They said it: Leaders at the UN, in their own words

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Many leaders saying many things about many topics that matter to them, to their regions, to the world: That’s what the U.N. General Assembly invariably produces each year.

And each year, certain voices dominate. Here, The Associated Press takes the opposite approach and spotlights some thoughts from leaders who might have not captured the headlines and airtime on Friday, the fourth day of the 2026 General Debate.

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“We do not own the ocean. We belong to it.”

—Matthew Cooper Wale, prime minister of the Solomon Islands

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“We all need to wake up and act.”

—Hilda Heine, president of the Marshall Islands, on climate change

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“The systems confronting us today do not wake up with hatred in their hearts. They multiply ours.”

—Edi Rama, prime minister of Albania, on artificial intelligence

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“Our people should never be forced to choose between their homeland and their future.”

—Feleti Teo, prime minister of Tuvalu, on climate change

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“Iraq has never been on the margins. Rather, it is the heart of history beating in the modern world. Iraq is a nation worthy of partnership as we move toward the future.”

Ali al-Zaidi. prime minister of Iraq

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“Today, that is our task: preventing the world from destroying itself.”

Christophe Mirmand, minister of state of Monaco

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“As conflicts and injustice multiply, the UN too often fails to act inside this building. That failure can look like another meeting without a decision.”

Beate Meinl-Reisinger, federal minister for European and International Affairs, Austria

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