What did President Emmanuel Macron of France say at the UN General Assembly (UNGA 81)?
In what French media called his farewell address to the UN, Emmanuel Macron asked whether the world wants a return to the law of the jungle or a civilized international society, rejected a “new order of impunity”, and said Gaza is a spectacle that shames us all.
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He addressed the general debate on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, as the twelfth speaker of the morning session.
The speech in brief
- The choice. The law of the jungle, or a civilized international society.
- Gaza. Some boast of a supposed peace, he said, but it has not reopened aid. He restated support for two states and condemned violence in the West Bank.
- Justice. No one should dismantle the Geneva Conventions, and there is no peace without justice.
- Ukraine. He backed a double moratorium: on strikes against energy and civilian infrastructure on both sides, and in the Black Sea to free grain exports.
- Lebanon. Only a fully sovereign Lebanon can get Hezbollah to give up its weapons.
- The Security Council. Open it to new members, “starting with Africa”, and limit the veto in cases of mass atrocity.
- AI. He refused a world where only the United States and China decide, and proposed building a shared open-source frontier model.
In his own words
He spoke in French. The English is our translation of the Élysée text, except where Reuters’ translation is noted.
Nous ne pouvons pas accepter le nouvel ordre de l’impunité que certains voudraient bâtir. (We cannot accept the new order of impunity that some would like to build.)
“Are we simply to stand by and watch this spectacle that should shame us all?” (Reuters translation)
“Some boast of a supposed peace. But that peace has not reopened humanitarian access for a single second.” (Reuters translation)
“Seul un Liban pleinement souverain pourra conduire à faire rendre les armes au Hezbollah.” Only a fully sovereign Lebanon can get Hezbollah to lay down its arms.
“Nous devons bâtir un modèle frontière open source que nous partagerions.” We must build an open-source frontier model that we share.
“Vive les Nations unies!” Long live the United Nations!
Why it landed
- He spoke hours after President Trump, and his Gaza lines were read as a rebuke. The White House replied that Trump had ended the war between Israel and Hamas and freed all living hostages.
- His term ends in May 2027, so this was his last General Assembly speech as president.
Watch and read the full speech
Video of the address:
UN Web TVWatch President Macron’s address on UN Web TVRead the full text on the Élysée website (in French).
The UN posts the statement on its general debate website.
Every Day 1 speaker, in order: What happened on Day 1 of UNGA 81.
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