ARGENTINE PRESIDENT JAVIER MILEI was unsparing in his speech before attendees at the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 2026) last week in New York City, United States. In a fiery address on September 23, 2026, Milei branded the UN a “useless organisation” sustained by “fatally arrogant parasites masquerading as well-intentioned bureaucrats.” Could this be a statement borne out of a personal grouse, or does it reflect a view held by some other world leaders? Let’s examine whether Milei has a point when he posits that the foundational “sacred covenant” of promoting peace and human dignity hitherto associated with the UN has failed in practice.
For instance, Milei accused the UN of looking “the other way” on Britain’s unilateral oil exploration and actions in the disputed territory of the Falkland Islands (also known as Las Malvinas). He pointed out that “what is lacking is consequences” for breaking international resolutions. He also reiterated that self-determination does not apply to the island’s population. He identified what could be described as a double standard in UN operations, citing the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns as a crime against humanity. Two instances of dictatorships — Cuba and Venezuela — sheltered by the UN through the Human Rights Council were mentioned, as was an allegation of systemic anti-Israel bias among member states.
U.S. President Donald Trump had his turn too. He restated his concerns about and opposition to what he has repeatedly referred to as the “globalist” agenda. He took a swipe at UNESCO for its stance on global migration, saying it is “deeply ironic” for an organisation that was established to protect cultural heritage to be “actively destroying the greatest cultures and most extraordinary heritage in history” by getting involved in the “ceaseless promotion of mass migration.” President Trump did not restrict his criticisms to UNESCO. He did not spare other international institutions, including the UN Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Trump’s emphasis on national sovereignty and strong border enforcement was particularly strong, especially in relation to unregulated migration. This was reminiscent of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. She once said: “Do not rely on international organisations like the United Nations or the European Community to make or to keep a peace with freedom and justice. There is no substitute for national leadership.” Trump seems diametrically opposed to the consensus platform of the UN as it relates to the strength of the US. He appears to be in Thatcher’s school of thought, as she once pinned the criticism against the UN, saying: “[The] United Nations depends on consensus. That is simply not an adequate basis for action. Consensus is the negation of leadership.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address on September 24 was no less hard-hitting. He first surveyed the hall and took a pause while representatives of more than 70 member countries staged a walkout, then started with a declaration and a request: “Before I begin, just a quick announcement: If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t yet left this hall—please do so now. Thank you very much.”
Then came his historical line: “Fourteen years ago, I stood on this podium, and I drew a red line. I vowed to prevent Iran’s murderous dictatorship from developing atomic bombs, nuclear weapons aimed at destroying Israel, nuclear weapons that could threaten the entire world. That’s exactly what we did. In defending itself, Israel is also defending many of the countries whose delegates just left this hall! In fact, I want you to know that many of their leaders even thank us privately for taking out Iran’s nukes.”
Netanyahu directly mentioned influential countries that, he argued, applied a double standard in describing Israel’s presence and expansion in the Middle East, where it currently occupies territory. According to him: “On the eve of the Six-Day War in 1967, we weren’t in any of these places. We were on a tiny sliver of land—we still are—that is equal to about one third of one per cent of the landmass of the entire Arab world. Yet they accuse Israel of colonialism. Some colonialism. And who’s accusing us? Among them are people in Britain and in France. For God’s sake, they invented the term. Their colonies braced the entire globe.”
He reminisced even further: “Yet at the time, on this tiny patch of Earth, no West Bank, no Gaza, no Golan Heights, just the very survival of this one and only Jewish state, because this is what this conflict is about. It’s not about territories; it’s about a Jewish state at any boundaries. And yet, at the time, we were threatened with annihilation by three Arab armies that were about to invade us.”
After Israel’s brutal response to the horrific attack on its people on October 7, 2023, by Palestinian Hamas terrorists, the aftermath was described as a multifaceted war by Israel. “For the past three years, our heroic soldiers have fought day in and day out in a seven-front war! Do you know any other country the size of New Jersey capable of fighting a seven-front war? And for three years? Seven fronts: Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran, militias in Iraq, militias in Syria, Palestinian terrorists in Judea Samaria. They all ganged up on us to wipe us off the face of the Earth.”
Netanyahu did not spare the international press either.
On the acts of terrorism meted out against Israel by Palestinians, he had this to say: “Of course, none of this is covered in the international press or on social media. None of it. What they cover is a handful of juvenile delinquents, about 150 in number, who throw stones, who chop down olive trees. Occasionally, they light some fires. I can’t stand that. I won’t stand for vigilantism. We’re a country of law. So we put our Shin Bet on them. But that’s what they call settler violence.”
