1. As President of the Republic of Burundi and current Chairperson of the African Union, I should first of all, in the name of the Burundian people and of Africa, congratulate His Excellency Dr.
Khalilur Rahman, President United Nations General Assembly, on his election and wish him every success in the discharge of his mandate.
2. I should, on this occasion, extend my warm congratulations and the expression of my deep gratitude to His Excellency Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General the United Nations, for the constant commitment and the unfailing dedication that he has shown throughout his mandate in the service of peace, security and sustainable development throughout the world. His good offices, exercised with wisdom, humility and determination, have made it possible to bring closer together the most divergent points of view and to provide valuable support to nations, especially to countries of the South, in their quest for stability and prosperity.
Burundi, which has always been able to count on the benevolent support of the United Nations, wishes to salute his leadership and his unwavering attachment to principles multilateralism. At a time when he is preparing to turn this important page of his life, I wish him, in my own name and in the name of the entire Burundian people, every success in his new endeavours, as well as good health and a future marked by serenity and fulfilment.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
3. The theme of this eighty-first session, “Restoring trust, steering transformation: a United Nations Organization that serves all” comes at a time when our world is faced with multiple crises, aggressions against States, internally armed conflicts fuelled from the outside, and expansionist conflicts causing distrust among States and leading to the inability international community to settle these crises by peaceful means.
4. In this context, a fundamental question arises: how can we restore trust in multilateralism and ensure that international institutions truly meet the expectations of all peoples?
Our answer is clear: we must strengthen multilateralism, reform global governance and place human dignity at the heart of our collective action.
5. First, peace.
Peace is the source of all good. Peace in our hearts, peace in our societies, peace in our countries.
Let us begin by restoring peace in our own enclosure. Let us consolidate peace in our respective countries, restore trust among our peoples, and restore the image of humanity around us.
6. In this year when Burundi holds the current chairmanship of the African Union, we are particularly aware of the responsibility incumbent upon us.
As the African Union champion for the youth, peace and security agenda, I organized this year once again a continental youth dialogue coupled with the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
During this dialogue, I sensed the enthusiasm of young people and women to create a community of shared destiny in the spirit of Ubuntu.
7. In these young people I sensed the will to connect with one another and to live together.
But, unfortunately, there are still States that prevent their citizens from living together with other peoples as brothers.
They develop and foster xenophobia and intolerance.
They divide through the omission of preventive and corrective measures, by putting forward levels of development, saying this one is rich, that one is poor, thus creating a gap between peoples on the basis of wealth and material possessions.
And on that basis, they come to regard themselves as saints, reproaching others for being inferior.
How can we create trust between States without beginning with the connection and cohesion of our peoples?
We, leaders, must revive within ourselves that spirit of Ubuntu, the Ubuntu with which God created us.
Indeed, God did not create a selfish man; He created a man of Ubuntu, the Ubuntu that I see in you and that you find in me.
Ubuntu is the common denominator that must regenerate trust among all human beings.
8. As an African and bearer of the African word at this time when I hold the rotating chairmanship of the African Union, I also have a duty to declare it.
We are here to carry a conviction: Africa must be listened to more, better represented and more closely associated with the decisions that determine the future of our planet.
That is what must create trust between Africa and the other continents, as well as with international institutions.
9. We no longer want to see the Human Rights Council become a forum for oppressing countries deliberately chosen because they defend and fight for the interests of their peoples.
We want to see this Council work for justice and fairness for all States, without distinction.
10. The law international human rights law must be applied, without exception, to all the States of the world, both in its corrective function and in its regulatory function.
The Human Rights Council cannot be instrumentalized by certain countries to the detriment of other States, since all Member States of the United Nations enjoy sovereign equality.
Burundi wishes to reiterate, consistently, its opposition to the imposition of a “Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi”, who was designated for it outside any dialogue and any prior consultation.
11. Burundi is a responsible country that respects Human Rights; for decades it has fought against impunity, ensured respect for the rights and freedoms of all and guaranteed security as well as non-repetition of the crimes it experienced in the past.
12. Africa intends to be a full-fledged actor and not a mere observer, called upon to applaud decisions in the formulation of which it was not associated.
