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US President Joe Biden took to the stand at the UN General Assembly. He is the only permanent Security Council member leader present for the debate.
“We’re gathered once more at an inflection point of history,” he told the assembly.
He called on world leaders to work together for a “common vision of the future of the world, where our children do not go hungry, and everyone has access to quality healthcare. Where workers are empowered and our environment is protected. Where entrepreneurs and innovators everywhere can access opportunities everywhere. Where conflicts are resolved peacefully, where countries can chart their own course.”
“We know our future is bound to yours,” he emphasized.
He expressed Washington’s commitment to the UN, but also called for the modernization of its institutions, including repeating his call to expand the permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council.
The US president also brought up several of the challenges facing the world, including climate change, the drug trade and AI.
“It’s going to take all of us,” Biden told world leaders, referring to how to deal with the “opportunities” and “perils” posed by artificial intelligence.
He also discussed the threats to democracy, highlighting the recent slew of coups in Western Africa that have toppled democratically elected governments.
“When it comes to China, I want to be clear and consistent,” Biden continued. “We seek to responsibly manage the competition between our countries so it does not tip into conflict.”
He said the US would push back “on aggression and intimidation” but “we also stand ready to work together with China on issues where progress hinges on our common efforts.”
“Nowhere is that more critical on decelerating the climate crisis,” he said. “We see it everywhere, record-breaking heatwaves in the United States and China, wildfires ravaging North America and Southern Europe, the fifth year of drought in the Horn of Africa, tragic flooding in Libya.”
“Together these snapshots tell an urgent story of what awaits us if we fail to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels,” he said.
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