UNITED NATIONS, September 22 — French President Emmanuel Macron used the General Debate of the UN General Assembly’s 81st session to frame the central question before the world as a choice between a return to the “law of the jungle” and life in a “civilized international society.” Delivering the address on Tuesday, Macron said France was committed both to the United Nations itself and to a revival of multilateralism in order to “tackle common challenges together.” Enumerating the crises and wars before the assembly, he declared, “we will not yield to defeatism.” Macron argued that international law does not describe reality but rather outlines the limits of acceptable behaviour.
The forgotten lessons of the 20th century, he said, can be seen in a current wave of “industrialised” war crimes and a new era of barbarism. “The Geneva Conventions are being dismantled,” he said, citing Sudan’s El Fasher and the destruction of Gaza among other humanitarian crises.
He stated that “there cannot be peace without justice,” and said France will continue to support the International Court of Justice. “We simply cannot accept this new order of impunity which some are trying to erect,” he added. On that basis he expressed support for Security Council reform to boost its effectiveness, including opening it up to new members — especially from Africa — and enabling it to take action in the face of mass violations of international law.
North-South divides and the charge of double standards
A significant portion of the speech advocated reducing divides between the North and the South, which he said was crucial to addressing climate change, health and development. He acknowledged this would require reopening a dialogue about common history, cultural relationships and restorative justice. Macron strongly condemned “double standards” on the issue of sovereignty.
“How many times have we heard that people’s sovereignty mattered in Europe, but that when it comes to the Middle East and Africa we could just as well do without it?” he asked. He added: “Every time some States wish to run roughshod over the will of certain peoples, to change a system, to topple a regime, every time this resulted in ever greater chaos.” He reiterated support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion and for restoring freedom of navigation in the Hormuz Strait.
He also stressed his support for Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank, saying that though some claim peace has been achieved in Gaza, humanitarian corridors have not materialised — a remark that earned him a round of applause.
AI regulation and who gets a voice
A final section of his speech focused on the dangers of AI, and specifically on the fact that the vast majority of people and countries appear to have no voice in the debate over AI regulation.
He stressed that regulation should not be left only to the US and China and a handful of private actors, adding that the stakes are too high over a technology which could threaten “the security of our States, of our hospitals, of our banks.” The address was delivered at the UN General Assembly’s 81st session general debate. The UN photo accompanying the report is credited to Loey Felipe.
What to watch next is whether the reform agenda Macron outlined — a Security Council opened to new members, above all from Africa, and empowered to act against mass violations of international law — gains any traction among the permanent members whose assent it would require.
