President John Dramani Mahama addressed the 80th United Nations General Assembly, where he shared his positions on matters of global concern.

In his nearly 30-minute address, President Mahama tackled issues of immigration, representation, foreign policy, migration, and global inequities, which directly contrasted with the actions and multilateral ideals of the current policies of the United States of America (USA).

Mahama critiques UN Security Council Representation and Veto Powers

President Mahama, referencing Chapter 2, Article 1 of the UN Charter, highlighted the organisation’s fundamental principle of sovereign equality for all member states.

He pointed to the existing US-led post-WWII order, where the US and four other superpowers hold permanent Security Council seats with veto power.

“The UN founding charter is outdated when it comes to representation. The most powerful post-World War II nations are still rewarded with an almost totalitarian guardianship over the rest of the world. And yet, the first sentence in Chapter 2, Article 1 of the UN Charter declares that ‘The Organisation is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its members,’” he stated.

He emphasised that, under true fidelity to the UN Charter, Africa, with its numerous UN member states, would have at least one permanent seat on the Security Council, while stressing the need for a mechanism to challenge a veto.

“If this were truly the case, a continent as large as Africa, with its numerous UN member states, would have at least one permanent seat on the Security Council. Furthermore, veto power should not be restricted to five nations, nor should it be absolute. There must be a mechanism for the General Assembly to challenge a veto. No single nation should be able to exercise an absolute veto to serve its own interests in a conflict,” he said.

Currently, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States hold permanent seats and veto power on the UN Security Council. These five permanent members can block any substantive resolution with a single negative vote, a power known as the veto.

80th UNGA: 'If it quacks like a duck, then it's a duck' - President Mahama condemns Gaza conflict

Through his address, President Mahama challenged the exceptionalism and unilateralism of superpowers like the US, which the Trump administration amplified through its “America First” policies, resisting UN reforms and vetoing resolutions on issues like Israel-Palestine conflict.

Denunciation of Cuba Blockade

President Mahama also challenged US-led sanctions against Cuba, emphasising Ghana’s foreign policy as being friends to all nations.

In a direct attack on the economic embargo on Cuba, intensified under Trump, President Mahama demanded its removal.

“I would like to call for the removal of the blockade on Cuba. As Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, our nation’s founder, famously said, ‘We seek to be friends of all and enemies to none.’ The Cuban people shed their blood on African soil in the fight against apartheid. Indeed, Cuba has been, and continues to be, a faithful friend to Africa,” he said.

Mahama calls out US over denial of visa to President of Palestine, calls for two-state solution to Israel-Gaza conflict

Ahead of the 80th UN General Assembly in New York, the Trump-led government reportedly denied visas to Palestinian representatives, a move critics attributed to Trump’s pro-Israel stance in the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.

Describing the move as a bad precedent, President Mahama emphasised Ghana’s support for a two-state solution to the conflict.

“The denial of visas to President Abbas and the Palestinian delegation sets a bad precedent and should be deeply worrying to all member nations. Ghana recognised the state of Palestine in 1988 and supports a two-state solution to the conflict. Contrary to the claims of some, a two-state solution would not be a reward for Hamas but, rather, a reprieve for the hundreds of thousands of innocent people facing collective punishment and forced starvation for no reason other than being Palestinian,” he said.

Ghana to champion motion to recognise slave trade as greatest crime against humanity - Mahama

He further called out what he described as crimes in the ongoing military actions by the Israeli government in Gaza, noting how Assembly members have failed to address them out of fear.

“For nearly two years, out of fear of reprisal, we in this General Assembly have been playing hide-and-seek with language to find the right words to avoid or excuse what we all know is taking place there. But here’s the thing: if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, well then... It must be a duck. The crimes in Gaza must stop,” he stated.

President Mahama’s position directly challenged the Trump administration’s rhetoric, which argues that Palestinian statehood would be a concession to Hamas terrorism.

In a July 28, 2025, statement, the US Department of State rejected a UN conference on a two-state solution, describing it as unproductive.

“This week, the UN will serve as host to an unproductive and ill-timed conference on the two-state solution in New York City. This is a publicity stunt that comes in the middle of delicate diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Far from promoting peace, the conference will prolong the war, embolden Hamas, and reward its obstruction and undermine real-world efforts to achieve peace.

