Canada’s address at the United Nations

The Honourable Anita Anand
Minister of Foreign Affairs

September 29, 2025
New York City, New York

Check against delivery

President, excellencies, distinguished delegates,

Since the end of the Second World War, multilateral institutions have helped to make our world safer and more prosperous.

More than a billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty.

Famine and disease have declined.

We see shared effort leading to shared prosperity.

Yet, today, this multilateral system is under threat, as some countries are turning to protectionism and unilateralism.

Around the world, the geopolitical landscape is unstable, with powers shifting in ways that jeopardize our security and prosperity.

We face challenges that no country can resolve alone.

Let me start with Canada itself, because the strength we demonstrate abroad begins with our resilience at home.

Canada at home: Strength through resilience

Canada is a proudly bilingual, resilient, dynamic democracy spanning 3 oceans, blessed with natural resources and, above all, defined by the ingenuity of our people:

• Our scientists are leaders in artificial intelligence and clean technology.
• Our workers are partnering in the global energy transition.
• Our entrepreneurs are advancing critical minerals, agriculture and digital innovation.

Canada is home to Indigenous Peoples and to immigrants from every corner of the globe.

Let me say a few words about Indigenous Peoples on the eve of Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The voices of Indigenous peoples enrich our democracy at home and our diplomacy abroad.

Their leadership shapes the path Canada follows and strengthens our place in the world.

Canada has long championed cooperation, diplomacy, and international law.

From promoting UN peacekeeping operations during the Suez Crisis to spearheading the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel mines, Canada has consistently been an innovative leader on global issues.

That spirit continues to guide us today.

Canada does not shrink from global challenge.

Canada does not retreat from duty.

Canada does not walk away from building and strengthening peace.

Even as the world changes, Canada remains a stable and reliable partner both in business and in collective security.

Canadian foreign policy today

At its core, our foreign policy rests on 3 pillars:

• First, defence and security – keeping Canadians safe, strengthening our sovereignty, being good allies and partners in NATO and NORAD, and contributing to global conversations about new technologies that are changing the character of conflict at unprecedented speed.
• Second, economic resilience – diversifying trade, strengthening supply chains, being an attractive destination for capital and a trusted trading partner and advancing rules-based trade.
• And third, core values – promoting democracy and pluralism, balancing, and maintaining, human rights, fostering gender equality, protecting our environment and working with Indigenous partners on sustainable development and prosperity.

But we face a changed reality.

The rise of unilateralism and protectionism weaken multilateral institutions and the rule of law—the very bedrock of the post-war order.

In 2024 alone, 300 million people needed humanitarian aid and 120 million were displaced.

More than 40 million were refugees.

Conflicts cost the global economy $14 trillion per year.

Each figure represents not just a statistic, but a child, a family, a community.

Each one is a testament to why we must collectively uphold the United Nations Charter, the Geneva Conventions, the Refugee Convention and human rights.

In the face of these stark realities, retreat is not an option.

Canada will not turn inward.

Canada will work to reform and strengthen multilateral institutions, such as the United Nations, so they are more resilient and more effective in meeting the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Security at home and abroad

Canada is an Arctic nation.

In the Arctic, a critical part of Canada and the world, climate change and new geopolitical pressures create both risks and responsibilities.

Canada will safeguard its sovereignty, modernize NORAD with the United States, bolster NATO with fellow members, and work with Indigenous Peoples to ensure that the Arctic remains a region of peace, cooperation, and sustainable development.

The challenges to security are not confined to our own borders.
Russia’s 2022 illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine stands as a grave breach of the UN Charter.

Russia’s aggression, attacks on civilians and abduction of children are flagrant violations of international law.

Putin believed Ukraine would fall in 3 days.

Three and a half years later, Ukraine still stands—its sovereignty intact, its people unbowed, its courage unbroken.

Canada’s position is clear.

Putin cannot be permitted to redraw boundaries at his will.

Might DOES NOT make right.

Ukraine is not backing down—nor will its friends, including Canada.

By supporting Ukraine, we are not only defending a nation, we are defending the fundamental principles of sovereignty, dignity and peace, which unite us all.

