Andorra's Leader Delivers Farewell Defense of Multilateralism, Calls for UN Reform

In what he described as his eighth and final address to the United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister of Andorra Xavier Espot Zamora made a sweeping case that rules-based multilateralism is not a luxury for small states but a survival guarantee — and warned that the international order is fracturing at a moment when it is needed most. The address, delivered during the 81st session's General Debate on Sept. 23, 2026, spanned armed conflicts, climate change, artificial intelligence governance, and structural reform of the UN itself.

• Andorra's outgoing leader calls multilateralism a "guarantee" for small states, warns international commitments are being dangerously "relativized"

• Zamora backs Ukraine, endorses two-state Israel-Palestine solution, and condemns rising attacks on civilians and UN staff

• New Andorra Declaration from Mountain Partnership summit demands climate resilience, digital equity for mountain regions

• Head of government warns AI risks condemning minority languages "to invisibility," pledges advocacy for linguistic diversity

• Andorra pushes for Security Council reform and praises UN80 institutional overhaul as Guterres era ends

Why it matters: Andorra — a Pyrenean microstate of roughly 80,000 people — has no army and depends entirely on a rules-based international order for its sovereignty and security. When its head of government warns that the system is weakening, it reflects the anxieties of dozens of small states that rely on the UN Charter as their primary shield against larger powers.