Conflicts should primarily be resolved through dialogue– Suriname’s President tells UN 80th UNGA General Assembly Debate

(Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) – In her inaugural address to the General Debate of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the newly elected President of Suriname, Her Excellency Dr. Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, called for peace, dialogue, and reform of the global multilateral system.

She juxtaposed the United Nations’ historic role in ending injustices such as colonialism with the urgent need for the organisation to change in response to current global realities.

“As Member States, we must come to the realisation that the world in which we established the United Nations 80 years ago, no longer exists,” she stated, urging Member States to recommit to the principles and objectives of the UN Charter, which envisions a peaceful world order where all people, regardless of region, have access to a dignified life.

Central to her recommendations was a call to expand the UN Security Council.

While acknowledging the UN’s achievements in advancing the rights of women and children, promoting education and healthcare, and preventing conflict, President Geerlings-Simons expressed concern over the resurgence of war and violence.

“In Europe and elsewhere, war has returned, displacing millions, killing many and threatening global security,” she stated, condemning acts of terror and grave violations of human rights, particularly in Gaza.
“Suriname strongly reiterates its position that conflicts should primarily be resolved through dialogue.” She added.

Turning attention to her own Region, she said it had not been spared from rising tensions.
“We remind the international community that Latin America and the Caribbean are proclaimed as a Zone of Peace,” the President stated.

See the full Statement by Her Excellency Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, President of the Republic of Suriname on the occasion of the General Debate of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York, 23 September 2025.