Canada has already committed $22 billion in multifaceted assistance to Ukraine, and it can count on our long-term support.

Here at the UN last week, Prime Minister Carney and President Zelensky reaffirmed our shared commitment, which many of you also share, to bring Ukrainian children home.

In the Middle East, the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians was horrific.

Hamas is a terrorist organization and an impediment to peace.

Canada calls on Hamas to lay down its weapons and to release all remaining hostages immediately.

The scope of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is catastrophic and requires urgent action.

Canada has committed over $340 million in humanitarian aid and our Canadian armed forces have participated in airdrops.

We call on Israel to help protect the civilian population in Gaza, to open land corridors for unimpeded access of humanitarian aid at scale and to ensure that health-care facilities are fully protected.

The two-state solution is eroding—as is evident in Israel’s illegal expansion of West Bank settlements.

Canada’s recognition of Palestine last week reflects long-standing Canadian policy, based on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and our commitment to a two-state solution—a future where Israelis and Palestinians live side by side in peace and security.

We support partners in the region who continue their efforts to reach a ceasefire as soon as possible and to contribute to the political processes that must follow.

Canada will participate in these processes in every way that we can.

We are committed to efforts to strengthen the capacity of the Palestinian Authority, working collaboratively with partners in the region.

In Haiti, violence is destroying lives and stability.

Canada supports the efforts being made in the United Nations Security Council to establish a new mission aimed at eliminating gang violence, restoring governance, and paving the way for stable democracy and greater regional security.

These struggles are not far away.

In today’s interconnected world, conflicts that erupt anywhere in the world affect us all.

In today’s uncertain global economy, Canada’s diplomacy is also focused on delivering growth and economic resilience for our people.

To grow our economy and create opportunities for our businesses, Canada is deepening partnerships in Europe, the Indo-Pacific, the Americas, and Africa.

Recent progress includes:

• a strategic defence partnership with the EU
• the Canada-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, signed just last week
• expanded agreements with Mexico
• and continued leadership through key trade agreements such as CPTPP [Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership] and CETA [Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement].

These are not JUST trade agreements.

They are bridges of resilience, engines of prosperity and commitments to the rules-based system that benefits us all.

Through multilateralism, we can build an inclusive and sustainable global economy.

And when multilateral institutions are under threat, Canada will not turn inward.

We will lock arms with our partners to strengthen institutions, building their legitimacy and their efficacy to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.

We are determined to forge NEW economic partnerships and leverage our competitive advantages in areas of economic strength.

Canada will ensure that we utilize our diplomatic efforts abroad to the benefit of domestic interests as well.

As we all seek to strengthen the resilience, security and economic growth of our peoples, we cannot abandon multilateral institutions and processes.

Multilateralism remains our best hope for solving global challenges.

Rather than abandoning international norms, we must strengthen multilateralism by reforming international institutions.

Only then can international institutions meet the challenges we all face, while delivering results for our nations and peoples.

We all have an opportunity to act with pragmatism and flexibility in our efforts to deal with collective challenges.

That is good advice for all of us in this chamber.

We need to bring together the representatives of those countries and entities that are both relevant to, and affected by, the crises at hand.

As we have seen with the Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine, these efforts in support of the UN Charter need to become the new norm so that we can move forward on urgent challenges at scale and at speed.

A generation of Canadians, including Canada’s fierce and inspiring Ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae, who has provided a lifetime of dedicated service to our country, helped to build these multilateral institutions.

I pay tribute to Bob for his lifetime of service.

Our goal will always be to prevent and to resolve international conflicts while modernizing global institutions so that they can meet the challenges of the future.

To close,

Canada is committed to leaving future generations not only a safer, more prosperous, more inclusive and more peaceful world, but also a more sustainable one.

Canada will be defined not by the strength of our values but the value of our strength.

We know that no country can meet today’s challenges alone.

As former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan once said, “In an era of global challenges, the world needs multilateralism more than ever. No nation can solve its problems alone.”

This is the spirit of Canada.

And Canadians are rising to the challenge.

We will work toward a world where prosperity is shared, security is collective and peace is lasting.

This is Canada’s pledge in this era of geopolitical challenge and change.

Thank you. Merci beaucoup. Migwech.