Address to the 80th Session of
the United Nations General Assembly
delivered 23
September 2025, UN Headquarters, New York, NY
[AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text
version below transcribed directly from audio]
His
Excellency Mr. Antoni Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations;
Her Excellency Madam Annalena Baerbock, President of the United Nations General
Assembly;
His Excellency Mr. Movses Abelian, Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly
and Management;
Excellencies, Head of States, Head of Governments, Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
It is indeed a great honor to stand in this august General Assembly Hall, among
leaders and representatives who represent almost all of humanity. We differ in
race, religion, and nationality, yet we gather together today as one human
family. We are here first and foremost as fellow human beings -- each created
equal, endowed with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness.
The words of the United Nations Declaration of Independence have inspired
democratic movements across continents, including the French Revolution, the
Russian Revolution, the Mexican Revolution, the Chinese Revolution, and
Indonesia’s own struggle and journey to freedom. It also gave birth to the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by United Nations in 1948. “All
men are created equal” was the creed that opened the way to unprecedented global
prosperity and dignity.
And yet, in our own era of scientific and technological triumphs, an era capable
of ending hunger, poverty, and environmental ruin, we also continue to face
today grave dangerous challenges and uncertainties. Human folly, fueled by fear,
racism, hatred, oppression, and apartheid, threatens our common future.
My country knows this pain. For centuries, Indonesians lived under colonial
domination, oppression, and slavery. We were treated less than dogs in our own
homeland. We Indonesians know what it means to be denied justice and what it
means to live in apartheid, to live in poverty, and to be denied equal
opportunity. We also knew what solidarity can do. In our struggle for
independence, in our fight to overcome hunger, disease, and poverty, the United
Nations stood with Indonesia and gave us vital assistance.
Decisions made here based on human solidarity, by the Security Council and this
Assembly, gave Indonesia independence international legitimacy, opened doors,
and supported our early development through the efforts of United Nations
Children’s Fund, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization -- the FAO
-- the World Health Organization and many, many other United Nations
institutions. And because of that, Indonesia today stands on the cusp of shared
prosperity, and greater equality and dignity.
Madam
President, Excellencies,
Our world today is driven by conflict, injustice, and deepening uncertainty.
Everyday we witness suffering, genocide, and blatant disregard for international
law and human decency. In the face of these challenges, we must not give up. As
the United Nations Secretary General said, we cannot give up. We cannot
surrender our hopes or our ideals. We must draw closer, not drift apart.
Together, we must strive to achieve our hopes, our dreams.
The United Nations was born from the ashes of the Second World War that claimed
scores of millions of lives. It was created to secure peace, security, justice,
and freedom for all. We remain committed to internationalism, to
multilateralism, and to every effort that strengthens this great institution.
Today, Indonesia is nearer than ever before to meeting the Sustainable
Development Goals of ending extreme poverty and hunger -- because years ago this
very chamber chose to listen and uphold social and economic justice. We will
never forget. And, today we must never be silent while Palestinians are denied
that same justice and legitimacy in this very hall.
Excellencies,
Thucydides warned: “The strong do what they can [and] the weak suffer what they
must.”1
We must reject this doctrine. The United Nations exists to reject this
doctrine. We must stand for all -- the strong and the weak. Might cannot be
right; right must be right.
Indonesia today is one of the largest contributors to United [Nations]
peacekeeping forces. We believe in the United Nations. We will continue to serve
where peace needs guardians, not with just words, but with boots on the ground.
If and when the United Nations Security Council and this Great Assembly decide,
Indonesia is prepared to deploy 20,000 or even more of our sons and daughters to
help secure peace in Gaza or elsewhere. In Ukraine, in Sudan, in Libya,
everywhere when the peace needs to be enforced, peace needs to be guarded, we
are ready. We will take our share of the burden, not only with our sons and
daughters; we are also willing to contribute financially to support the great
mission to achieve peace by the United Nations.
Madam
President, Excellencies,
I propose to this assembly a message of hope and optimism, grounded in action
and execution. Today, we heard the speech of Madam President, the President of
the United Nations General Assembly. Yes, it is true what she said. Without the
international civil aviation organization, will we be here today? Will we sit in
this Great Hall? Without the United Nations, we cannot be safe; no country can
feel secure. We need the United Nations -- and Indonesia will continue to
support the United Nations even though we still struggle; but we know the world
needs a strong United Nations.
The world’s population is growing. Our planet is under strain. Food, energy, and
water insecurity haunt many nations. We choose to answer these challenges
directly at home and to help abroad whenever we can.
This year, Indonesia recorded the highest rice production and grain reserves in
our history. We are now selfish -- self‑sufficient in rice, and we are starting
now to export rice to other nations in need, including providing rice for
Palestine. We are building resilient food supply chains, strengthening farmer
productivity, investing in climate‑smart agriculture to ensure food security for
our children and for the children of the world. We are confident in a few years
time, Indonesia will be the
granary of the world.
