Grand Duke Guillaume used his first address to the United Nations General Assembly as Luxembourg's head of state to call for a more effective Security Council and seek support for his country's bid to serve on it in 2031–2032. Speaking during the opening day of the General Assembly' annual debate, Guillaume said elected members could help the council act when its permanent members are divided.
Luxembourg served on the council in 2013–2014 and is seeking another term.
"We do so with humility, but also with conviction", he said in French of the bid. A small country, he argued, can bring a different perspective, bridge opposing positions, and help find common ground.
Guillaume placed that appeal within a broader warning that trust between nations and people is weakening. In a speech that returned repeatedly to the value of cooperation, he defended the UN and the international law that gives smaller states a voice.
"We have never been so connected, and yet we seem increasingly unable to trust one another", he said. "Multilateralism may be imperfect. But disenchantment should lead us to reform, not to dismissal."
The Grand Duke called for a Security Council that is more representative, effective, and accountable to the UN's wider membership. Africa should have a stronger voice, he said, and the General Assembly should be able to play its role when the council is paralysed.
He also urged the UN to work more effectively when resources are constrained.
"The purpose of institutions is to serve people", he said. The measure of multilateralism, he added, is whether its decisions make a child safer, allow a young person to receive an education, and help a family live in dignity.
Guillaume identified Russia's war against Ukraine as a direct challenge to the peace and principles on which the postwar international order was built. Luxembourg, a founding member of the UN, had prospered during decades of peace in Europe, he said, but had never regarded that peace as guaranteed.
He reaffirmed Luxembourg's commitments to the UN's three pillars: peace and security, human rights, and development. The country continues to devote 1% of its national income to development cooperation, he said, while supporting humanitarian work, peacekeeping, children affected by armed conflict, and humanitarian demining in Ukraine.
The protection of civilians and defense of human rights "cannot become secondary considerations", he said in French. He pointed to Luxembourg's previous term on the Human Rights Council and its continuing support for efforts to establish the fate of missing people in Syria.
Much of the address focused on younger generations. Drawing on his involvement in the Scout movement, Guillaume said adults must give young people responsibility and room to act.
He cited Luxembourg's support for UN youth programs and its 2025–2029 term on the UNESCO executive board.
Artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies are already changing how people live and work, he said. Their promise comes with risks and responsibilities, making education and critical thinking more important.
"We must keep the human being at the center of all our decisions", he said in French.
He also called climate change a problem no country can solve alone, pointing to the existential threats facing small island developing states. Landlocked Luxembourg would contribute to the common effort, he said, including through its financial center's expertise in green finance.
Guillaume said the world's growing fragmentation should prompt governments to improve international institutions rather than abandon them. For countries of every size, he argued, international law offers a place at the table that power alone cannot secure.
"This is my first address to this Assembly as Head of State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg", said Guillaume, who assumed office less than a year ago. He closed by urging leaders to restore trust and act for those who will inherit the decisions made today.
"Young people do not expect us to solve every challenge", he said, "but they do expect us to try."
