I wish to extend my warmest congratulations to His Excellency Dr. Khalilur Rahman on his election as President of the Eighty-First Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Cambodia assures him of its full support as he guides our work under the timely theme, “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All.”
I express Cambodia’s appreciation to Her Excellency Ms. Annalena Baerbock for her active leadership of the Eightieth Session.
It is my great honor to pay tribute to Secretary-General António Guterres for his steadfast leadership and dedicated service to the United Nations throughout his two mandates, and for his unwavering commitment to multilateralism, peace and security, sustainable development, and the principles and purposes of the UN Charter during a decade marked by profound turbulence and transformation.
4. Eighty-one years ago, in the aftermath of the devastation of the Second World War, the nations that founded our Organization made a solemn pledge to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.”
5. That commitment remains as vital today as it was in 1945. While the world has thus far been spared another global war, armed conflicts continue to inflict immense human suffering across many regions. Concurrently, geopolitical rivalries, climate change, widening inequalities, rapid technological transformation and transnational threats are placing growing strains on international peace, stability and cooperation.
6. At a time when international cooperation is more necessary than ever, trust among nations is being tested, while confidence in multilateral institutions and their capacity to respond effectively to common challenges is under increasing pressure.
Our response cannot be retreat.
7. The world needs the United Nations not less, but more. But it also needs a United Nations that commands trust because it is principled, representative, effective and capable of delivering on the purposes and principles of its Charter.
8. Trust is not restored by declarations alone. It is earned through consistency: when commitments are honoured, international law is respected, disputes are settled by peaceful means.
9. Sovereign equality must remain a fundamental principle of international relations. The Charter does not prescribe one standard for the powerful and another for the less powerful. All Member States, large or small, are equal before the Charter and are bound by the obligations it establishes.
10. Cambodia understands the value of trust from its own history. Our country endured decades of conflict, genocide, division and immense human suffering. Cambodia rebuilt peace through dialogue, trust and confidence-building, and the political courage and wisdom embodied in our former Prime Minister, Samdech Techo Hun Sen’s Win-Win Policy, which brought national reconciliation and unity.
11. That experience continues to shape Cambodia’s approach to international relations and its commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes, including those concerning our shared border with Thailand.
12. In this spirit, Cambodia expresses its sincere appreciation to the international community for its continued attention, contribution and support for efforts to achieve a peaceful and lasting resolution of the dispute.
13. Recent tensions and conflict have seriously eroded trust and confidence between Cambodia and Thailand. Beyond putting a strain on relations, this conflict has left deeper and more enduring scars, including damage to cultural heritage and the lingering threat posed by unexploded ordnance, among others.
14. Yet geography binds us together. As permanent neighbours, our two countries will always live side by side, and the peace, stability and prosperity of our peoples are closely interconnected. Rebuilding trust is therefore not merely desirable; it is essential to the future of our bilateral relations and to our shared interest in lasting peace and good-neighbourly relations.
15. For Cambodia, restoring trust must be grounded in concrete commitments.
16. It requires the full and effective implementation, in good faith, of the agreements reached between our two countries. These include the Kuala Lumpur Joint Declaration, the Fuxian Consensus and, in particular, the Joint Statement of 27 December 2025, under which both sides committed to the renunciation of the threat or use of force, respect for international boundaries and to concrete measures to de-escalate tensions, rebuild trust and advance the normalization of bilateral relations.
17. Among those measures, the prompt resumption of the survey and demarcation work of the Joint Boundary Commission would contribute significantly to addressing outstanding boundary-related claims and establishing a clear and mutually recognized boundary, in accordance with international law and the existing treaties and agreements between the two countries. Equally important, and with direct humanitarian implications, is enabling the more than 20,000 Cambodian civilians who remain unable to return to their homes due to the continued military occupation and obstruction. In the words of the UN Special Rapporteur who visited the border last July: “they need and deserve to go home”.
18. Likewise, the cessation of activities in occupied territories that could create or consolidate a fait accompli would provide a tangible demonstration of goodwill and respect for international law.
19. This same commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes is reflected in our approach to the maritime dispute between Cambodia and Thailand.
20. Last May, Thailand decided unilaterally to terminate the MOU 2001, the only existing legal framework between our two countries specifically established to address our maritime disputes, despite our repeated calls not to do so. Cambodia was thus forced to place its trust in institutions that uphold the principles of international law by initiating compulsory conciliation proceedings under UNCLOS.
21. As our Prime Minister, Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, stated in his Special Address last June, “We have taken this step to protect Cambodia’s sovereignty and maritime rights in accordance with international law. Cambodia has always sought to resolve dispute with our neighbor peacefully. We continue to seek a relationship with Thailand based on peace, cooperation and mutual respect. Both Cambodia and Thailand stand to gain from a fair and lasting settlement agreed with the guidance of the international expert conciliators and in accordance with international law.”
22. In this connection, Cambodia is grateful to the Conciliation Commission for demonstrating its strong willingness to assist the parties in resolving their dispute peacefully, during the first meeting in Singapore earlier this month.
23. The value of conciliation should be approached as a meaningful opportunity to bridge differences, rebuild trust and lay a stronger foundation for peaceful and constructive relations between our two countries.
24. The question is no longer whether our world is changing, but whether we can shape that change together and turn transformation into opportunity rather than division and insecurity.
25. Technology illustrates both the promise and the risk. Artificial intelligence and digital innovation can accelerate development and expand opportunities, but their misuse can also deepen inequality, insecurity and transnational crime.
26. Combating online scams has become one of our highest national priorities.
27. Cambodia has strengthened its legal and institutional framework and intensified law-enforcement operations against scam centres and the criminal networks behind them with undeniable results.
28. But no country can succeed alone. Criminal networks operate across borders and require stronger international cooperation. This week, Cambodia has successfully hosted an International Conference on combating online scams co-sponsored by UNODC and INTERPOL, among others. The conference called for collective and coordinated action at the national, regional and global levels to disrupt and eradicate this crime.
29. Cambodia is pleased and honoured to host, in Phnom Penh on 15 and 16 November, the Twentieth Summit of La Francophonie. Nearly thirty years after the historic Hanoi Summit, this new gathering of the Francophone family in Asia has particular significance. It bears witness to the vitality of a Francophonie that transcends borders, continents and cultural differences.
30. The theme of the summit, “Reinvesting in peace for shared and sustainable prosperity”, as well as that of this year’s session, evokes a common imperative: restoring confidence and reinvesting in peace reinforce one another.
31. Beyond the celebration of the French language, Cambodia wishes to make this Summit a moment of bringing together the peoples of all continents around common values: peace, respect for diversity, dialogue among cultures, solidarity, mutual understanding and cooperation.
32. The presence of Heads of State and Government will give this summit its full political and symbolic significance and will make Phnom Penh a major meeting place for dialogue among nations. The Kingdom of the temples of Angkor wishes to welcome each and every one with the hospitality for which it is known.
33. We cannot restore yesterday’s world, and that should not be our ambition.
34. Our responsibility is to strengthen our confidence in our collective capacity to navigate the world of tomorrow.
35. To restore confidence, we must uphold the same principles for all. To manage transformation, we must ensure that progress serves all.
36. And for the United Nations to deliver results for all, every Member State — large or small, developed or developing — must see its dignity, its voice and its future reflected in this Organization.
37. Cambodia will continue to work with all Member States towards this goal, as it has done by sending more than ten thousand of its peacekeepers to peacekeeping operations over the past twenty years.
Thank you very much for your attention!