- MIKTA Foreign Ministers Adopt Special Communiqué on Occasion of 80th Anniversary of United Nations -

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun chaired the 28th MIKTA Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 25, in New York, on the occasion of the 80th United Nations General Assembly High-Level Segment. This was the first of its kind since Korea’s assumption of the 12th chairmanship of MIKTA.

※ MIKTA (Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Türkiye, Australia) is a cross-regional consultative platform established on the occasion of the 68th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2013. Korea is serving as its 12th Chair from February 2025 to February 2026.

※ Participants:

  - Republic of Korea: Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun

  - Mexico: Secretary of Foreign Affairs Juan Ramón de la Fuente Ramírez

  - Australia: Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong

  - Indonesia: Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Arrmanatha Christiawan Nasir

  - Türkiye: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Levent Gümrükçü

 The ministers discussed two main agenda items -- “Strengthening Multilateralism in the Perspective of UN Reform” and “Youth’s Role in Tackling Global Challenges.”

Minister Cho underscored that the world today faces complex challenges such as protracted conflicts and the climate crisis, which no country can overcome alone. On that note, he emphasized the importance of international solidarity and intergenerational cooperation to address these challenges. In the discussion on UN reform and strengthening multilateralism, Minister Cho stressed that the UN, which marks its 80th anniversary, must focus on its core mandates and the delivery of tangible results while working collectively to win back trust. He further proposed that MIKTA actively support the effective implementation of the “UN80 Initiative” spearheaded by Secretary-General Guterres.  

※ The UN80 Initiative was unveiled by the UN Secretary-General in March 2025 as part of UN reform efforts.

  - Objective: To enhance the efficiency and capacity of the UN through cost reduction and organizational restructuring

  - Key components:

  (1) UN efficiency and improvements: Consolidation of functions and structures, workforce optimization, etc.

  (2) Mandate implementation review: Assessment of the validity and potential overlap of the UN Secretariat’s mandates, etc.

  (3) Potential structural changes and program realignments: Sector-specific structural reforms within the UN system, including specialized agencies, etc

Other MIKTA members deeply agreed on the need for UN reform; expressed support for a rules-based international order; and affirmed their commitment to contributing together to the UN becoming an organization capable of effectively addressing both current and future global challenges, by drawing upon MIKTA’s diversity and cross-regional nature.

With regard to the second agenda item, Minister Cho highlighted the importance of empowering youth amid the rapidly evolving global dynamics and explained that “youth empowerment” has been designated a priority agenda under Korea’s MIKTA chairmanship. Agreeing on the importance of encouraging youth involvement and engagement in discussions on international issues, member states shared their experiences of implementing initiatives designed to support youth.  They particularly took note of the 2025 MIKTA Youth Dialogue in Seoul as a meaningful event that successfully fostered youth interest and engagement in addressing global challenges.

※ A MIKTA Youth Dialogue (July 23–25, Seoul)

- The MIKTA Youth Dialogue is an expanded and advanced version of the “Young Leaders Camp,” which has been held annually since 2016 to promote a better understanding of MIKTA and minilateral diplomacy among undergraduate and graduate students from MIKTA member countries.  

- A total of 28 undergraduate and graduate students from MIKTA member countries (six from Korea, six from Mexico, six from Indonesia, six from Türkiye and four from Australia) participated in the program, which included ▵lectures by MIKTA-related experts ▵a MIKTA Mock Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and ▵a networking event with members of the MIKTA diplomatic corps in Seoul.

At their meeting, the foreign ministers of the five MIKTA countries adopted a special communiqué marking the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. In the communiqué, the foreign ministers emphasized that, in the face of new challenges such as environmental crises, digital transformation, and inequality, the UN, which marks its 80th anniversary, must adapt and innovate to meet the expectations of the international community — particularly people in vulnerable situations — and must focus their efforts on delivering its core mandates of peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights. MIKTA also expressed in the communiqué its full support for the efforts for UN reform including the UN80 Initiative.

Launched in 2013 under Korea’s initiative, MIKTA has contributed to the global community as a cross-regional consultative platform convened annually to discuss ways to address global challenges and advance multilateralism. The 28th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is seen to have served as a meaningful opportunity for MIKTA foreign and vice foreign ministers to come together at the historic juncture of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the UN, for substantive discussions on strengthening multilateralism and enhancing youth’s role in tackling global issues. As the MIKTA Chair, the Korean government will work closely with the other member states to ensure that MIKTA plays an active role in responding to global challenges.