Statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Maxim Ryzhenkov at general debate of 81st session of the UN General Assembly (26 September 2026, New York)

Mr. president!
Ladies and gentlemen!

Let us begin with the theme of today's debate – “Restoring Trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all.” It is an interesting theme that allows us for a very substantive discussion, which we have been witnessing for a week now.

Indeed, trust among states today is at its lowest point since the Cold War. The necessary reforms are stalling.More and more voices are saying that the UN is not working in the interests of all and is incapable of managing change. This is largely because we, the Member States, have in large part, become mired in endless debates, but have failed to give the organisation a real opportunity to act. That is precisely why the theme of this session sounds today like a verdict on our collective indecision, and at the same time as a diagnosis, calling for urgent treatment.

We are surrounded by a systemic crisis in international relations. We see this everywhere. The air is thick with anxiety from Europe to the Middle East, from Asia to Africa and Latin America.

Wars and conflicts are engulfing the world. They are claiming lives, tearing families apart, turning thriving cities into ruins and giving rise to ever more waves of mass forced migration. Global supply chains are being disrupted. The energy crisis is entwined with the food crisis, and all of this hits the most vulnerable segments of the population the hardest.

And an even more alarming sign is the collapse of the system of strategic stability. For the first time since the 1970s, there are no longer any legally binding limits on strategic arms between the major nuclear powers. There are no treaties, no verification mechanisms, and no predictability. Humanity is once again teetering on the brink of existence. That is a brink that we had hoped we had left for good in the last century.

How did we reach this point? Well, it is no mere coincidence. It is the inevitable result of actions by certain states aimed at deliberately undermining the system of international relations so that the world would develop not according to the laws of peaceful coexistence, but rather the principle of “might makes right” and political selfishness. If we truly want to restore trust, we must not hide behind diplomatic niceties, but honestly identify the causes of crises.

In 1945, in San Francisco, at the UN founding conference, U.S. president Harry Truman spoke words that today sound like a prophecy: “No matter how great our strength, we must deny ourselves the license to do always as we please.”

If all those with great power had acted as Truman said, we would have avoided many wars and conflicts. Unfortunately, however, the desire to live at the expense of others has remained the dominant narrative in the collective West's development. 

During the Cold War the balance of power was maintained by a system of checks and balances between the two opposing political systems. But since the 1990s, when that balance collapsed, the policy of unrestrained superiority has begun to grow rapidly, and in recent years this policy has reached its peak.

Western countries have effectively trampled on international law and started to force everyone to act according to so-called rules, destroying unwelcomed countries and suppressing unbowed peoples. And these rules are like traffic signs in a city that they themselves have designed. They always have a green light while everyone else faces strict restrictions.

But this isn't about metaphors. It is about facts that everyone knows Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, Palestine. And this is by no means an exhaustive list of the countries that have been or remain the focus of greedy Western interests. Now let's add to that unfair global trade where the rules are written to serve the interests of transnational corporations and also illegal unilateral sanctions that are suffocating entire nations.

And those efforts are intensifying. But where’s the UN in all of this? The organization has not been able to resolve a single serious conflict. Its role has instead boiled down to managing concerns, making appeals to those who have already suffered And that is, of course, leading to further escalation.

The leadership of the European Union’s policy is particularly worrying. They have an unbridled desire to preserve their slipping hegemony, and they are attempting to undermine global stability and the maintenance of peace. And to achieve this, they are prepared to sacrifice even the well-being of their own citizens.

Do the peoples of the United Europe really crave some sort of revenge against Russia, especially at the cost of their own impoverishment? Of course, they don't. Do they want to be cannon fodder in a war that allegedly European politicians are preparing for by 2030? Of course not. And we know this. But in Brussels, someone is very eager to play toy soldiers and to cement their greatness in history. This has happened before, more than once, and we know how it ended.

Nevertheless, in the West, they are now being held to account for centuries of colonial plunder, for the destruction of cultures, traditions, and identifiers of enslaved peoples, and for the slave trade which claimed millions of lives.

And in line with this, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in March of this year declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity.

Belarus supported this resolution without hesitation. This is not just a diplomatic gesture. It is the voice of a country that has itself endured a similar hellish chapter in history. We know what genocide is. A third of our population during the war was murdered in cold blood and tortured by civilized Europeans, united by Hitler 85 years ago. Now their descendants are telling us that they had have nothing to do with this, and nor did their grandfathers, supposedly. But that village house filled with Belarusian children, the elderly and women, was not burned down by the Führer himself. And there were thousands of such houses. We know what the plundering of cultural heritage means. Our wealth, resources, works of art were all taken to the West. Young people were forcibly taken into slavery there as well, in Europe. And today, facing unprecedented sanctions, we have once again felt what it means to be a target.

That is why we wholeheartedly and with fraternal feelings, support those who demand historical justice, including on the issue of reparations raised by the African Union. But reparations are not just about money, they are also about respect for memory. They are about returning people's own history to them. How many names remain on the world map that have erased millennia old memory? Here's a simple example. The great waterfall that the peoples of Zimbabwe have for centuries called Mosi-oa-Tunya the smoke that thunders. The colonizers “discovered” it 150 years ago and named it after their queen, who had never even set foot in Africa. What is that, if not identity theft?

Western elites do not like the new multi-polar world in which their voice is no longer decisive. But instead of adapting to positive changes they continue to exploit instability. In Belarus we see this most clearly in the example of Ukraine. Is the West really striving to achieve peace there?

Its goal, as they say, is to inflict a civilizational defeat on Russia to weaken, humiliate and break it, and to continue living off Russian resources, but not at the cost of its own citizens lives, rather at the cost of ordinary Ukrainians. Such a war is profitable for them. It allows them to create an image of the enemy, mobilise their own population under the pretext of a collective threat. Blame economic failures that we see on this conflict justify militarization and of course, to enrich themselves. That is why they need the conflict – a controlled, frozen and eternal conflict.

