital inclusion, South Africa’s insistence on institutional reform and justice, Kenya’s call for financial and technological autonomy, and Ghana’s plea for equal partnership combined to reposition Africa from object to agent in global governance. Whether these speeches translate into binding commitments and structural change remains the crucial question. Multilateralism’s future will be measured not by the eloquence of its anniversary but by the substance of its reforms.
