“Never has the world and the UN faced such fast-paced change – both constructive and harmful – such abrupt fluctuations, heightened expectations and immediate demands for solutions and answers,” he told the General Assembly on the opening day of its 70th annual General Debate.

“These monumental tasks, mixed with population growth, unprecedented mobility, connectivity and access to information and technological knowhow, necessitate constant negotiations, legal frameworks, new management and leadership skills, but also encompass inherent risks and security concerns,” he said.

“At some point, it is the UN and other specialized and multilateral organizations that will need to be ready to drive the agenda and provide the required platform for decision-making. We urge future reforms to take these needs of our times into account and offer flexibility and fast-track problem management for the work at hand.” Turning to the security problems of his own country, Mr. Abdullah cited the attacks over the past 48 hours by hundreds of militants, some of them foreign fighters, in Kunduz province, and efforts by terrorist organizations, including the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) to find a foothold.

“The presence of terrorist sanctuaries and support networks in Pakistan continue to cause trouble inside Afghanistan. The Haqqani network has been identified as a main culprit and needs to be dismantled as has been our demand in the past,” he declared.

“We call on Pakistan to do what its leadership promised to us a few months ago when they agreed to crack down on known terror outfits.

“We also call on regional stakeholders and our international partners to realize the gravity of the situation, and use their good offices or any effective means to support our aspirations for a genuine and durable confidence-building process leading to talks with willing Taliban and other armed opposition groups.”