United Nations Day: Address by Foreign Minister Osman Saleh

United Nations Day: Address by Foreign Minister Osman Saleh Asmara, 23 October 2026 Honourable Ministers PFDJ and Senior Government Officials, UN Resident Coordinator, Members of the diplomatic community and the UN family Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great honor to welcome you all today as we gather to mark United Nations Day, commemorating the entry into force of the UN Charter. As we reflect on the founding ideals of the United Nations, peace, human dignity, sovereign equality among nations, and international cooperation, we do so against a backdrop of a complex and shifting global landscape. Today, once again, offers us an important moment to evaluate not only the state of our world, but also the nature of partnership, mutual respect, and shared responsibility required to navigate the challenges of our time.

Indeed, we must ask ourselves: Does the United Nations remain an effective guardian of the sovereign equality of nations, or is its founding promise increasingly subordinated to the strategic interests of the powerful? For Eritrea, it is a question shaped by a long history of colonial domination, the denial of self-determination, a protracted struggle for independence, and the continuing determination of our people to safeguard their hard-won sovereignty. The United Nations was established to spare succeeding generations the scourge of war, reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, establish conditions for justice, and promote international cooperation. Eighty-one years after its founding, these aspirations remain indispensable. Yet the gap between the Charter’s principles and their selective implementation continues to undermine the credibility of the international system. We must confront this contradiction honestly. Excellencies,…