Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Luc Frieden, speaking before the UN General Assembly, invoked the founding spirit of the United Nations and warned of the dangers of abandoning compromise in global affairs.

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly, taking place in New York, Prime Minister Luc Frieden highlighted the pressing need for cooperation at an international level.

Frieden recalled that, after World War II, the Allies sought not only to win the war but “to end war itself” by building a world of peace, justice, and freedom. Yet, he cautioned, “the last few years have seen an unprecedented erosion of international norms and violations of humanitarian law. The international order is at breaking point. Too few defend it. Too many have lost faith in it.”

For Luxembourg, the UN remains “the highest of mankind’s ambitions”, a place where “words, not weapons. Diplomacy, not warfare. Solidarity, not confrontation” must prevail. The Prime Minister stressed that “war… is nothing but the final expression of that radical unwillingness to compromise.” By contrast, the United Nations stand "for the relentless pursuit of compromise, for the formidable power of reconciliation. But the United Nations as an institution cannot work wonders. Its success depends on all of us.”

Frieden called for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine that respects its sovereignty, self-determination and territorial integrity. He also urged an immediate ceasefire and full humanitarian access in Gaza, along with the release of all hostages, and pressed for the implementation of a two-state solution, noting Luxembourg’s recent formal recognition of Palestine. Beyond conflict resolution, he highlighted the need to advance human rights, education, hunger eradication, cultural protection, and reform of the United Nations itself.

Reaffirming Luxembourg’s role as one of the largest per capita donors to development aid and a consistent supporter of multilateralism, he said the country would remain a reliable partner in building a stable international order.

The speech closed with a call to remember the spirit of San Francisco (where the UN Charter was signed): “The United Nations can continue to count on Luxembourg. In word and in deed.”