As the world’s largest island state, we testify before you that we are already
experiencing the direct consequences of climate change, particularly the threat
of rising sea levels. The sea level on the North Coast of our capital city is
increasing by five centimeters every year. Can you imagine in 10 years? Can you
imagine in 20 years? For this, we are forced to build a giant sea wall 480
kilometers in length. It will take us maybe 20 years, but we have no choice. We
have to start now.
Therefore, we choose to confront climate change not by slogans, but by immediate
steps. We are committed to meeting our 2015 Paris Agreement obligations. We aim
to achieve net zero emission by 2060 and we are very confident we can achieve
net zero emission much earlier. We aim to reforest more than 12 million hectares
of degraded forest, to reduce forest degradation, to empower local communities
with quality green jobs for the future.
Indonesia is shifting decisively from fossil fuel based development towards
renewable based development. From next year, most of our additional power
generation capacity will come from renewables. Our goal is clear: to lift all of
our citizens out of poverty and make Indonesia a hub for solutions to food,
energy, and water security.
Madam
President, Excellencies,
We live in a time when hatred and violence can seem to be the loudest voices.
But beneath this loud noise lies a quieter truth: that every person longs to be
safe, to be respected, to be loved, and to leave a better world to their
children. Our children are watching. They are learning leadership not from
textbook[s], but from our choices.
Today, still, a catastrophic situation in Gaza is unfolding before our eyes. At
this very moment, the innocent are crying for help, are crying to be saved. Who
will save them? Who will save the innocent? Who will save the old and women?
Millions are facing danger at this very moment. As we sit here, they are facing
trauma. They are facing irreparable damage to their bodies. They are dying of
starvation. Can we remain silent? Will there be no answer to their screams? Will
we teach them that the human family can rise to the challenge?
Madam
President,
We must act now. Many speakers have said that. We must stand for a multilateral
order where peace, prosperity, and progress are not the privilege of a few but
the right of all. With a strong United Nations, we can build a world where the
weak do not “suffer what they must,” but live the justice that they deserve.
Let us continue humanity’s great journey of ideals, the selfless aspirations
that created the United Nations.
Let us use science to uplift, not use science to destroy.
Let rising nations help others to lift themselves.
I am convinced that the leaders of the great world civilisations, civilisations
of the West, of the East, of the North, of the South, leaders of America,
Europe, of India, China, the Islamic world, the whole world -- I am convinced
that they will rise to their role demanded by history. We are all hopeful that
the leaders of the world will show great statesmanship, great wisdom, restraint,
humility, overcome hate, overcome suspicion.
Madam
President, Distinguished Delegates,
We are greatly heartened by the events of the last few days where significant
leading countries of the world have chosen to side with history, to choose the
right side of history --the path of the moral high ground, the path of
rectitude, the path of justice, the path of humanity, to shun hatred, to
overcome suspicion, and to avoid the use of violence. The use of violence will
beget violence. No one country can bully the whole community of the human
family.
We may be weak individually, but the sense of oppression, the sense of injustice
has proven in the history of mankind that this sense of injustice, this sense of
oppression will unite in a strong force that will overcome this oppression, that
will overcome this injustice.
To close, I would like to reiterate again Indonesia’s complete support for the
two-state solution in Palestine. We must have an independent Palestine, but we
must also -- we must also recognize, we must also respect, and we must also
guarantee the safety and security of Israel. Only then, we can have real peace,
real peace, and no longer hate and no longer suspicion. The only solution is
this two state solution.
Two descendants of Abraham must live in reconciliation, peace, and harmony.
Arabs, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, all religions, we must live
as one human family. Indonesia is committed to being part of making this vision
a reality. Is this a dream? Maybe, but this is the beautiful dream that we must
work together towards.
Let us work towards this noble goal. Let us continue humanity’s journey of hope
--a journey started by our forefathers. A journey that we must complete.
Thank you.
Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
[Peace be upon you, and may God's mercy and blessings be upon you.]
Shalom. [Peace]
Om santi santi santi om, [peace, peace, peace]
Namo Buddhaya,[Homage to the Buddha.]
Thank you very much.
May God bless us all. May peace be upon us.
Thank you very much.
1
From the
Melian Dialogue: "The Athenians to the Melians: 'For ourselves, we shall not trouble you with
specious pretences--either of how we have a right to our empire because we
overthrew the Mede, or are now attacking you because of wrong that you have done
us--and make a long speech which would not be believed; and in return we hope
that you, instead of thinking to influence us by saying that you did not join
the Lacedaemonians, although their colonists, or that you have done us no wrong,
will aim at what is feasible, holding in view the real sentiments of us both;
since you know as well as we do that right, as the world goes, is only in
question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and
the weak suffer what they must.'" [emphasis added]
