UNION OF THE COMOROS Unity – Solidarity - Development _________ ADDRESS by His Excellency Mr. AZALI Assoumani President of the Union of the Comoros, on the occasion of the 81st Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations New York, 24 September 2026 Mr. President of the General Assembly, // Majesties, Highnesses, Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, // Excellencies, Heads of Delegation, // Honourable audience, in your ranks, titles, grades and capacities, // Peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of Allah // At the outset of my remarks, // I would like to express to the United States authorities, // on behalf of the Comorian delegation, // our sincere thanks // for the welcome and hospitality arrangements they have reserved for us // since our arrival in New York, // on the occasion of this 81st Session of our Assembly.
Allow me also // to extend my congratulations to His Excellency Dr. Khalilur Rahman // on his election to the presidency of the present Session and to wish him every success in his noble mission.
This is also an opportunity // to pay a well-deserved tribute // to Her Excellency Ms. Annalena Baerbock // for her action and wisdom // in conducting the work of the previous Session.
Allow me, // in the same spirit, // to pay a great and well- deserved tribute // to the leadership of His Excellency Mr. António Guterres, // Secretary-General of the United Nations, // and to salute his commitment to the promotion of peace and development // in the face of an international order severely tested.
At a time when he will hand over the baton of our Organization // in a tense and uncertain international context, // I express my very best wishes for success to the person who will succeed him in his functions.
Faced with a global context // marked by a crisis of confidence in international institutions, // often perceived as privileging the balance of power // over law, // our Organization must rise above partisan interests.
In shà Allah, the next leadership // will know how to embody the unity and renewal of a multilateralism // that is more credible.
Indeed, it will be essential // for that voice to defend the aspirations of developing countries // with particular attention to island and vulnerable States, // in order to forge responses of solidarity to the challenges that bind us.
For 81 years, // this General Assembly has remained the central pillar of multilateralism.
Yet, // as we gather in New York, // humanity stands at a crossroads.
Indeed, one lucid observation is called for: // despite our efforts, // the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda // remain out of reach.
Widening inequalities, // the climate emergency and the fragility of international peace require of us a new lucidity.
In this uncertain world, // it is imperative to restore confidence, // mutual respect and the equality of all before the law.
Such is, // at the heart of this 81st session, // our collective responsibility.
One year ago, // in this very hall, we called for peace to be made the foundation // of our development and of human rights. // Twelve months later, // it must be acknowledged that there is a gap between our commitments and reality.
Everywhere in the world, // from the Middle East to the Sahel, // by way of the Great Lakes, // Eastern Europe and Latin America, // civilian populations continue to pay a heavy price for conflicts whose interests are often unacknowledged. // The deadly war in the Middle East, // marked by massive civilian losses // and the destruction of critical infrastructure, // which has led to the paralysis of the Strait of Hormuz, // has spread to Syria and Lebanon // as a result of military operations carried out by Israel, // and is generating major consequences // for the global economy.
In addition to the global shock wave it has caused, // this conflict poses a direct threat // to the food and energy security // of vulnerable countries such as the Union of the Comoros, // which depend heavily // on imports and on the purchasing power of our populations.
This requires greater international solidarity in the face of this shared insecurity.
Allowing the conflict in the Middle East to persist // directly weakens the United Nations // by calling into question its capacity // to maintain world peace // and by eroding its credibility // among the peoples we represent.
The theme of this 81st session recognizes this rupture and admits that something has broken.
That is why it is imperative to restore confidence, // no longer through new promises, // but through acts guaranteeing the primacy of law and collective security.
It is time to move beyond power relations // in order to found a new human ethic, // transcending divisions, // questions of race, colour and belief // and anchored in the preservation // of our common ecosystem.
Created in 1945 upon the ruins of the Second World War, // our Organization has the vocation of guaranteeing peace, // security and the sovereign equality of States in strict compliance with international law. // Without these principles, // it would be nothing more than an empty forum. // Now, since our last meeting here, in September 2025, the genocide in Palestine continues its macabre work.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians, women, children and elderly people have lost their lives, and entire populations are on the verge of extermination.
The international community will regain its credibility first through the action it undertakes urgently to silence the guns, preserve the lives of civilians, Israelis, Palestinians, Lebanese, Syrians, and ultimately achieve the implementation of United Nations resolutions, which advocate in particular the two-State solution, Israeli and Palestinian, coexisting peacefully.
This is a prerequisite for the other transformations capable of meeting, with justice, the climate challenges, the issues of artificial intelligence and the imperatives of sustainable development.