But if the West wants to take its rightful place in the emerging multi-polar world, it must change. It must understand that the future of our planet lies in cooperation and not confrontation. Yes, it will have to make room on the global “bench” of international relations and do so in a meaningful way. It will require abandoning the policies of neocolonialism and putting aside the self-imposed isolation to which the EU is condemning itself by creating a new Iron Curtain along its borders with Belarus and Russia. Now on the UN: is our organisation keeping pace with the times?

I suppose, it does not correspond to today's realities, it cannot keep up with change and it is not reforming significantly. Criticism of our organisation is growing every year and it is fairly justified. The very fact that new international global initiatives are emerging outside the system, for example Trump's Board of Peace or the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, China's project. This confirms that the UN is failing to recognise new trends.

That is why new formats of cooperation are emerging. The BRICS, the SCO and regional economic and political alliances and they are gaining momentum. But we in Belarus do not see them as competitors to the UN, but rather as catalysts for necessary reform. We have a recipe for restoring the UN to its intended purpose. And it's very simple. Individual countries must stop using the organisation, our shared organisation, for their own selfish ends, and they must begin to think about the fate of our planet, our shared planet as a whole. Only then will the theme of this session cease to be a romantic wish, and instead become a real programme of action. 

Concrete structural steps are also necessary.

First, reform of the UN Security Council. This body cannot remain in a form that was appropriate for the mid-20th century. The council must be strengthened by expanding the category of permanent members to include the countries of the South, which today play an ever-increasing role in world affairs. The voice of the global majority must be heard loud and clear in the Security Council.

Second, restoring respect for international law and the UN charter and specifically respect for the law, not the rules-based order. The UN charter has been and remains the only universal document that recognises the sovereign equality of all states.

Third, reform of specialized UN agencies. First and foremost, the international financial institutions, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the International Finance Corporation, the World Trade Organization. They must become fair, transparent, accountable and focused on their mandates. Voting quotas in financial institutions must reflect the demographic and economic realities of the 21st century, rather than the post-war balance of power. The use of these organisations for political purposes must be nipped in the bud. 

This also applies to the International Labour Organization. One might think that its mission is to promote social dialogue. However, today the ILO, in the finest traditions of the Communist International, is attempting to cultivate revolutionary forces in some countries out of labour unions and not to protect workers rights, but to destabilize the situation in countries that are pursuing independent policies at the behest of certain other countries. 

And most importantly with each new crisis, ordinary people around the world are asking themselves, why isn't the UN working to establish peace? People aren't interested in the UN's constraints. They want to see action and results, and there are none. It is therefore no surprise that many equate the work of our organisation with its secretariat, which is dominated by representatives of Western countries. And just like in Brussels, this is a world of comfortable offices, of sky high salaries and a lifestyle that is very far removed from the concerns of those in need of assistance in various corners of our planet. Many of those officials have never even been to the conflict zones, and they are much further away from them than any volunteer on the front lines. And this is, of course, not so much a criticism of the Secretariat. Rather, it is a criticism of us, the member States, who have allowed this to become the norm, who have allowed this to happen.

The Republic of Belarus is a founding member of the United Nations. We were there at the very beginning of the organisation in 1945, and so it pains us to see the weakening of the UN. Therefore, we offer constructive criticism of the organisation, hoping that it can recover and take on a new lease on life. We are convinced that the UN must remain the primary universal forum for addressing common challenges. 

In these circumstances Belarus is making its contribution to creating a new world.

First of all, on food security, we are developing successfully and making a significant contribution to global food security. Belarus remains a reliable supplier of fertilisers, high quality food, meat, dairy products and grain to countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. And we are doing this despite the logistical barriers, financial restrictions and transport blockades imposed by the European Union.

Second, our role in peace. Belarus has always been and remains a country of peace. We've proven our ability to serve as a reliable platform for negotiations, and we're ready to continue doing everything possible to achieve peace in Ukraine as soon as possible. But let's be frank, any lasting peace in that country is not possible without addressing the root causes, which have been ignored for years. These include plans to bring Ukraine into NATO. 

Contrary to all security realities, the failure to implement the Minsk agreements, which were the only legitimate path to peace. And let me remind you that the implementation of these agreements was sabotaged in order to buy time and allow Ukraine to rearm. And that has been acknowledged by by Western politicians very recently. The endless supply of weapons to Ukraine will only lead to the destruction of Ukraine itself and its people. We call for the prompt beginning of genuine negotiations that will lead to a lasting peace.

Third, the Eurasian security architecture. This is our particular priority – ensuring Eurasian security. Since 2023, we have successfully been holding an international conference on this in our country, where experts from across Eurasia discuss ways to solve our continent's problems, we are successfully promoting the idea of drafting a Eurasian Charter on Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st century. This initiative is part of an effort to create a new architecture of equal and indivisible security on our vast continent, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Finally, our openness to dialogue. We are ready to cooperate with all interested countries. We also are leaving the door open to those Western politicians who are genuinely ready for a dialogue of equals. But there are things that are unacceptable for us. Pressure, diktats, ultimatums and illegal sanctions.

Mr. president!

The unipolar world, as we can see, is sinking. Western elites are accustomed to dominance and they are trying to keep it afloat. But in their futile efforts, they are only sowing chaos. We've spoken about this alarming trend last year as well, calling for action, but we see that nothing is changing and it's only getting worse.

Therefore, Belarus and the countries of the global majority do not wish to go down with the wreckage of this ship. And we are choosing a different path. We are building a multipolar and just world of equal states in the interests of all of our peoples.

We have no other choice!

Thank you for your attention.

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