At UN General Assembly: Biya calls for united front to tackle global challenges.

This was during the General Debate session on Saturday, September 26, chaired by the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Dr Khalilur Rahman.

The session which concluded yesterday in New York held under the theme: “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all”. Delegates from across 194 member States attended the conference.

President Biya in the message called for unity and cooperation within the international system in the face of emerging and increasing global challenges like wars, humanitarian crises, climate change, and advancement of AI. 

In an increasingly unstable world, Biya stressed the need for global leaders to create conditions conducive for peace, security and stability in the international political environment, with a view to ensuring the well-being of all.

“Let us therefore unite and pool our resources to tackle this shared challenge together, in order to respond to the ceaseless appeals of our people, who aspire only to live in a world of peace, security and prosperity for present and future generations,” Biya said. 

He said Cameroon recognises the relevance of the theme chosen for the session and its timeliness in the current context. The President identified three inseparable challenges the world is facing together: restoring trust between states; reconciling peoples and nations with multilateral institutions; and ensuring that recent technological advances serve humanity as a whole.

“We are indeed living in an age where the achievements of science and technology have enabled an impressive flourishing of useful knowledge, such as the current emergence of Artificial Intelligence to address the many challenges facing humanity,” he said.

Biya regretted that wars and conflicts of all kinds persist despite global efforts in recent decades and agreements adopted in various fields in a bid to create the conditions for a fairer world where everyone can live in peace and security.

This, he added, has been compounded by intensifying arms race, humanitarian disasters, increasing selfishness and intolerance. 

Biya regretted that international solidarity and multilateralism remains on the decline in the face of the rise of blocs that clash over issues that serve their specific interests. 

“It is time to return to the spirit and very foundations of the United Nations Charter; at the same time, climate change is worsening and constitutes a global concern. Floods, droughts and forest fires are recurring and spare no region of the world,” Biya stated.

He noted that these phenomena are depriving the populations of the benefits they could legitimately have derived from the tremendous technological progress that has been made.

More efforts required to attain 2030 Agenda

Despite remarkable efforts made towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals also known as Agenda 2030, President Biya sounded the need for more progress to be made as the deadline draws to an end in the coming years. 

He argued that it is the collective responsibility of world leaders to improve the conditions for accessing and utilising these resources and development finance must not be viewed as a charitable endeavour. 

“It constitutes an investment in stability, shared prosperity and collective security. That is why Cameroon calls for the prompt and full implementation of the commitments made in Seville in July 2025 on development finance,” he said.

Presses for African presence in Security Council

While declaring Cameroon’s commitment to contribute to the full expansion of the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, the President said the agreement will strengthen intra-African development and trade cooperation.

He then re-echoed the country’s support for the African Union’s common position on securing better representation for Africa on the United Nations Security Council.

He said the country also intends to continue its participation in UN peacekeeping operations, as well as in the training and capacity-building of African personnel called upon to serve in such operations.

“I hereby reaffirm the determination with which Cameroon will tirelessly continue, alongside the member states of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, the relentless fight against terrorism and efforts to stabilise the affected areas around Lake Chad,” the Head of State mentioned. 

Addressing conflict in NW, SW

On the domestic front, President Biya assured that his government is committed to restoring normality in the North West and South West regions. 

“The government’s efforts to combat insecurity and to facilitate the social reintegration of those willing to renounce violence have already yielded tangible and observable results on the ground,” he stated. 

He also informed the UN General Assembly that his government has continued to build upon and consolidate these results.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3924 of Tuesday September 29, 2026