UN debate gives platform to leaders beyond the main headlines

The fifth day of the 2026 United Nations General Assembly general debate produced a range of remarks from leaders whose interventions did not dominate the day’s headlines, according to The Associated Press. The comments covered international confidence, creativity, national ambition and the representation of smaller countries. They came from officials speaking for Brunei, Iceland, Moldova, Cabo Verde and Belize.

Prince Abdul Mateen, Brunei’s foreign minister, said rebuilding confidence should not mean returning to a world that no longer exists. The foreign minister of Iceland, Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, focused on creativity. She said creativity was universal, while the difference lay in whether societies gave it room to flourish.

Moldova’s prime minister, Vasile Tofan, said his country might never be a great power but possessed everything needed to become a great country. Francisco Avelino Vieira de Carvalho, prime minister of Cabo Verde, said the size of a territory should never determine the size of its dreams. Belize’s prime minister, John Briceño, called for the smallest voice to be heard as clearly as the largest.

The Associated Press said the annual General Assembly invariably produces many statements from leaders on issues affecting their countries, regions and the wider world. Its selection placed emphasis on remarks from officials who might otherwise have received less airtime and attention during the debate. The source material does not provide further details about the speeches, the policy positions behind the quotations or reactions from other delegates.