Ethiopia Presses Case for Sea Access, UN Security Council Overhaul amid Tense UNGA Session

UN Chief Urges Immediate De-escalation in Northern Ethiopia   

Against the backdrop of one of the most fractured and contentious United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) sessions in recent memory, President Taye Atske-Selassie delivered a decisive address for Ethiopia, invoking Emperor Haile Selassie’s historic 1963 appeal to argue that the nation’s rapid economic transformation cannot be sustained without reliable, sovereign access to the sea.

Speaking at the General Debate of the 81st UNGA session in New York, President Taye framed Ethiopia’s pursuit of sea access not as an isolated national ambition, but as an essential engine for regional economic integration, trade, and shared prosperity across the Horn of Africa.

“Despite our tremendous national achievements, we have come to recognize that our efforts to build a strong economy cannot generate sustained development without reliable and dependable access to the sea,” President Taye told world leaders. “Maritime access can be managed for the common benefit and progress of all countries in the region.”

He stressed that Ethiopia is actively pursuing all possible diplomatic avenues to secure sea outlets to ensure its complete integration into the global trading system. Highlighting national mega-projects—including a planned USD12.5 billion international hub airport designed to handle 110 million passengers and four million tons of cargo annually—the President demonstrated how infrastructure expansion positions Ethiopia as a vital economic engine under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Beyond regional infrastructure and maritime connectivity, President Taye aligned Ethiopia firmly with broader Global South demands for a comprehensive overhaul of global governance, particularly the United Nations Security Council.

Critiquing the centuries-old structural exclusion of the continent, he questioned the moral foundation of an international system that continues to deny over a billion people equal representation at the highest decision-making table.

“With genuine political goodwill, how can a world with the right conscience justify the denial of 1.6 billion Africans the right to equal representation?” President Taye asked. “That, indeed, is a generational quest for truth and morality.”

His stance reinforced arguments made by other African and Global South leaders. Kenyan President William Ruto highlighted the deep institutional inequity embedded within the UN framework, noting that while every nation holds one vote in the Assembly, real decision-making power remains concentrated among five permanent Security Council members. “We are frequently the subject of its decisions—permanently discussed, but permanently excluded,” Ruto stated. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan echoed this critique, reiterating his signature stance that “the world is bigger than five.”

The 81st UNGA session unfolded in an atmosphere of extraordinary geopolitical friction, marked by diplomatic walkouts, pre-recorded addresses, and stark ideological divides.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was forced to address the Assembly via video link from Ramallah after Washington denied him a US entry visa for the second consecutive year. Moments later, dozens of foreign delegates staged a coordinated walkout as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the rostrum. Rebuffing widespread international criticism, Netanyahu labeled the departing diplomats “moral cowards” and rejected accusations of genocide against Israel.

In a rare geopolitical spectacle on the sidelines, US President Donald Trump received Chinese President Xi Jinping on red carpets for high-level bilateral talks covering trade, technology, and artificial intelligence governance.

However, President Trump’s address to the General Assembly was characterized by sharp rhetoric toward Iran. Touting a “golden age of America,” Trump warned that he faced a choice regarding Tehran: to negotiate a deal or to “annihilate the Islamic Republic quickly.”

In a direct rebuttal, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denounced US military threats and economic sanctions, maintaining that the Iranian people would never “bend the knee” under pressure, while warning against replacing diplomacy with raw military power.

The annual summit underscored a global order in transition, straining under the weight of climate change, unregulated artificial intelligence, economic inequality, and fragmented regional conflicts.

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a grave warning regarding the dangerous drift toward fragmented multipolarity, where rival power blocs and mistrust replace collective security. Guterres emphasized that while humanity faces an unprecedented convergence of existential threats, the international mechanisms designed to maintain peace and enforce collective security are nearing a breaking point.

For Ethiopia, the 81st summit served as a critical platform to solidify its foreign policy priorities. By linking maritime access, clean energy projects like the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), food security initiatives, and equitable UN representation, Addis Ababa positioned its national security ambitions as integral to the broader transformation of global and Pan-African governance.

Regarding Ethiopia, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued strong statement on September 23, 2026.

The Secretary-General stressed that he is ‘gravely concerned by the rapidly deteriorating situation in northern Ethiopia — including the seizure and occupation of the three airports of Mekelle, Axum and Shire — and reports of intensified fighting in and around Tigray and the spread of hostilities into neighbouring areas.’

The Secretary-General called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, immediately de-escalate tensions, protect civilians, ensure safe and unhindered access for humanitarian partners to reach those in need and avoid actions that could lead to a broader and more devastating conflict.

The Secretary-General reiterated his support to efforts by the African Union, including the engagement of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, aimed at reducing tensions and re-engaging the parties to resume talks in good faith under the framework of the Pretoria Agreement.