Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Liberia’s president, during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, US, on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. The United Nations General Assembly, which opened today, brings more than 150 world leaders and their entourages into Midtown – a convergence that has been compared to hosting the Super Bowl every day for a week, across an entire neighborhood. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
Read 4 minutesWorld leaders are gathering in New York this week for the UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) 80th high-level session, where the theme “Better Together: 80 Years and More for Peace, Development, and Human Rights” sets the stage for a renewed call to address global inequalities.
African leaders, in particular, are seizing the opportunity to demand a more equitable world order that reflects the continent’s growing geopolitical relevance and addresses its historical marginalization on the world stage.
This year’s UNGA comes amid a cascade of international crises from the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine to the conflict in Sudan and the DR Congo.
But beyond these immediate challenges, African leaders are calling for long-overdue reforms at the United Nations, particularly around the Security Council, where the absence of permanent African representation remains one of the most pressing issues.
Despite Africa’s outsized contribution to global peacekeeping efforts and its pivotal role in shaping multilateral outcomes, the continent continues to be sidelined in key decision-making processes.
Calls for United Nations Security Council Reform
In his address, Liberian President Joseph Nyuma Boakai emphasized that Liberia’s historic term on the UN Security Council will be used to advocate for Africa’s rightful place at the table.
Boakai pointed out that while Africa shoulders a disproportionate share of the Security Council’s agenda, especially when it comes to peacekeeping, it remains the only continent without permanent representation. He called this a “historic injustice” that must end.
Liberian President Joseph Boakai at the UN General Assembly. PHOTO/UN
“Africa’s exclusion from the UN Security Council is unacceptable and indefensible,” Boakai declared, urging fellow leaders to unite in pushing for reforms that would ensure a fairer and more inclusive global security framework.
Boakai also warned that the array of crises facing the world—be it the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the conflict in Gaza, or the devastation in Sudan—highlights the inadequacies of the current international system. As the world grapples with escalating challenges, he argued, the UN must evolve to better reflect the realities of the modern geopolitical landscape.
Climate Change
Another key issue for African leaders is climate change, which they argue is disproportionately impacting the continent. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa framed climate change as an existential threat, one that is not only reversing development goals but also exacerbating poverty, hunger, and instability in many parts of Africa.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, U.S., September 23, 2025.
“Climate change is a global challenge that transcends borders, and it poses an existential threat to vulnerable communities around the world,” Ramaphosa said. He echoed the call for urgent climate action, stressing that the impacts of climate change are felt most acutely in Africa, despite the continent’s minimal contribution to global carbon emissions.
The African leaders’ push for climate justice is not only about mitigation efforts but also about ensuring that financial mechanisms are put in place to support adaptation in the most vulnerable nations. Ramaphosa and Boakai both called for a fair implementation of the Paris Agreement and the full capitalization of the loss and damage fund, which has yet to deliver the financial support promised to developing nations.
The Gaza Conflict: A Call for Peace
The situation in Gaza was another focal point of African leaders’ speeches.
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye reaffirmed his country’s commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, condemning the ongoing violence in Gaza as an “indescribable tragedy” that borders on ethnic cleansing.
Senegal President Diomaye Faye addresses the general debate of the 80th Session of the General Assembly of the UN. (PHOTO: @PR_Senegal/X)
“The universal conscience is deeply shaken by the unbearable situation in Gaza,” Faye said. He underscored that Senegal, in its capacity as chair of the Committee on the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, would continue to advocate for a lasting peace based on mutual recognition and respect.
He also welcomed the overwhelming vote at the UN for a peaceful two-state solution and lauded countries like France for officially recognizing a Palestinian state.
Faye’s call was direct: “The occupation must end. The suffering of civilians must end. We need to work towards an immediate ceasefire,” he urged, calling for Israel to halt its bombardments and allow humanitarian aid to reach Gaza.
In a similar vein, Ramaphosa pointed to a recent UN commission’s finding of genocide in the Palestinian territories and highlighted South Africa’s ongoing case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. The case, filed in December 2023, accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, a legal battle that is still in progress.
While global conflicts and climate crises dominated much of the discourse, trade relations and economic inequality also featured in the African agenda.
In a pointed address, Ramaphosa criticized the use of trade as a geopolitical weapon, taking aim at rising protectionism and unilateral trade measures.
“Trade is now being used as a weapon against a number of countries,” he said. “Unilateral trade practices and economic coercion have a detrimental impact on many nations.”
He warned that “geopolitical shocks and unprecedented trade policy volatility” are destabilizing the global economy and undermining critical development financing for African nations.
Despite the complexity of international diplomacy, African leaders are presenting a cohesive, assertive voice on the global stage.
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