What did Prime Minister Andrej Plenković of Croatia say at the UN General Assembly (UNGA 81)?

He addressed the general debate on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, as the sixteenth speaker of the afternoon session.

The speech in brief

• International law. For small and medium states it is not an abstraction, he said, but the line between order and tyranny.
• Ukraine. Croatia’s support continues. He recalled the aggression against Croatia in the 1990s.
• Mladić. The honors at the convicted war criminal’s funeral in Belgrade insulted his victims and the international courts.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina. He said Croats there are not fairly represented and asked for electoral reform.
• The UN. He asked for a more effective, more accountable UN and thanked Secretary-General Guterres.

In his own words

He spoke in Croatian. The English is our translation of Croatian press reports.

Međunarodno pravo je granica između poretka i tiranije. (International law is the boundary between order and tyranny.)

“Za male i srednje države međunarodno pravo nije apstrakcija.” For small and medium-sized states, international law is not an abstraction.

“Mir ne može nagraditi osvajanje, a oporavak se ne može odvojiti od pravde.” Peace cannot reward conquest, and recovery cannot be separated from justice.

“Vojne i službene počasti dodijeljene Mladiću u Srbiji bile su uvreda njegovim žrtvama.” The military and official honors given to Mladić in Serbia were an insult to his victims.

Watch and read the full speech

The UN’s own video of the whole Day 1 session:

Watch Day 1 of the UNGA 81 general debate on the UN’s YouTube channel

The UN posts the statement on its general debate website.

Every Day 1 speaker, in order: What happened on Day 1 of UNGA 81.