Africa seeks no privilege. It asks for justice, equity and representation.
We therefore reaffirm, with force, the need for reform of the United Nations Security Council, in order to allow permanent African representation and more equitable participation of the continent in the decision-making mechanisms of the international community.
13. In this regard, Burundi considers that discussions on reforms must also address the financial viability of the United Nations system, by strengthening the predictability, transparency and sustainability of its financing.
It would not be consistent to entrust the Organization with ever greater responsibilities without guaranteeing it the resources necessary for their implementation.
We therefore call on Member States, especially the wealthiest, to show responsibility and solidarity in order to preserve the financial stability of the Organization.
14. In this dynamic of reform, strengthening and consolidation of our Organization, Burundi also wishes to contribute to the debate on the selection process of the next Secretary-General of the United Nations.
In the current international context, marked by profound geopolitical divisions and growing challenges for multilateralism, this process must be conducted in a spirit of transparency, openness and collective responsibility.
15. Burundi considers that this process must be based above all on qualifications, experience, integrity, independence of judgment, diplomatic ability and the capacity to bring together the positions of all Member States.
16. We need a true bridge-builder, a person capable of engaging in dialogue with all, of bringing positions closer together when divergences appear insurmountable, but also of showing firmness, courage and independence when it comes to defending the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and upholding the collective interest.
17. Peace remains the primary condition for development. The African Union is deeply concerned by the persistence of conflicts and crises that continue to cause massive population displacements, destroy infrastructure and deprive millions of children of their right to education and to a better future.
We pay particular attention to the situation in the Great Lakes, in the Sudan, in the Sahel, in Somalia and in all regions confronted with violence and instability.
18. We reaffirm our commitment to the search for African solutions to African problems, in compliance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
We therefore call for the strengthening of the partnership between the African Union and the United Nations in the prevention, mediation and peaceful settlement of conflicts.
Burundi, drawing on its experience, will continue to contribute to peace efforts on the continent.
19. But we must go further.
As decided in Luanda during the 21st session of the Extraordinary Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, Africa must not only learn to manage conflicts; it must strengthen its capacity to prevent them.
We also call on the international community to provide greater support to African peace and security mechanisms, in particular through predictable and sustainable financing of peace operations led by Africa.
20. I would be remiss if I were to address this august assembly without speaking about the issue of water.
The African Union has placed the year 2026 under the theme of sustainable water availability and access to safe sanitation systems, in order to achieve the objectives of Agenda 2063.
This choice is particularly significant because water is life, water is health, water is food security, water is energy, and water is also, in certain regions, a question of peace and stability.
21. We therefore call for strengthened international mobilization in favour of universal access to drinking water and sanitation, particularly in rural areas and the most vulnerable communities.
We invite our partners to consider water not only as a natural resource, but as a strategic investment in peace, health and sustainable development.
22. As regards socio-economic development, the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063 requires financial means commensurate with the ambitions.
Now, many developing countries face considerable budgetary constraints, high financing costs and the burden of debt.
We therefore call for a reform of the international financial architecture so as to make it fairer, more inclusive and better suited to the realities of developing countries.
Such a reform must in particular make possible access to predictable, affordable, sustainable financing, which is indispensable for accelerating the implementation of the SDGs and Agenda 2063.
23. We must also make Africa more active.
In this regard, Africa, with its fifty-five States and more than one billion four hundred million inhabitants, cannot remain on the margins of the bodies where the rules of world trade are drawn up.
On behalf of the African Union, I reiterate our continent’s call for full and equitable representation within the World Trade Organization: this is not a favour that we are requesting, but justice that we demand and a guarantee of progress for the multilateral trading system as a whole.
With the African Continental Free Trade Area, our continent has already demonstrated its capacity to build rules and integrate markets; it is now for global trade governance to draw on this.
But, to succeed, we must be more resilient in order to preserve the environment favourable to agriculture, which is a source of life and food security.
Indeed, Mr. President, climate change particularly affects the most vulnerable populations.
Africa contributes little to historical greenhouse gas emissions, but it is already suffering serious consequences from them.
We therefore call for strengthened international solidarity in the areas of adaptation, climate finance and technology transfer.
