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Wednesday, November 11, 2026Nov 11

They said it: Leaders at the UN, in their own words

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 27, 2019, at the United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 27, 2019, at the United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 27, 2019, at the United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
photo President of Mauritius Paramasivum Pillay Vyapoory addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 27, 2019, at the United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) – Lots of leaders saying lots of things about lots of topics – topics that matter to them, to their regions, to the world.

That’s what the speechmaking at the U.N. General Assembly invariably produces each year. And each year, certain enormous topics and certain louder voices dominate.

Here, The Associated Press takes the opposite approach and spotlights some thoughts you might not have heard – the voices of leaders speaking at the United Nations who might not have captured the headlines and the airtime on Friday, the fourth day of 2019 debate.

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“Nowadays politics is often perceived as a zero-sum game. Middle ground has become difficult to find, and common sense has become the least common of senses.”