What did President David Adeang of Naoero (Nauru) say at the UN General Assembly (UNGA 81)?

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

The speech in brief

• The name. “Nauru” is how outsiders heard the name, he said, not what the people called themselves.
• Not erasing the past. The change honors the country’s history, which included German, British, Australian and New Zealand rule before independence in 1968.
• What changes. The country code moves from NRU to NRO, and citizens are “dei-Naoero”.
• Also. He spoke about rising seas, the economy and respect on the world stage.

In his own words

We do not make this choice to erase our past. We make it because we honour it.

“There are moments in the life of a nation when its people are called to remember who they have always been. This is such a moment for us.”

“For many years, the world has known our country as Nauru. Nauru is how our name sounded to those who found it hard to say, and the world kept it. But it is not the name our people used among themselves.”

“That name carries the memory of our ancestors, our language, and our identity. It has been there all along. Never lost, never absent. Today, we restore Naoero.”

Why it landed

The Associated Press story,

“A nation renamed stands up at the UN: Say our name. Naoero.” , ran around the world. The UN now lists the country as Naoero.

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.