24. Food security must become a strategic priority because no sustainable development is possible when millions of families do not have sufficient and nutritious food.
25. In conclusion, I wish to raise the issue of youth, that most precious capital on which the entire international community can and must rely.
26. I speak today not only as a convinced friend of young people, but also on the basis of a lucid observation: our intellectual youth has become the object of sustained, deliberate and organized covetousness on the part of most of the wealthiest nations, whereas its primary vocation should be to serve its parents, its loved ones and the homeland, which have invested so much in its education.
Many African States devote considerable resources to education, vocational training, entrepreneurship, science, digital technology and innovation.
However, while our African nations, like Burundi, make these major sacrifices to build their future, these young talents are prematurely drawn away by actors offering better material and financial conditions, without having made any prior investment in their educational path.
Let us be perfectly clear: it is imperative to establish a fair partnership so that our countries receive equitable compensation for the investments made in the training of our youth.
27. The other actions that we must all undertake also consist in giving young people a real place in decision-making, peace and development processes.
Youth must not be considered solely as beneficiaries of public policies. They must be integrated both upstream and downstream in their processes of design and implementation.
This is what would make it possible to create a certain future and restore hope to this youth.
28. This emerged from the discussions during the 5th edition of the Continental Dialogue on Youth, Peace and Security, which was held in Bujumbura from 10 to 12 August 2026, and which highlighted the existing link between water, peace, conflict prevention and the inclusive leadership of young people and women.
The work of this dialogue showed that there can be no lasting peace in Africa without the full, effective and institutionalized participation of its youth.
For too long, we have spoken of youth as a generation called upon to take over tomorrow.
But African youth is not only the future of our continent, it must also be its present.
29. We therefore call for the strengthening of the continental Youth, Peace and Security Agenda and for it to be given resources commensurate with its ambitions.
We have a duty to create more spaces enabling young people to contribute to conflict prevention, mediation, reconciliation and peacebuilding.
As Chairperson of the African Union and Champion of the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda, I intend to continue to carry this ambition forward.
30. Lastly, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, speaking of Burundi, we are pursuing with satisfaction its economic and social transformation within the framework of its Burundi Vision 2040-2060.
We are determined to transform our agriculture, to develop our infrastructure, to improve access to energy and water, to strengthen education and health, and to promote a dynamic private sector.
Our ambition is that of an emerging Burundi by 2040 and a developed Burundi by 2060.
31. We invite our partners to support this transformation not only through multifaceted assistance, but also through investments, technology transfer, capacity-building and the development of mutually beneficial partnerships.
The 2040-2060 Vision now constitutes a central framework for national development planning.
32. The African Union and the United Nations share a special responsibility in building a more peaceful and more just world.
We must strengthen our partnership in the areas of peace and security, sustainable development, health, climate, youth and global governance.
33. The UN-AU partnership must be founded on mutual respect, complementarity and greater African ownership of solutions to the continent's challenges.
34. Africa wants to be a strategic partner and a full-fledged actor in multilateralism, and not simply a space for intervention by the international community.
35. Burundi, in assuming the presidency of the African Union, is choosing unity, solidarity and action. We are choosing an Africa at peace. An integrated Africa. An Africa that feeds itself.
An Africa that transforms its resources.
An Africa that gives its youth the means to create and innovate. An Africa that controls its destiny.
And we are choosing renewed multilateralism, in which every region, every people and every nation count.
36. For Africa, we want a United Nations that is more representative, more effective and closer to the peoples.
We want Africa to be better represented within global decision-making bodies.
We want a global partnership founded not on dependence, but on solidarity, shared responsibility and investment in the future.
37. On behalf of the Burundian people and in our capacity as current Chairperson of the African Union, we call on all our partners: “Let us make this period of transformation an opportunity to build a more just world, a stronger Africa and a better future for future generations.”
38. Burundi and the African Union express the hope that the general debate of this 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly will be the starting point for strengthened multilateralism, a United Nations within which every State and every region count.
This is the guarantee of stability, greater solidarity, greater well-being and sustainable development on our planet.
Long live international cooperation.
Long live the African Union.
Long live the United Nations.
May God bless you, I thank you.