H.R.H. the Grand Duke in New York for the 81st United Nations General Assembly

Mr. President,

Excellencies,

First and foremost, allow me to extend my warmest congratulations to His Excellency Dr. Khalilur Rahman on his election as President of the General Assembly. You can certainly count on Luxembourg’s full support throughout your tenure.

Mr. President,

The theme you have chosen for this General Debate could hardly be more timely.

When I try to paint an honest picture of the world we live in, one thing strikes me in particular: trust is under growing strain. Trust between nations. Trust between people. And, perhaps most importantly, trust in our ability to work together.

And yet, I believe that trust is precisely where we should begin.

Not because trust is easy. But because every lasting achievement of the international community has begun with a decision to trust.

This is my first address to this Assembly as Head of State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. I assumed office less than a year ago. It is therefore a particular honour to stand before you today, and to reaffirm from this podium the importance Luxembourg attaches to the United Nations and to a rules-based international order grounded in the rule of law.

But this moment also makes me reflect on what the United Nations means from the perspective of my own generation.

As a relatively young man who has had the privilege of travelling the world, I have been fortunate to meet people from very different cultures, backgrounds and traditions. These experiences have left me with a simple and lasting conviction:

We can learn a lot from each other. And I remain convinced that it is only by working together that we can overcome the many challenges our world is facing today.

This conviction is not naïve. I am fully aware of the difficulties confronting us. But precisely because the world is becoming more difficult, I believe we must resist the temptation to give up on cooperation.

There has never been a time when communication between people in different parts of the world was so easy. Millions of young people have virtual friends and acquaintances across continents through social media, gaming and countless other forms of connection.

We have never been so connected, and yet we seem increasingly unable to trust one another.

This should make us reflect.

Is it still possible to build a world order in which respect and the willingness to work towards common goals can prevail over the pursuit of self-interest and power?

I believe it is. But it will require determination, dialogue and a willingness to look beyond immediate interests.

And this is why the United Nations matters.

Mr. President,

Luxembourg has believed in this principle from the very beginning.

Eighty-one years ago, still deeply marked by the horrors of the Second World War, Luxembourg was among the 51 founding members that came together in San Francisco to lay the foundations of a new international order. At the time, we were the smallest country represented.

We have prospered in the peace that Europe enjoyed for decades after 1945. And we have never forgotten that this peace could not be taken for granted. It was built, generation after generation, by those who chose cooperation over confrontation.

Today, that peace is being challenged once again. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has brought war back to our continent. It is a stark reminder that peace requires constant commitment, and that the principles on which our international order was built must be defended.

The United Nations itself was born from that choice.

Its Charter called upon us to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security and, above all, to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.

Eighty-one years later, that promise is under considerable pressure.

But it has not failed.

Multilateralism may be imperfect. But disenchantment should lead us to reform, not to dismissal.

The question is therefore not whether we still need multilateralism.

The question is whether we have the courage to make it better.

Mr. President,

Restoring trust also means making our institutions worthy of that trust.

The Security Council must become more representative, more effective and more accountable to the entire membership of the United Nations. Africa, in particular, should have a stronger voice.

And when the Security Council is paralysed, the General Assembly must be able to play its rightful role.

The United Nations must reform so that it can deliver more effectively, particularly when resources are constrained. But reform must never become an end in itself. The purpose of institutions is to serve people.

Ultimately, the test of multilateralism is not how many resolutions we adopt or how many meetings we hold. 

It is whether a child is safer because of our decisions.

Whether a young person can receive an education.

Whether a family can live in dignity.

Whether a small country can believe that international law will protect it when power alone cannot.

This is why trust matters.

And this is why Luxembourg will continue to defend multilateralism.

Because we know what happens when it fails.

Mr. President,

Climate change reminds us perhaps more clearly than any other challenge that we cannot solve global problems by acting alone.

It transcends borders and generations. Small Island Developing States are already experiencing consequences that threaten their very existence.

Luxembourg may be landlocked, but we are deeply committed to this common effort, including by drawing on the expertise of our financial centre in green finance.

Our interests may differ, but our future is shared.

Mr. President,

The world is becoming more fragmented. The international order is under strain.

We need to recognise this reality. But we should not mistake a world of competing centres of power for a more just or stable international order.

For Luxembourg, the answer is clear. Our experience has taught us that international law and multilateral institutions give countries, whatever their size, a voice and a place at the table.

It’s not about resisting a changing world, but to make multilateralism fit for that world.

I believe this is ultimately what the United Nations asks of us.

Not that we agree on everything.

Not that we abandon our national interests.

But that we recognise that there are challenges for which no nation, however powerful, can find lasting solutions alone.

We can look at the imperfections of multilateralism and conclude that it no longer works.

Or we can reform it fairly, strengthen it, and make it worthy of the trust that future generations will place in us.

I know which choice I want to make.

Because this is the world I want to leave to my children:

a world where dialogue is stronger than confrontation;

where respect between nations allows differences to become a source of strength rather than division;

where international law protects the weak as well as the strong;

If we restore trust, if we listen to the next generation, and if we have the courage to act together, the United Nations can continue to be more than a reflection of the world as it is. It can remain an instrument for building the world we want to leave behind.

A world worthy of the trust of those who will inherit it.

Young people do not expect us to solve every challenge.

But they do expect us to try.

They expect us to act with responsibility.

And above all, they expect us not to lose faith in our ability to shape a better future.

And that is the promise we should make to the next generation.

I thank you.

---