What did President José Antonio Kast of Chile say at the UN General Assembly (UNGA 81)?
In his first General Assembly speech, Chile’s President José Antonio Kast said the UN “has not lived up to the challenges of our times”, proposed three reforms, told investors to choose Chile, and closed with “Chile is back.”
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He addressed the general debate on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, as the ninth speaker of the morning session.
The speech in brief
- The UN. It deliberates too much and acts too slowly, he said, with a Security Council that reflects 1945, not 2026.
- Three reforms. Cut bureaucracy and put the budget where lives are at stake, suspend agendas that are not priorities, and reform the Security Council in substance, not as a gesture.
- Putting the house in order. He cited a corporate tax cut from 27% to 23%, an 11.5% fall in homicides and an 86% drop in irregular border crossings.
- Borders. Departing from his text, he said people come into Chile “through the door, not the window”.
- AI. He called for a responsible pace: going faster is not always going better.
- Venezuela. He offered Chile’s help for Venezuela to return to its democratic traditions.
In his own words
He spoke in Spanish. The English is our translation.
Esta organización no ha estado a la altura de los desafíos de nuestros tiempos. (This organization has not lived up to the challenges of our times.)
“No es posible mantener vigente el orden mundial del año 1945 en un mundo del 2026.” The world order of 1945 cannot stay in force in the world of 2026.
“A Chile se entra por la puerta, no por la ventana.” You come into Chile through the door, not the window.
“No creemos que ir más rápido sea siempre ir mejor.” We do not believe that going faster is always going better.
“Chile está de vuelta.” Chile is back.
Back home
- His coalition praised a statesman’s vision. The opposition said he spoke badly of Chile abroad.
- Days earlier, Michelle Bachelet had withdrawn her bid to be UN Secretary-General after his government withdrew its support.
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
UN Web TVWatch Day 1 of the general debate on UN Web TV
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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