What did the Finnish President discuss at the UNGA 2026? Share highlights and keypoints.

Here are the highlights and excerpts from Alexander Stubb, President of the Republic of Finland, at the General Debate of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly, New York, September 22, 2026.

Highlights

• Cooperation or conflict, nothing in between. Stubb framed the choice facing governments as one between cooperation and conflict, telling delegates: "Foreign policy is about a choice. Cooperation or conflict." He warned that raw power, economic coercion, and provocative political rhetoric are actively driving global disorder.

• Three things breaking the world. He offered three observations on how the world is changing: the rise of plurilateralism, geopolitical realignment, and a new economic world order. Plurilateralism means flexible groups of countries forming coalitions around specific problems rather than working through universal institutions.

• Three remedies to put it back. His three remedies were a recommitment to the rule of law, humanitarian principles, and dignified language in international discourse. He demanded strict adherence to international law across all state actions, and called for revitalized respect for humanitarian principles, referencing the severe civilian toll in ongoing crises in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and Haiti.

• A reformed Security Council, with real teeth. At the center of Stubb's address was a detailed proposal to reform the UN Security Council, which he argued no longer reflects the realities of the modern world. He called for at least two new permanent seats for Africa, two for Asia-Pacific and one for Latin America, argued that no single state should have veto power, and proposed that if a member of the Security Council violates the UN Charter, its voting rights should be suspended.

• Finland is running for a Security Council seat. Finland is seeking a non-permanent Security Council seat for 2029 to 2030. The Security Council is the fifteen-member body within the UN that holds primary responsibility for international peace and security, including the authority to authorize military action and impose sanctions.

• A new San Francisco moment. Stubb called for what he described as a "new San Francisco moment," a moment where world leaders come together to chart the way forward, with a process to achieve this starting with the new Secretary-General. The original San Francisco moment refers to 1945, when fifty nations gathered to sign the UN Charter and build the post-war international order from scratch.

• AI and the global economy. He closed with a call for global cooperation on artificial intelligence, placing it alongside Security Council reform as part of Finland's broader agenda for multilateral institutions.

In his own words

Opening frame: He opened by invoking former Secretary-General Kofi Annan: "Whatever our differences, we stand or fall together," adding "When we forget this wisdom, disorder is what happens."

The core choice: "This year, I come with something much simpler. A choice between co-operation or conflict. In today's world, co-operation is undermined by a lack of trust, disregard for rules, and the weakening of institutions. Conflicts are spreading, bringing suffering, violence, and injustice."

On the Security Council: "Since my first speech here two years ago, I have consistently called for a reformed Security Council. The world has changed, so should the UN. There should be, at least, two new permanent seats for Africa, two for Asia-Pacific and one for Latin America. No single state should have veto power. And, if a member of the Security Council violates the UN Charter, its voting rights should be suspended. The world needs a functioning UN Security Council. To move forward, we need to break the impasse and be open for creative solutions."

On the global economy: "The need for reform also extends to the global economic architecture. It, too, must be updated to reflect today's power balance. We have to make sure international economic co-operation continues to be rules-based, legitimate, and representative. Multilateral solutions are needed in an increasingly multipolar world. We must also bring the United Nations back to peace mediation."

Worth knowing

The address came as the 81st UN General Assembly brought world leaders to New York amid wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, disputes over the UN's role, and debate over artificial intelligence. For Finland, the stakes are higher than usual: the country joined NATO recently after decades of non-alignment, shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia, and is now actively campaigning for a Security Council seat, so Stubb's speech serves both as a statement of principle and as a pitch to the 193 member states that vote on Council membership.

On the sidelines, Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre launched an international call aimed at ensuring that frontier AI models remain under responsible governance, showing that the AI thread ran beyond the podium speech into concrete bilateral action.

Read the full speech

Full official statement on the Office of the President of Finland website

Watch the speech in English