“As Secretary Rubio has made clear, this effort is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th and a reward for terrorism. It keeps hostages trapped in tunnels. The United States will not participate in this insult but will continue to lead real-world efforts to end the fighting and deliver a permanent peace. Our focus remains on serious diplomacy: not stage-managed conferences designed to manufacture the appearance of relevance.

“President Macron’s announcement about recognising a Palestinian state was welcomed by Hamas. This reflects a pattern of counterproductive gestures that only embolden Hamas, encourage its obstruction of a ceasefire, and greatly undercut our diplomatic efforts to end the suffering in Gaza, free the hostages, and move the whole Middle East towards a brighter and more prosperous future,” the statement added.

UNGA 80: ‘We are tired of exploitation of Africa’s resources’ – Mahama tells UN

Criticism of migration policies and hypocrisy on refugees

On the issue of migration and refugees, President Mahama directly confronted US and Western ideologies championed by the Trump administration.

“When we speak of migration, we refer to the 12 million new refugees [from Sudan], whom we, as a global community, should be willing to assist in the same way that many member nations readily assisted refugees from Ukraine. Let’s dispense with euphemisms and dog-whistles and speak frankly. It’s no mystery that when leaders of Western nations complain about their migration problems, they are often referring to immigrants from the Global South,” President Mahama said.

His position directly contrasted with anti-immigration policies, such as border wall expansions, family separations, and the 2025 “Muslim Ban” by the Trump administration.

In contrast, Trump during his address to the UN called on countries to expel foreigners.

“It’s time to end the failed experiment of open borders,” he said in a headline speech to world leaders and visiting delegations in the grand general assembly hall in midtown Manhattan. “You have to end it now … Your countries are going to hell.”

Demand for Reparations for Slavery and Colonialism

On the subject of slavery and reparations, President Mahama espoused a position challenging the denial of reparations, which has been reinforced by Trump through opposition to affirmative action and “critical race theory” bans across the US.

President Mahama’s statement indicted beneficiaries of the slave trade, including the US, and challenged certain US historical narratives around slavery.

“The slave trade must be recognised as the greatest crime against humanity. As African Champion on reparations, Ghana intends to introduce a motion in this august body to that effect. More than twelve and a half million Africans were forcibly taken against their will and transported to create wealth for powerful Western nations.

FULL TEXT: President Mahama's address at the 80th UN General Assembly Meeting

“We must demand reparations for the enslavement of our people and the colonization of our land, which resulted in the theft of natural resources, as well as the looting of artifacts and other items of cultural heritage that have yet to be returned in total... As did our colonizers, as well as the governments that happily paid reparations to former slave owners as compensation for the loss of their ‘property’—that ‘property’ for which compensation was paid referred to enslaved people who had been freed,” he stated.

His statement confronted narratives by Trump that have sought to downplay issues of systemic racism against Africans and persons of African descent.

Demand for Reforms on Global Financing

President Mahama demanded what he described as a reset of the US-dominated global financial architecture, which he noted is currently rigged against Africa.

“We demand not only a reform of the Security Council but also a reset of the global financial architecture, which is currently rigged against Africa. Africa must have a greater say in the world’s multilateral financial institutions,” he said.

Mahama also highlighted recent cuts in aid to Africa by governments such as the US.

“An increasingly insecure world is witnessing increased spending on defense budgets by bilateral partners and steep cuts in Official Development Assistance. Since July 2024, there has been a 40% drop in humanitarian aid to Africa,” he stated in his speech.

Mahama's UNGA 80 Address: Three bold statements that have won widespread plaudits

Mahama Directly Challenges Trump’s Position on Climate Change

During his address to the General Assembly, President Trump referred to climate change as a “con job.”

“It used to be global cooling. If you look back years ago in the 1920s and 1930s, they said global cooling will kill the world. We have to do something. Then they said global warming will kill the world. But then it started getting cooler. So now they just call it climate change because that way they can’t miss—climate change, because if it goes higher or lower, whatever the hell happens, it’s climate change. It’s the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion. Climate change, no matter what happens, you’re involved in that. No more global warming, no more global cooling. All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong. They were made by stupid people that, of course, hurt their country’s fortunes and gave those same countries no chance for success. If you don’t get away from this green scam, your country is going to fail,” Trump said.

In response, President Mahama emphasised that climate change is real.

“Climate change is real, and we are fighting a losing battle against the loss of the Maldives and other island nations to rising sea levels, Timbuktu to desertification, and the Amazon Rainforest to global warming and deforestation,” he stressed.

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