Trust must be built by results
The 81st session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 81) opened on September 8, 2026 in New York, USA with the highlight being the High-Level Week and the High-Level General Discussion Session taking place from September 22, gathering heads of state, heads of government and high-level representatives of member states.
At the opening session on September 8, the President of the 81st UN General Assembly, Khalilur Rahman, announced the overarching action theme for the five terms: "Restoring trust, governance shifts: For an effective UN for all".
With a focus on restoring trust, UNGA 81 focuses on six priorities including: Strengthening peace, security and justice; accelerating sustainable development; strengthening action for climate; promoting human rights; ensuring technological transformation to serve people; restoring trust in multilateralism.
Talking to VNA, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pauline Tamesis said that the theme of the UNGA 81 session is both topical and has a vision towards the future. The world is facing many uncertainties: conflicts, geopolitical divisions, climate change, rapid changes in technology... These are all challenges that require multilateral solutions.
Ms. Tamesis emphasized that, in that context, restoring trust cannot just stop at reaffirming commitment to multilateralism; trust must be built from substantive results. That means that international cooperation can prevent conflict; promote respect for international law and human rights; and at the same time accelerate sustainable development and respond to climate change. Major shifts, from green to digital transformation, also need to serve everyone and not leave anyone behind.
Promoting cooperation from multilateral forums
According to Ambassador Do Hung Viet, Head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the UN, along with the changes in the world, the UN is also facing the requirement to innovate itself to adapt and better meet the expectations of member countries.
This year's High-Level Week program clearly reflects these concerns. In addition to the High-Level General Discussion Session, leaders will attend and discuss many meaningful events, including the topics of development rights, climate change and equitable transition, sea level rise, prevention, control and response to pandemics, as well as nuclear disarmament. These are all very practical issues, directly related to peace, security, development and people's lives; and at the same time, it is an opportunity for member states to exchange, propose solutions and shape UN cooperation priorities in the coming time.
The participation of General Secretary and President To Lam in the High-Level Week of the UN General Assembly first of all affirms the importance of our Party and State for multilateralism and the central role of the UN. This is also a consistent expression of Vietnam's foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, multilateralization, and diversification of foreign relations" - Ambassador Do Hung Viet said.
The speech of the General Secretary and President at the UN General Assembly emphasized the message of strengthening trust and joining hands to act so that major world changes open up more opportunities for peace, cooperation and development, towards a fairer and more humane international order.
Through this, Vietnam continues to affirm at the UN the image of an independent, self-reliant, peace-loving country, confidently entering a new stage of development, open to the world and ready to accompany and contribute to the common efforts of the international community.
