Emmanuel Macron delivered a powerful plea for international law and multilateralism on Tuesday evening in New York. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in his final speech as President of the Republic, the head of state warned against a return to a world governed by power dynamics and the "law of the jungle." He called on states committed to international rules to "stand firm" alongside the United Nations.
The French president thus wants to place the defense of the UN at the heart of the response to the multiplying crises. From the war in Ukraine and tensions with Russia to the conflict in the Middle East and the questioning of sovereignty principles, Emmanuel Macron defends the idea that no power should be able to impose its will permanently solely through force. Paris also intends to pursue its initiative aimed at better regulating the veto power in the Security Council when it comes to mass atrocities.
Ukraine, the Middle East and the energy crisis
The intervention comes primarily against a backdrop of particularly tense international tensions. On Monday, Emmanuel Macron met with Donald Trump and then Volodymyr Zelensky. With the American president, he discussed, among other things, a possible reciprocal moratorium between Kyiv and Moscow on strikes against energy infrastructure. France also hopes to have the Security Council adopt an initiative aimed at guaranteeing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, disruptions to which contribute to soaring oil prices.
In New York, the French president is therefore seeking to defend a French position based on support for Ukraine, the pursuit of de-escalation in the Middle East, and the return of the United Nations to the center of international negotiations. Exactly one year after announcing from this same platform France's recognition of the State of Palestine, Emmanuel Macron continues to advocate for the two-state solution, even though the situation on the ground remains particularly dire.
This intervention takes on a particular dimension a few months before the end of his term. Faced with Donald Trump's criticism of multilateral institutions and the proliferation of conflicts, Emmanuel Macron wants to make the defense of international law one of the last hallmarks of his diplomacy: in a world where power relations are hardening, France intends, according to its position, to remain on the side of common rules rather than resign itself to the "law of the strongest".
