New York, United States – Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake called for an immediate Gaza ceasefire during his maiden speech at the 80th United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, September 24, 2025, highlighting the humanitarian catastrophe and drawing parallels to his nation’s own history of conflict.
The address, delivered at the UN Headquarters in New York, underscored Sri Lanka’s commitment to peace amid escalating global tensions. President Dissanayake, who assumed office earlier this year, emphasised the futility of war based on Sri Lanka’s three-decade civil conflict, positioning the nation as a voice for restraint in international forums. The plea forms part of the broader Sri Lanka Gaza ceasefire 2025 discourse, aligning with calls from multiple world leaders for de-escalation.
Why It Matters
Sri Lanka’s invocation of the Gaza crisis at the UNGA resonates deeply in South Asia, a region scarred by partition, insurgencies, and border disputes. As a middle-income economy recovering from its 2022 debt default, Colombo’s advocacy for humanitarian intervention and a two-state solution reinforces its role in Non-Aligned Movement diplomacy.
This stance could bolster regional solidarity on Palestinian rights, influencing neighbours like India and Pakistan, which balance ties with Israel and Arab states. In an era of rising protectionism, Sri Lanka Gaza ceasefire 2025 appeals highlight the interconnectedness of global conflicts with South Asian stability, potentially shaping aid flows and trade pacts.
Sri Lanka UNGA Speech Gaza 2025: Key Highlights
President Dissanayake’s 20-minute address covered a spectrum of global challenges, from poverty and corruption to the drug trade, but reserved sharp criticism for ongoing wars. On the Gaza front, he described the territory as “an open prison full of pain and suffering, echoing with the cries of children and the innocent civilians”. This vivid imagery set the tone for his demand for urgent international response.
“We are deeply distressed by the ongoing catastrophe in the Gaza Strip,” the President stated, calling on the United Nations Organisation and all related parties to “work towards an immediate ceasefire, enable adequate humanitarian aid to these areas and to ensure the release of hostages of all parties”. He advocated for recognition of “the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to their own state” while acknowledging “the legal, security and humanitarian concerns of Israel and Palestinian people”. Reiterating support for UN General Assembly resolutions on a two-state solution based on 1967 borders, Dissanayake urged the international community to “stop being a mere spectator and to move decisively to end the suffering of millions”.
These remarks echo sentiments from earlier UNGA sessions but gain weight from Sri Lanka’s post-conflict perspective. The President linked the Gaza plight to broader war critiques, declaring, “As a country that lived through a three-decade war, we know well the futility of war. No one who sees the pain and the suffering of parents, spouses and children of the victims of war would ever dream of another war.”
He lamented how “opportunistic power politics has turned the lives of children and innocent civilians into a game”, asserting that “no one has the right to inflict pain and suffering on another to enhance one’s own power. The duty of a ruler is not to destroy lives but to protect them”.
Broader Global Context in Sri Lanka UNGA Speech Gaza 2025
Beyond Gaza, the speech addressed interconnected crises exacerbating the Sri Lanka Gaza ceasefire 2025 imperative. Dissanayake highlighted how poverty, affecting 700 million people worldwide, fuels instability, including in conflict zones like Gaza.
He criticised the debt burdens on developing nations – Sri Lanka’s own external debt stands at approximately USD 37 billion – as a barrier to peacebuilding efforts. On corruption, he warned it “destroys democracy and development”, pledging Colombo’s transparency reforms as a model.
The Gaza segment, lasting about three minutes, aligned with a wave of UNGA interventions. On the same day, leaders from Syria and Australia echoed ceasefire demands, though with varying emphases on regional dynamics. Sri Lanka’s position, however, uniquely wove personal national trauma into the narrative, amplifying its moral authority in South Asian and Global South circles.
Background
Sri Lanka’s foreign policy has long championed multilateralism, rooted in its Non-Aligned heritage. The island nation, with a population of 22 million, emerged from its 1983-2009 civil war with over 100,000 deaths, fostering a deep-seated aversion to protracted conflicts. Recent economic woes, including hyperinflation peaking at 70 per cent in 2022, have sharpened Colombo’s focus on equitable global governance.
President Dissanayake, a leftist leader from the National People’s Power alliance, won a snap election in September 2024 on anti-corruption pledges, marking a shift from the Rajapaksa era. His UNGA debut signals intent to reposition Sri Lanka as a peace advocate, particularly on issues like the Sri Lanka Gaza ceasefire 2025, amid strained ties with Western creditors.
In the Gaza context, the conflict has claimed over 41,000 Palestinian lives since October 2023, per UN estimates, with humanitarian access severely restricted. Sri Lanka, which recognised Palestine in 2017, maintains diplomatic relations with both Israel and Arab states, balancing trade – Israeli agricultural tech imports totalled USD 10 million in 2024 – with solidarity gestures.
What’s Next for Gaza Ceasefire 2025 Advocacy
As UNGA proceedings continue through September 30, 2025, President Dissanayake is slated for bilateral meetings with counterparts from India and the United States, potentially advancing Sri Lanka’s Gaza mediation role. Colombo may push for enhanced UN monitoring mechanisms, building on its speech’s call for decisive action.
Domestically, the address could galvanise public support for foreign aid contributions, with Sri Lanka pledging USD 1 million in humanitarian assistance to Gaza earlier this year. Observers anticipate follow-up statements from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reinforcing the Sri Lanka UNGA speech Gaza 2025 as a cornerstone of 2025 diplomacy. Ultimately, the success of Gaza ceasefire 2025 efforts hinges on collective international resolve to translate rhetoric into relief.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, September 25th, 2025
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