From then on, we will be able to make the right to development the pillar of multilateralism, by facilitating access to sustainable financing and reducing global inequalities.
Allow me to quote a great African writer, Chinua ACHEBE, who said this: “When we gather in the village, in the moonlight, it is not because of the moon. Every man can see it in his own courtyard.
We come together because it is a good thing to do. Let us therefore continue in a spirit of teamwork and draw upon the power of solidarity.
If we smile together, it is not because we have no problems, but because we are stronger than the problems.”
For half a century, the Comorian State, still in search of its sovereignty, within its borders recognized by international law, has remained under illegal French occupation, despite the many relevant resolutions of our Assembly.
The Comorian side, which has always favoured the peaceful settlement of this dispute, has always believed and considered that there is no other alternative than dialogue.
This dialogue, we have engaged in with France for two decades, in order to arrive at a peaceful resolution of this dispute, described as unpleasant by the late French President François Mitterrand.
We regret that this dialogue has not succeeded.
On the contrary, French unilateral actions, particularly on the African continent, run counter to our expectations.
We deeply deplore the inclinations of certain neighbouring, brotherly and friendly countries, which have always defended the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Comoros, to establish relations with an occupied part of our territory.
We call for the solidarity that African countries have always shown in defending their sovereignty in general and, in particular, the territorial integrity of the Comoros.
We firmly condemn initiatives for cooperation with the local authorities of Mayotte, as well as the recent statements by the French Prime Minister linking development assistance to the pursuit of migrants.
By virtue of General Assembly resolutions 3385 of 12 November 1975 and 31/4 of 21 October 1976, as well as Security Council resolution 376, Comorians are at home in Mayotte.
For the Comorian Nation, the sovereignty of the Comoros over its entire archipelago is not for sale.
We therefore urge the French authorities to undertake a recasting of their political narrative, to review the measures recently announced, and to favour fruitful cooperation and a win-win partnership for France and for the Comoros.
It is indeed imperative to build a harmonious future, taking into account the current geopolitical upheavals and the weakening of traditional alliances.
Development remains at the heart of our national ambition.
Since 2019, the Comoros has adopted the Emerging Comoros Plan, a structuring roadmap aimed at modernizing our infrastructure, energizing our private sector, and offering our youth the decent jobs they deserve.
With a financing need of 5.2 billion dollars over ten years, this plan is the engine of our transformation.
Although tangible progress has been made, with GDP growth rising from 1.9 per cent in 2019 to 3.8 per cent in 2025, the road ahead remains long: we still need to mobilize more domestic and external financing to achieve our objectives.
Faced with the scarcity and rising cost of financial resources, we nevertheless remain hampered by criteria for access to concessional financing that are disconnected from reality.
For a small island State like ours, income indicators cannot obscure our multidimensional vulnerability.
That is why the Comoros strongly calls for a profound reform of the international financial architecture.
Such reform is an imperative to guarantee our right to development and to ensure that multilateral banks finally integrate the reality of our fragilities into their allocation policies.
Strengthened by these encouraging macroeconomic results and by our determination to reach the upper thresholds of middle-income countries, we are now entering a decisive phase.
For the period 2027-2030, we are embarking on a new acceleration phase of the Emerging Comoros Plan. We invite our bilateral and multilateral partners, as well as the private sector, to join us in transforming this ambition into a lasting reality for the Comorian people.
It is with profound gratitude that I welcome the inscription, during the last session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, of six Medinas of the historical Sultanates of the Comoros on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
This historic recognition, the result of twenty years of work, honours our nation.
I express my warmest thanks to all the partners whose technical and financial support made this success possible.
Moreover, my country, the Union of the Comoros, is preparing to host, in one year’s time, for the first time in its history, the Indian Ocean Island Games.
This sporting gathering of the youth of our subregion remains one of the high points for the actors of tomorrow, in search of cohesion and fulfilment, in a world beset by divisions and the rejection of others in their diversity.
In this regard, I would like to express my deep gratitude, on behalf of the Comorian people, to the various countries and partners that have given us their support with a view to fulfilling this national commitment of regional significance.
We therefore intend to make this event a resounding success for the young people of the Indian Ocean.
At the conclusion of my statement, I issue a call for large-scale action to restore confidence among our Nations, by being fair, just and united.
Let us ensure transformation by making the United Nations, our common home, a more credible Organization and one that offers hope for the future.
It is at this price that we will give ourselves the power to act, in all humanity, for humanity, in its differences and its diversity.
I thank you.