At his final speech to the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. President Joe Biden outlined the key challenge for world leaders.
“[O]ur test is to make sure that the forces holding us together are stronger than those that are pulling us apart, that the principles of partnership that we came here each year to uphold can withstand the challenges, that the center holds once again,” he said.
President Biden named current challenges with their accompanying horrors: among them, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine; Hamas’ terror attack on Israel; the suffering of innocents in Israel and Gaza; Sudan’s civil war; and China’s military coercion of nations in the South China Sea.
But the United States and its partners are responding with strength and unity.
“We defended the U.N. Charter and ensured the survival of Ukraine as a free nation,” he said. “The good news is Putin’s war has failed at his core aim. He set out to destroy Ukraine, but Ukraine is still free. ... But we cannot let up.”
“We are also working to bring a greater measure of peace and stability to the Middle East,” said President Biden.
“I put forward with Qatar and Egypt a ceasefire and hostage deal. It’s been endorsed by the U.N. Security Council. Now is the time for the parties to finalize its terms, bring the hostages home, secure security for Israel and Gaza free of Hamas’ grip, ease the suffering in Gaza and end this war.”
President Biden said, “Progress toward peace will put us in a stronger position to deal with the ongoing threat posed by Iran.”
“Together, we must deny oxygen to terrorists — to its terrorist proxies, which have called for more October 7ths, and ensure that Iran will never, ever obtain a nuclear weapon.”
The United States, the G7, and other partners are also focused on the developing world.
“We are working to help countries build out their infrastructure, to clean energy transition, to their digital transformation to lay new economic foundations for a prosperous future,” he said.
President Biden urged the General Assembly to always remember the crucial point of leadership: “It’s your people, it’s your people that matter most. Never forget, we are here to serve the people, not the other way around.”