He continued: “In this battle against the barbarians, we’ve had no greater partner than President Trump. I thank him for his bold leadership. He boldly confronted an enormous danger to America, Israel and the world. Decades ago, he understood that if left unchallenged, the fanatic ayatollahs who chant ‘Death to America! Death to Israel!’ would eventually carry out their mad fantasies. So Israel and America acted together not only to protect ourselves, but to save civilisation. Brave American pilots alongside brave Israeli pilots flew joint missions over the skies of Iran. America and Israel also worked together to bring back our remaining hostages.”
Niger’s Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine, in his address on September 25, perhaps one of the most defiant African speeches to the 81st Assembly, strongly criticised foreign powers for exploiting its natural resources. He declared an end to what he described as decades of economic injustice, particularly regarding the extraction of the country’s uranium and other mineral wealth.
“For more than half a century, Niger’s uranium has lit the cities of Europe while our cities have remained in darkness. That injustice is now over. It is at an end,” he declared, emphasising that Niger has successfully recovered full control of the Société des Mines de l’Aïr (SOMAIR), a major uranium mining operation formerly dominated by French nuclear giant Orano. He said that, moving forward, Niger plans to sell its uranium on the international market with full transparency.
Highlighting the stark historical imbalance in resource sharing, the Prime Minister firmly stated that the country’s riches would be managed “by us and for us,” reinforcing that the state’s sovereignty is non-negotiable and that its future will no longer be dictated by outside forces. While accusing specific foreign powers of trying to destabilise the Sahel region to exploit its natural resources, Zeine warned global leaders against attempts to “recolonise” the region under the pretext of fighting terrorism.
Guinea’s President Mamady Doumbouya, in his own strong speech, focused on the theme that African nations must decide their own destiny through sovereignty and self-reliance. He challenged African countries to stop blindly copying Western or foreign models, urging the continent to build systems rooted in local history, culture and societal realities, much like nations in Asia and the Middle East.
Doumbouya highlighted national progress made in Guinea, such as domestic mineral processing and infrastructure development, including more than 1,000 km of paved roads, schools and hospitals, and positioned the Simandou project as a major pillar for Guinea’s long-term economic growth. Rather than asking for international aid and financial charity, Doumbouya called for respectful, equitable and mutually beneficial international cooperation.
Kenyan President William Ruto told the General Assembly that the sovereign equality the UN proclaims is contradicted by its own structures, urging member states to reform the Security Council and an international financial system “built for another age.”
President Ruto said Kenya spoke “not from despair in this institution, but from conviction in its possibilities,” adding that “multilateralism works when nations summon the will to make it work.” According to Ruto, the world recorded 65 state-based armed conflicts in 2025, 13 of them full-blown wars, with nearly a quarter of a million people killed in organised violence and disputes increasingly “frozen, deferred or decided by force.”
The permanent exclusion of many nations from UN operations was decried by Ruto, who said “every nation has one vote,” yet five hold permanent power on questions of war and peace that the other 188 do not. And so, “the equality proclaimed in this assembly ends at the doors of the Security Council.”
According to him, Africa’s 54 member states, more than a quarter of the Assembly, have no permanent seat on the Council. It is “permanently discussed, yet permanently excluded.” He warned that confidence in the consistent application of international law was weakening in parts of the world. “International law cannot be invoked loudly in one crisis, cautiously in another crisis and disregarded when convenient,” he said.
Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama pointed out that the injustices of the past remain embedded in today’s power structures. According to him, Africa is home to 1.5 billion people, over 18 percent of humanity, and constitutes the largest regional voting bloc in this General Assembly. Yet Africa remains without a single permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. “This is fundamentally unacceptable in the 21st century.”
Mahama said Africa must be granted permanent representation on the UN Security Council, complete with all the rights, responsibilities and veto powers of such membership. He stressed that “we cannot credibly champion the sovereign equality of nations while preserving a global governance structure designed for the post-war geopolitical realities.”
For Mahama, “Security Council reform is not a favour to Africa; it is an imperative for the legitimacy, credibility and survival of the United Nations.” The same systemic inequality permeates the international financial architecture. Developing nations borrow at interest rates up to eight times higher than industrialised nations.
He told the Assembly that “Africa does not seek charity. Africa seeks equal partnership anchored in mutual respect. Our continent possesses the world’s youngest population, vast arable land, unparalleled cultural vitality, and the critical minerals required to drive the global green energy transition.”
Mahama vowed that Africa will not remain a passive arena for a new scramble for resources. He said, “Critical mineral extraction must not replicate colonial-era exploitation. We will process our minerals at home, build local industries, create dignified jobs for our youth, and retain the value of our natural resources.”
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Dr. Olukayode Oyeleye, Business a.m.’s Editorial Advisor, who graduated in veterinary medicine from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, before establishing himself in science and public policy journalism and communication, also has a postgraduate diploma in public administration, and is a former special adviser to two former Nigerian ministers of agriculture. He specialises in development and policy issues in the areas of food, trade and competition, security, governance, environment and innovation, politics and emerging economies.
