By Martin Wusha Conteh

New York, United States, 22 September 2026 — His Excellency, President Dr. Julius Maada Bio has challenged world leaders to rethink global priorities, warning that the vast resources mobilised for military expenditure must be matched by greater investment in peace, development and human security.

Addressing the General Debate of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, President Bio said fair value chains, technology transfer and local industry, processing at source, are measures that could transform natural wealth into skilled employment, stronger economies and greater opportunities for young people.

“The green transition must not reproduce the extractive terms of the past,”

President Julius Maada Bio

President Bio connected economic opportunity directly to peace and security, particularly for Africa’s youth, warning that young people without jobs, skills or a stake in the future become vulnerable to exploitation, smuggling and dangerous migration.

He said jobs, skills and dignity must therefore be treated as essential components of serious peacebuilding and development policy.

The President further used Sierra Leone’s own experience of conflict and recovery to reinforce his argument, recalling that the country’s peace became meaningful not simply through the formal end of the civil war, but through the rebuilding of communities, institutions and public confidence.

He concluded by urging the international community to restore faith in multilateral cooperation and ensure that the promise of the United Nations theme “For All” is reflected in decisions that improve people’s lives.

“Let this session give them that reason. The words ‘FOR ALL’ should not remain at the end of this year’s theme. They must become the measure of our work.”

President Julius Maada Bio