Press Room

 

His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen, Minister of Foreign Affairs

At the General Debate of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly

26 September 2025, New York

Theme: "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All”​

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim 

Mr. President,
Mr. Secretary-General,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh,

I wish to begin by conveying the warm greetings of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, to this esteemed Assembly. I also congratulate His Excellency Dr. Khalilur Rahman on his election as President of the Eighty-First Session of the General Assembly and thank Her Excellency Annalena Baerbock for her outstanding leadership during the Eightieth Session. My appreciation also extends to Secretary-General António Guterres for his continued service to this Organisation. Mr. President, The theme of this Session speaks directly to something the world is losing far too quickly: Trust. It is difficult to build, easy to fracture and, once lost, very hard to restore. Without it, treaties risk becoming little more than words, institutions become arenas for accusation, and countries increasingly feel compelled to rely only on themselves. At a time of profound transformation, rebuilding confidence among nations lets us confront change and uncertainty together.

Today, we not only see declining confidence between countries, but also a growing crisis of faith in the rules meant to bind us together. 

When nations begin to believe that rules are applied differently depending on power or circumstance, the instinct is to turn inward and act alone. 

That weakens us all. 

Dialogue becomes harder. Multilateral institutions lose authority. And the international order becomes more fragile, leaving smaller and more vulnerable States particularly exposed. 

For Brunei Darussalam, multilateralism is not an intellectual concept. 

It is the assurance that sovereignty and territorial integrity will be respected; that every nation, irrespective of size, has a voice; and that international law protects the weak as surely as it restrains the strong. 

The Charter of the United Nations must therefore remain our common foundation. It cannot mean one thing in one crisis and something different in another. 

Its principles must be upheld consistently if this Organisation is to retain its legitimacy and credibility. 

Few issues demonstrate this more painfully than the question of Palestine. 

For generations, the Palestinian people have waited for justice, statehood and dignity. 

They cannot be asked to wait indefinitely for rights that are already theirs.

In Gaza, the scale of human suffering and destruction is intolerable. Civilians, including far too many children, continue to bear the heaviest cost. Medics, journalists, humanitarian workers and United Nations personnel have also lost their lives while carrying out their duties. 

This suffering cannot become normal. 

In the West Bank, Palestinians continue to endure occupation, expanding illegal settlements, settler violence and displacement from their homes and land. 

Whether in Gaza or the West Bank, these are not merely numbers. They are human lives. 

And their suffering exposes a fundamental truth: international law and the principles of the Charter must apply equally to everyone. 

There cannot be one standard for some, and another for others. 

A just and lasting peace therefore requires more than managing the consequences of conflict. It requires addressing its root cause and realising the Palestinian people's legitimate right to self-determination and an independent State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 Borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. 

Without justice for the Palestinian people, there can be no lasting peace. 

This remains a defining test of the credibility of the United Nations and, particularly, the Security Council. 

And the conflict is no longer confined to Palestine. Its consequences are now spreading across the region. 

In neighbouring Lebanon, United Nations peacekeepers have also lost their lives while serving the cause of peace.

​It is in this wider context that Brunei Darussalam co-sponsored Security Council Resolution 2823, strengthening accountability for crimes against United Nations peacekeepers. 

Those who serve under the United Nations flag must be protected. 

But accountability cannot be episodic. 

The protection of those who serve peace, and the protection of innocent lives, especially children, must remain at the heart of this Organisation. 

Mr. President, 

Rebuilding confidence does not mean returning to a world that no longer exists. It means equipping ourselves to face the world that is emerging. 

From conflicts and climate change to sustainable development and emerging technologies, the challenges before us are increasingly complex and interconnected. 

Transformation is already taking place; we must ensure it strengthens cooperation rather than deepens division. 

In Southeast Asia, ASEAN offers a practical example of how these principles can be applied at the regional level. 

Despite our differences, ASEAN has chosen dialogue, restraint and continued engagement. 

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, or the T.A.C. 

The T.A.C. gives regional expression to the same fundamental principles found in the United Nations Charter: respect for sovereignty, peaceful settlement of disputes, non-interference and cooperation among States.

In this sense, the T.A.C. does not stand apart from the multilateral system. It reinforces it.

ASEAN’s experience shows that institutions remain relevant when rules are respected, dialogue stays open, and differences are managed peacefully. 

The same must be true for the United Nations. 

Reform must not become an exercise in rearranging structures while confidence outside this Hall continues to erode. 

Transformation must strengthen the United Nations' ability to prevent crises, respond effectively to Member States, and deliver outcomes that make a meaningful difference to people's lives.

Brunei Darussalam therefore supports initiatives such as the Pact for the Future and the UN80 Initiative. 

Ultimately, reform must achieve more than efficiency. It must strengthen this Organisation's credibility and its capacity to deliver. 

Mr. President, 

A United Nations that delivers for all must ultimately deliver for the people. That is the spirit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. At its heart is a simple promise: that progress today should not come at the expense of tomorrow. 

For Brunei Darussalam, preparing for the future begins with our people. This lies at the core of Brunei Vision 2035, built upon three mutually reinforcing goals: 

• an educated, highly skilled and accomplished people; 

• a high quality of life; and 

• a dynamic and sustainable economy.

Together, these goals reflect our conviction that national progress cannot be measured by economic growth alone. 

A country is strong when its people are strong. 

That means equipping our people with the knowledge and skills to adapt to change. 

It also means ensuring they have the security and stability to build their lives with confidence, supported by strong communities, quality healthcare and essential services, social protection, and a cohesive, resilient society. 

For Brunei Darussalam, stability and development go hand in hand. 

Stability gives people the confidence to plan for tomorrow, and development gives them the opportunity to build that tomorrow. 

Both must be sustained by a dynamic, diversified and resilient economy that creates meaningful opportunities and quality employment. 

Together, they create the conditions in which people can realise their full potential. 

Our ambition is therefore not merely to build a more prosperous country, but a society in which people feel secure in the present, confident about the future, and equipped to shape that future for themselves. 

But progress loses its meaning when people feel less secure, less included or less hopeful about what lies ahead. 

That is why “no one left behind” must be more than a phrase. 

It must be reflected in the choices we make and in the outcomes we deliver.

Mr. President, 

The realities before us are complex. 

But the principles that should guide us remain clear. 

Confidence in the international system is strengthened when promises are kept; when international law is applied equally; when dialogue is chosen over force; when sovereignty is respected; and when every nation, large or small, knows that its voice matters. 

Therefore, to build a United Nations that delivers for all, we must always remember who “all” means. Not institutions. Not statistics. It is the People. 

The United Nations we build today will shape the world the next generation inherits. We owe them a world in which cooperation remains stronger than conflict; where dialogue remains preferable to confrontation; where international law does not bend according to size or strength; and where justice is not determined by power. 

The world does not need another promise that we fail to keep. It needs us to honour the promises we have already made. 

That is how credibility is restored. That is how multilateralism and international law remain relevant, and that is how we build a United Nations that truly delivers for all. 

Brunei Darussalam is ready to play its part. 

Thank you.