President Joe Biden addressed the United Nations for the last time.
The outgoing Democrat reflected on the growing international challenge while speaking to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. World leaders have gathered in New York for the 79th session of the assembly.
During his fourth speech, Biden vowed that “things can get better” even with escalating tensions in Ukraine and the Middle East.
“Even from the horrors of war, there's a way forward,” said the American president. “I know many look at the world today and see difficulties and react with despair… But I do not. I won't.”
Biden will spend much of the week meeting with international officials. He met with leaders from Japan, Australia and India at his home in Willington, Delaware over the weekend for the fourth in-person Quad Leaders Summit. The White House released the Willington Joint Declaration on Saturday, wherein the four nations vowed to “uphold the international order based on the rule of law.”
“As four leading maritime democracies in the Indo-Pacific, we unequivocally stand for the maintenance of peace and stability across this dynamic region, as an indispensable element of global security and prosperity,” the leaders stated. “We strongly oppose any destabilizing or unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion.”
Biden is scheduled to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Thursday.
During his speech, the president urged other nations to resist “the desire to retreat from the world and go it alone.”
“We must never forget who we're here to represent," Biden said, per CBS News. "We, the people. These are the first words of our Constitution, the very idea of America, and they inspired the opening words of our U.N. Charter. I've made the preservation of democracy the central cause of my presidency.”
He acknowledged his departure from American politics, describing his conclusion to end his reelection campaign in July as “a difficult decision.”
“Being president has been the honor of my life," said Biden. "There's so much more I want to get done.”
“But as much as I love the job, I love my country more,” he continued. “I decided after 50 years of public service, it's time for a new generation of leadership to take my nation forward.”
“Some things are more important than staying in power,” he said, per Axios. The attending crowd applauded in response.
According to the White House, Biden met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and “underscored how the United States and United Nations are working together to advance peace, safeguard human rights, and help countries develop.”
“The President spoke about his life-long commitment to building alliances, relationships, and multilateral solutions to solve global crises, and to upholding international principles and norms, including those enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations,” the Biden administration said in a statement.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is also scheduled to address the General Assembly on Tuesday. In total, 134 nations are taking part in the gathering. Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor Chinese President Xi Jinping are in attendance but will be represented in New York by appointed delegations.
