In final address as 79th UNGA President: Yang insists multilateralism best to address global hurdles.

Yang, who is former Prime Minister, Head of Government, made the declaration on Tuesday September 9, 2025, at the UN headquarters in New York. 

The outing was his last as he prepares to hand over to the President of the 80^th General Assembly of the UN in the coming days.

In attendance among delegates at the session was the Minister Delegate to the Minister of External Relations in charge of Relations with the Commonwealth, Felix Mbayu.

Beyond thanking stakeholders for assisting him throughout his mandate, Yang insisted on what will work best for the world in the future. “May our ambition endure. Our future needs that. Let us prove that multilateralism can deliver faster, and smarter, for everyone, everywhere,” Yang stated.

Reflecting on the commemoration of the 80^th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter, Yang told guests of the renewed commitment to keep the spirit of the global diplomatic body alive despite the conflicts that abound.

On that occasion, he remarked that “17 Member States made clear, that in spite of rising global conflicts, the Charter, and the United Nations itself, represent a collective promise for a better future world”. 

The 79^th UNGA president enthused that: “This is a promise we must fulfil,” insisting that it is a “…moral obligation to do so”.

What did Yang achieve?

Speaking on the ground covered as President of the General Assembly, Yang cited a number of high-level meetings, consultations and commitments that tie with his agenda when he took the oath of office in September 2025.

The former Prime Minister mentioned an interactive dialogue with the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC, to ensure the preservation of human dignity in armed conflicts.

He also cited a hearing with the Inter Parliamentary Union on improving action in attaining Sustainable Development Goals, SDGS. 

He added to the list, a conference with the Economic and Social Council of the UN to boost the global control of small and light weapons, preventing violence and redynamising sustainable development.

Yang mentioned in his discourse the joint session with the International Labour Organisation, ILO, to eliminate child labour in farms, the forced recruitment of children and use during armed conflicts.

Future of peacekeeping in Africa, gender equality

On the future of peacekeeping in Africa, the former Star Building occupant noted that he convened a thematic discussion on “multi-stakeholder dialogue, on the New Partnership with Africa” with attention on digitization.

“…throughout, I maintained a priority focus, on gender equality, and the empowerment of women and girls, relying on the good counsel, of my Advisory Board on Gender Equality,” Yang stated Tuesday.

Undertakings to strengthen dialogue and trust, he stated, gained momentum during his mandate.

Reforming the UN Security Council Yang said also took most of his time through discussions with several stakeholders. With the Pact for the Future in view Yang disclosed that he “…met with all groups of the Intergovernmental Negotiations Process”.

 He added that when he visited Addis Ababa, he held talks with Ethiopia’s head of State alongside, “the Committee of Ten, of the African Union”. Yang also made public that while in New York, he also met with “…the Committee of Ten Ambassadors, representing the African Group”.

The Committee, he said also held meetings in Sierra Leone and Zambia, ending with positive outcomes. The outgoing 79^th UNGA president said he “welcomes recent developments such as: - the recent adoption of the African model. The presentation of a model, for the Caribbean Community; - And Liechtenstein’s revised model…”.

He expressed hope that Africa’s model will be “presented during the Intergovernmental Negotiations Process, in the eightieth session” of the UN General Assembly.

Palaver Tree Dialogues 

Talking about the “Palaver Tree Dialogues” concept, Yang said during his tenure, the UNGA was able to strengthen exchanges on: Multilingualism; Role of the General Assembly in peace and security; The role of women in mediations and peace processes; And strengthening multilateralism”.

To grow access to the global conversation, Yang said he “made multilingualism an important part of my agenda”. 

In this light, he said his office’s Multilingualism Task Force ensured the translation of the Pack for the Future into 33 languages.

When the UN clocked 80^, Yang said he organised meetings with the Secretary General and his staff to get updates on how to make the organisation more productive.

In line with a proposal Yang said he made during the exchange for the institution of an ad hoc review group, the former PM said the GA has established such a group.

He thanked the government of Cameroon, the Africa Union, staff and officials of the UN for assisting him during his time as 79^th UNGA president.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3561 of Thursday September 11, 2025