EJS Speaks Truth to Power @ UNGA80 -Decries Complacency Amid Global Crisis
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MONROVIA – As a former world leader who oversaw the fragile transition of her country from war to democratic elections and the restoration of key governance infrastructures, it was only befitting and appropriate that Africa’s first female president and Nobel laureate was given the platform to make remarks at the 80th Anniversary of the United Nations, an occasion she chose to candidly prick the consciences of global leaders about the steady underperformance of multilateral architecture amid raging wars that leave civilians unprotected and international humanitarian laws flouted by the most powerful few.
Addressing world leaders at a High-Level Panel on Peace and Security on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, former President Sirleaf noted that while is a good thing to gather and celebrate the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, it is equally important to soberly reflect on whether global leadership will live up to the Charter of the United Nations that called for the protection of civilians and the upholding of international humanitarian law.
A failed global system amid contented silence
Commemoration without candor, former President Sirleaf said, is just too unaffordable, given the crisis-laden state of the world today.
“Have global structures and leaders failed us? Why are they so silent; content to see women and children suffer from acts of inhumanity as in Gaza, in Ukraine? Are we to continue to accept the in-balance of global power, as reflected in the Security Council; use of the veto that limits current tools for peacebuilding and peacekeeping?
“The world asks whether this House will protect civilians and uphold international humanitarian law. These are not words of despair; they are summons to repair. Our answer must go beyond words; it must translate into actions felt by a family in a tent, a nurse in a clinic, or a child in school.
“Eighty years after the founding, we must recommit to the Charter, to our common security; to the belief that nations can choose dialogue over destruction.
“We begin in Africa, our shared cradle of resilience and hope—where democracy is weakening, why fractures across borders; from Sudan to the Sahel to the Great Lakes strain our regional architecture. Yet, across Africa, communities stand up to extremist violence, regional bodies mediate transitions, and women’s groups negotiate truces when the state is distant, but humanity is near,” Madam Sirleaf said.
The Liberia Success Illustration
According to Madam Sirleaf, even with all its flaws and criticisms, the United Nations can stand proud and point to Liberia as one of its great success stories where recommitmets in multilateral architecture changed the story around for a once wartorn nation.
“We have learned hard lessons: prevention costs less than reconstruction; reconciliation is a process, not an event; peace agreements require institutions and citizens to be real. Where guns fall silent, skills training , jobs, justice and dignity must follow swiftly.
“Liberia’s story illustrates UN led progress and success: the largest peace keeping force joined Africa’s forces to disarm fighters, support elections, reform security institutions, and create space for reconciliation and growth.
“India’s all-female Formed Police Unit strengthened protection and public trust. The mission ended with Liberia standing on its own feet—out of war, into a fragile peace, with accountability, inclusive dialogue, and economic opportunity for young people,” Madam Sirleaf said.
The world at a crisis point
Without mincing her words, Africa’s first female president spoke to the consciences of the gathering of world leaders, reminding that the same problems that plague Africa are now sitting right at the doorsteps of Europe, Asia and other parts of the globe.
Africa’s story, Madam Sirleaf said, is not separate from the world’s story, noting that conflicts across borders are amplified by disinformation, inflamed by the illicit flow of weapons and prolonged by profiteers. Humanitarian law is strained; civilians—especially women and children—pay the highest price. Regional rivalries and great-power competition too often paralyze the institutions designed to prevent and stop wars. The story is the same with Africa and the rest of the world.
“Let’s admit, we are at a crisis point in the world: climate change, economic disruption, political instability, and widening inequality.
“Have global structures and leaders failed us? Why are they so silent; content to see women and children suffer from acts of inhumanity as in Gaza, in Ukraine? Are we to continue to accept the in-balance of global power, as reflected in the Security Council; use of the veto that limits current tools for peacebuilding and peacekeeping?
A call for change
Former President Sirleaf then called for a renewed vision of collective security and a broader approach to the triple planetary crisis and worsening inequality.
She said the United Nations’ new vision must be synced with the 80th Anniversary “Better Together” theme is a way that ensures immediate protection of civilians, finance for conflict prevention, proposals that pay real people; leaders who are audible and accountable; Women at the table, with budgets that guarantee their participation in all peace negotiation delegations; De-weaponization of the information space.
“None of this is beyond our reach. It demands humility to listen, courage to compromise, and persistence to implement. Peace is built not only in conference rooms but in classrooms where girls learn without fear; clinics where mothers deliver safely; markets where youth find dignified work; courts where law is fair; and in daily acts of neighborly coexistence.
“Eighty years on, the UN’s founding generation would ask if we’re still worthy of the hopes inherited. Our answer must be yes—not because the world is less dangerous, but because our determination is stronger. “Better together” is not just a theme; it is a strategy—regional bodies and the UN working together; civil society and governments co-designing solutions; women and men sharing power; truth and reconciliation traveling the same road.
“Let us leave this anniversary with concrete commitments, funded priorities, and a timetable for action. Show those hiding in shelters, standing in breadlines, and awaiting news of loved ones that the United Nations, as it celebrates its 80th year, remains a place of peace, refuge, solace, unity, and hope,” Madam Sirleaf said .
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