PUTRAJAYA – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will not attend this year’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
Malaysia is scheduled for the High-Level General Debate on Sept 23, with Anwar, as Asean chair, earlier expected to deliver the address.
Instead, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan will lead Malaysia’s delegation and deliver the country’s statement at 5am Malaysian time on Sept 28.
Mohamad Hasan is expected to issue a scathing rebuke of the UN over its handling of the Gaza crisis, according to Putrajaya sources.
“The Prime Minister’s absence is a symbolic gesture and an affirmation of the UN’s impotence in protecting innocent lives,” said a high-level official.
Mohamad Hasan’s speech is widely anticipated to be a forceful critique of the UN, especially the Security Council’s repeated failure to enforce or compel ceasefire resolutions due to vetoes.
The United States has used its UN Security Council veto at least six times to block resolutions demanding an “immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry has already issued strong statements following recent US vetoes, calling them “deeply disappointing” and accusing major powers of “shielding” Israel.
“The absence of Anwar reflects Malaysia’s frustration with what it views as the UN’s failure to act decisively in Gaza,” the source added.
As Asean chair, Malaysia’s stance carries additional diplomatic weight. The country has consistently condemned civilian deaths, destruction of infrastructure, and what it describes as violations of international law.
Those familiar with Mohamad Hasan’s address described it as a “dressing down” of the UN, which has faced mounting criticism for its inability to hold Israel accountable and its repeated paralysis caused by veto powers — particularly by the United States.
Anwar has also emerged as one of the strongest Muslim voices condemning the Israeli military offensive.
He was in Doha last week for the Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit following Israel’s strikes on Qatar that killed six people, whom Israel claimed were Hamas operatives.
Anwar’s absence from UNGA is being interpreted as a symbolic protest against what he has previously called the “moral collapse” of the international community.
The death toll in Gaza has now surpassed 68,000 Palestinians since the war’s outbreak on Oct 7, 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, with approximately 165,000 wounded.
The conflict has also claimed the lives of 2,000 Israelis, more than 200 humanitarian workers, and over 200 journalists.
The war was triggered by the Oct 7, 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas, which killed 1,195 people and saw 251 Israelis taken hostage.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces mounting pressure from within his government and protests by Israelis demanding an end to the war and the safe return of the hostages. — September 22, 2025