President Prabowo calls on UN to reject doctrine of power over justice

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, in his address during the general debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday, called on countries to reject the doctrine that the strong can do as they please.

Prabowo said the United Nations was founded in part to counter such a doctrine.

“Thucydides warned: The strong do what they can, while the weak suffer what they must. We must reject this doctrine. The UN exists to reject this doctrine. We must stand for all — the strong and the weak. Right cannot be right, right must be right,” Prabowo said in his speech at the General Assembly Hall in New York.

His statement referred to the rise of unilateral actions by certain countries that violate international law and the sovereignty of other nations, including what he described as the ongoing genocide committed by Israel’s military against Palestinians in Gaza.

“Today, we must never be silent while Palestinians are denied that same justice and legitimacy in this very hall,” Prabowo stressed.

On the same occasion, Prabowo acknowledged that today’s world is filled with violence and hatred. Nevertheless, he said, every person has the right to safety, dignity, love, and to leave behind a better life for their children.

“Our children are watching. They are learning leadership not from textbooks, but from our choices,” he said.

Prabowo once again underlined the vital role of the UN in preserving peace, upholding multilateralism, and ensuring prosperity for all.

“With a strong United Nations, we can build a world where the weak do not suffer what they must, but live the justice they deserve,” he said.

“We are all hopeful that the leaders of the world will show great statesmanship, great wisdom, restraint, and humility, overcome hate, overcome suspicion,” Prabowo added.

In his UNGA address, President Prabowo highlighted Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Indonesia’s support for a two-state solution, climate change and clean energy, the global food crisis and food security, as well as Indonesia’s stance on the UN’s role in global peace.

The general debate is the central event of the 80th UN General Assembly.

President Prabowo took the podium as the third speaker, following Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the opening slot and U.S. President Donald Trump in the second. By tradition, Brazil always speaks first at the UNGA, followed by the United States as the host nation.

His presence at the 80th UNGA marked the first direct attendance by an Indonesian head of state at the annual forum in a decade.

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