New York – King Mswati III has called for renewed international cooperation, greater African representation at the United Nations Security Council and stronger support for developing countries during his address to the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The King addressed the General Debate on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, joining heads of state and government from around the world at the annual high level gathering. The 81st session is being held under the theme, “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.”
King Mswati said the international community was meeting at a time of persistent conflicts, widening inequalities, climate related disasters and continuing poverty and insecurity. 
He said the United Nations should be more than a platform where countries discuss global problems, arguing that it must also play an active role in finding solutions.
“The true test of international cooperation is whether a child in a conflict affected community can live without fear. A young person can find decent employment. A family can afford food and a developing nation can access the finance required to build its future.”
The King said confidence in multilateral institutions had weakened as commitments and financing pledges remained unmet, while developing countries faced substantial investment gaps in efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
He also pointed to the financial pressure faced by countries where debt servicing consumes more resources than sectors such as healthcare and education.
Eswatini renews call for African seat
King Mswati renewed Eswatini’s call for permanent African representation on the UN Security Council.
He said that despite the Ezulwini Consensus being adopted in 2005, Africa still does not have a permanent seat on the council.
“Since the Isuluini consensus was adopted in 2005, sadly Africa still has no permanent seat on the UN Security Council. And yet the continent remains a global strategic partner in the world stage.”
He questioned how many more times African leaders would have to travel to New York to call for fair representation on the council.
The King said Africa was being denied an opportunity to contribute fully to decisions concerning global security.
He also called for diplomatic and political solutions to conflicts around the world, saying sustainable peace could not be achieved through military victories alone.
“While war may create temporal victories on the battlefield, only through dialogue can sustainable peace be established.”
He said the United Nations should remain a place where dialogue remains possible and called for greater support for African led peace initiatives.
Eswatini takes regional security role
King Mswati said Eswatini would use its regional responsibilities to contribute to peace and stability in Southern Africa.
He referred to the 46th SADC Summit, where Eswatini assumed the chairmanship of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.
He said the country would work with SADC member states to strengthen preventive diplomacy, dialogue and mediation.
“We believe that for SADC to attain its vision 2050, we have to create a peaceful, competitive and industrialized region that guarantees sustainable well-being and freedom for all our citizens.”
The King also raised concern over unconstitutional changes of government in Africa, saying they were inconsistent with the principles contained in the charters of the United Nations, the African Union and regional organisations.
“Respect for constitutional order and the rule of law is fundamental to stability.”
He called on the international community to oppose the erosion of constitutional order and urged the United Nations to support decisions taken by regional organisations against unconstitutional changes of government.
Push for African industrialisation
On economic development, King Mswati called for African countries to move away from exporting unprocessed raw materials and instead increase value addition, industrial production and job creation within the continent.
He said economic development should involve structural transformation of African economies and greater participation in regional and global value chains.
The King also called on the United Nations to support African countries in developing the capacity to add value to their natural resources and establish a trading hub for precious and other minerals and commodities.
He identified the African Continental Free Trade Area as an important platform for increasing value addition, industrial processing and intra African trade.
“No country can achieve sustainable development while large segments of its population remain on the margins of the economic mainstream.”
King Mswati said citizens should be regarded as active participants in economic growth rather than simply beneficiaries of employment.
He said Eswatini was investing in human capital, infrastructure, healthcare, education, agriculture, tourism, industrialisation, mining and digital development while seeking to strengthen its position in regional and global value chains.
AI brings opportunities and risks
The King also addressed the rapid development of digital technologies and artificial intelligence.
He said digitalisation and AI could expand access to education, healthcare, financial services and economic opportunities, but warned that innovation needed responsible governance and accountability.
“Emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, are advancing faster than our current capacity to govern them while retaining human agency and control.”
He said the international community needed to address questions around accountability, safety, environmental impact and the risk of a growing digital divide between people able to shape emerging technologies and those excluded from their benefits.
Health cooperation
King Mswati said global health security remained central to sustainable development, drawing lessons from the COVID 19 pandemic and recent outbreaks of infectious diseases.
He called for action to address inequalities in access to vaccines, medicines and medical technologies.
The King also urged international support for African countries seeking to develop local and regional manufacturing capacity for essential medicines and health products.
He referred to a recent meeting of the East, Central and Southern African Health Community Conference held in Eswatini, where countries discussed working as a bloc when purchasing essential medicines and medical supplies.
He said such cooperation could help reduce costs and strengthen supply chains.
“We appeal to the UN through the World Health Organization to support this endeavor.”
Climate change and food security
Climate change was another major issue raised by the King, who said developing countries contributed relatively little to global emissions while facing severe impacts from droughts, floods, changing weather patterns and other climate related shocks.
He called for stronger international cooperation on climate adaptation, resilience, technology transfer, capacity building and access to predictable and affordable climate finance.
Eswatini, he said, was facing what had been predicted as one of the region’s most severe El Niño weather patterns, placing additional pressure on national resources as the country seeks to protect livelihoods.
The King linked climate resilience to food security, saying Eswatini’s national objective was to ensure that families have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food.
He said the country was increasing investment in agriculture, modern farming technologies, research, infrastructure and support for smallholder farmers.
The government continues to provide subsidies for farming inputs and implements, while major dam construction projects are being pursued to support irrigation and transform agricultural production, particularly in the Lowveld.
UN partnership with Eswatini
King Mswati also spoke about cooperation between Eswatini and the United Nations, saying the partnership had supported national development efforts and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The cooperation covers sectors including health, tourism, education, agriculture and renewable energy.
He said Eswatini remained committed to maintaining a strong United Nations presence in the country, including efforts towards establishing a permanent UN home in Eswatini.
The King also called for greater international participation by Taiwan, saying it had an important role in global supply chains and could contribute to international efforts towards sustainable development.
He said the United Nations should find appropriate ways to facilitate Taiwan’s substantive participation in UN meetings and activities.
Call to restore trust
Concluding his address, King Mswati said countries did not need complete agreement on every issue to work together on matters of common interest.
“The world does not require perfect consensus on every issue. It needs the courage to identify areas where cooperation is possible and the will to act upon them.”
He called for renewed faith in diplomacy and dialogue and greater trust in international cooperation.
“The United Nations must remain a house where every nation, large or small, has a voice and where the sovereignty and dignity of all member states are fully respected.”
King Mswati said Eswatini was ready to work with UN member states, the UN system, regional organisations and international partners to advance peace, dialogue, sustainable development and human dignity.
He thanked UN agencies and support structures for their work in facilitating the General Assembly and ended his address by wishing blessings upon the gathering.
