On September 23 (local time), at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA, President Luong Cuong delivered an important address at the High-Level General Debate of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly, under the central message: “Honoring the value of peace, advancing transformation to build a sustainable future.”

In his speech, the President emphasized that over the past 80 years, the United Nations has embodied humanity’s common aspiration for peace, cooperation and development, grounded in universal values of human rights, national independence, equality, democracy and social progress. 

However, he noted that the world today faces unprecedented and acute challenges, including conflicts, local wars, arms races, the use and threat of force, major-power rivalry, unilateralism, and a serious decline in political will and resources. He called on the international community to uphold multilateralism and an international system based on international law, with the United Nations at its core.

Affirming that peace is both the objective and the prerequisite for building a stable, just, democratic and prosperous future, President Luong Cuong urged all nations to comply with international law and the UN Charter, to respect sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, to refrain from interfering in internal affairs, from using or threatening to use force, and to resolve disputes by peaceful means.

Highlighting the culture of peace through confidence-building, international solidarity, dialogue and respect for differences, the President called for ceasefires, an end to violence, protection of civilians, and facilitation of humanitarian access in conflict zones. He welcomed the recognition of the State of Palestine by many countries, called for urgent humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people, urged the United States to lift sanctions against Cuba, and remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

President Luong Cuong underscored the role of regional organizations, particularly ASEAN’s centrality in the Asia-Pacific. He stressed ASEAN’s commitment to building a resilient, inclusive and sustainable Community, advancing the ceasefire agreement between Cambodia and Thailand, implementing the Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar, and safeguarding peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

To build a sustainable future, he called for reform of multilateral governance institutions, particularly the United Nations and international financial and monetary bodies, so they can adapt more effectively, ensure fairness, transparency, coherence, efficiency and effectiveness, and better respond to the needs of all nations and peoples.

Stressing the need to optimize sustainable development models through digital and green transformation, President Luong Cuong underlined that countries must adopt comprehensive strategies, invest strongly in research and development, train high-quality human resources, and develop green technology infrastructure. He emphasized that enhanced international cooperation is crucial in technology transfer and green financing, urging developed nations to share and transfer technologies to developing and least developed countries, while ensuring that social transformation remains people-centered.

Sharing Vietnam’s own story, President Luong Cuong recalled how the country had risen from the devastation of war and from poverty, backwardness, isolation and embargo, to become a developing, middle-income nation with deep international integration.

While acknowledging remaining limitations, the President reiterated Vietnam’s determination to pursue strategic goals: to become a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle income by 2030, a high-income nation by 2045, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, and to build a strong, prosperous and happy nation.

He affirmed that Vietnam will continue to make every effort and stand in solidarity with all countries to shoulder common responsibilities, overcome challenges, and advance transformation for a peaceful, stable, prosperous and sustainable world, bringing happiness and well-being to all peoples.

On this occasion, President Luong Cuong extended an invitation to countries to attend the Signing Ceremony of the United Nations Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes, to be held in Hanoi on October 25. He also announced that Vietnam is actively preparing to assume the role of Chair of the 2026 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and sought support for Vietnam’s candidacies to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2026-2028 term and to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for the 2026–2036 term.