Indonesia
His Excellency Prabowo Subianto
President
80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
President Prabowo Subianto:
Indonesia’s Call for Hope
Remarks Delivered at the United Nations General Assembly
September 23 2025
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,
Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
Shalom, Salve, Om swastiastu,
Salam kebajikan, Rahayu, rahayu.
Madam President, distinguished delegates, excellencies,
It is indeed a great honor to stand in this august General Assembly Hall, among leaders who represent almost all of humanity.
We differ in race, religion, and nationality, yet we gather together as one human family.
We are here first and foremost as fellow human beings — each created equal, endowed with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The words of the U.S. Declaration of Independence have inspired democratic movements across continents — including the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, the Chinese Revolution, and Indonesia’s own journey to freedom.
It also gave birth to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN in 1948.
“All men are created equal” was the creed that opened the way to unprecedented global prosperity and dignity.
And yet, in our own era of scientific and technological triumphs — an era capable of ending hunger, poverty, and environmental ruin — we also continue to face grave challenges and uncertainties.
Human folly, fueled by fear, racism, hatred, oppression, and apartheid, threatens our common future.
My country knows this pain. For centuries, Indonesians lived under colonial domination and oppression. We were treated less as than dogs in our own homeland.
We Indonesians know what it means to be denied justice and what it means to live in apartheid, to live in poverty, and to be denied equal opportunity.
We also knew what solidarity can do.
In our struggle for independence, and our fight to overcome disease, hunger, and
poverty, the UN stood with Indonesia and gave us vital assistance.
Decisions made here based on human solidarity — by the Security Council and this
Assembly — gave Indonesia international legitimacy, opened doors, and supported
our early development through the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and many
other UN institutions.
And because of that, Indonesia stands today on the cusp of shared prosperity and
greater equality.
Madam President, excellencies,
Our world is riven by conflict, injustice, and deepening uncertainty.
Every day we witness suffering, genocide, and a blatant disregard for international
law and human decency.
In the face of these challenges, we must not give up. We cannot surrender our hopes or our ideals. We must draw closer, not drift further apart. Together we must strive to achieve our hopes.
The UN was born from the ashes of the Second World War that claimed scores of millions of lives. It was created to secure peace, security, justice, and freedom for all.
We remain committed to internationalism, multilateralism, and to every effort that strengthens this great institution.
Today, Indonesia is nearer than ever to meeting the Sustainable Development
Goals of ending extreme poverty and hunger — because 78 years ago this chamber
chose to listen to, and uphold social and economic justice.
We will never forget.
And we will never be silent while Palestinians are denied that same justice and
legitimacy in this very Hall.
Thucydides warned: “The strong do what they can, the weak suffer what they must.”
We must reject this doctrine. The UN exists to reject this doctrine.
Indonesia is today one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping forces. We
will continue to serve where peace needs guardians — not with just words, but with
boots on the ground.
If and when the Security Council and this Assembly decide, we are ready to deploy
20,000 or even more of our sons and daughters to help secure peace in Gaza or
elsewhere in Palestine as part of a united multilateral force — so that the two‑state
solution, so that peace in both Palestine and Israel, can become real, not just
envisioned.
Madam President, excellencies,
I propose to this assembly a message of hope and optimism — grounded in action
and execution.
The world’s population is growing. Our planet is under strain. Food, energy, and
water insecurity haunt many nations.
We choose to answer these challenges directly at home and to help abroad
whenever we can.
This year, we recorded the highest rice production and grain reserves in our history.
We are now self‑sufficient in rice and we have exported rice to other nations in need,
including providing rice to Palestine.
We are building resilient food supply chains, strengthening farmer productivity, and
investing in climate‑smart agriculture to ensure food security for our children and our
neighbors.
As the world’s largest island state, we are already experiencing the direct consequences of climate change, particularly the threat of rising sea levels. This reality compels us to act with urgency, and with determination.
Therefore we choose to confront climate change — not by slogans, but by
measurable and immediate steps. We are committed to meeting our 2015 Paris
Agreement obligations.
We aim to achieve net zero by 2060 and we are confident we can achieve net zero
much earlier.
We aim to reforest more than 12 million hectares of degraded land, to reduce forest
degradation, and to empower local communities with resilience and quality green
jobs for the future.
Indonesia is shifting decisively from fossil fuel based development towards
renewable based development. From next year, most of our additional power
generation capacity will come from renewables.
Our goal is clear: To lift all of our citizens out of poverty and make Indonesia a hub
for solutions to food, energy, and water security.
Madam President, excellencies,
We live in a time when hatred and violence can seem like the loudest voices. But beneath the shouting lies a quieter truth: That every person longs to be safe, to be respected, to love, and to leave a better world to their children.
Our children are watching. They are learning leadership not from textbooks, but from our choices.
Today, still, a catastrophic situation in Gaza is unfolding before us. The innocent are crying for help. At this very moment, millions of children are facing danger, trauma, and irreparable damage to their bodies.
Will we teach them that differences must end in violence and war? Can we remain silent as this humanitarian disaster in Gaza continues?
Violence can not be used to answer any political conflict because violence can only
beget more violence.
This community of nations must take a decisive stance to stop this catastrophe, or the world will enter a very dangerous situation of unending wars and escalating violence.
Madam President, excellencies,
We must stand for a multilateral order where peace, prosperity, and progress are not the privilege of a few but the right of all.
With a strong UN, we can build a world where the weak do not “suffer what they must,” but live the justice they deserve.
Let us continue humanity’s great journey of ideals — the selfless aspirations that created the UN.
Let us use science to uplift, not use science to destroy. Let rising nations lift others as they rise.
I am convinced that the leaders of the great world civilisations: Civilisations of the West, civilisations of the East, of American civilisation, of European civilisation, of Indian civilisation, of Persian civilisation, of Chinese civilisation, of Islamic civilisation, will rise to their role demanded by history.
We are all hopeful that the leaders of the world will show great statesmanship, great wisdom, restraint, and humility in their leadership of the world.
We are greatly heartened by the events of the last few days where significant leading countries of the world have chosen to side with history – path of the moral high ground, path of rectitude, path of justice, humanity, and to shun hatred and with it the use of violence.
To close, I would like to reiterate again Indonesia’s complete support for the Two State Solution. Both Palestine and Israel must be free and independent, safe and secure from threats and terrorism.
I repeat, the only solution to is two nations, two descendants of Abraham living in reconciliation, peace and harmony. Arabs, Jews, Muslims and Christians living
together.
Indonesia is committed to being part of making this vision a reality.
Let us work towards this noble goal.
Let us continue humanity’s journey of hope – a journey started by our forefathers. A journey we must complete.
Thank you. Terima kasih.
Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,
Shalom, Salve, Om shanti shanti shanti om.
May peace be upon us all.
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