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00:00The US President Joe Biden has given his final address to the United Nations General Assembly.
00:06He warned against isolationism, telling the audience we are stronger than we think
00:11when the world acts together. The US leader went on to look at specific conflicts in the
00:18Middle East and Ukraine where he said Putin had failed. Here's a little from President Biden.
00:24To see the threats. I know, I know many look at the world today and see difficulties
00:31and react with despair, but I do not. I won't. As leaders, we don't have the luxury.
00:39I recognize the challenges from Ukraine to Gaza to Sudan and beyond. War, hunger, terrorism,
00:47brutality, but maybe because all I've seen and all we have done together over the decades,
00:54I have hope. I know there is a way forward. Well, let's speak now to our correspondent,
01:03Jessica LeMessurier, who is at the United Nations in New York. Jessica,
01:07how would you sum up Biden's message today?
01:10Well, this was Biden, the amiable old statesman. He even joked about his age as he began this
01:21almost very personal speech to cement really his legacy on the world stage here at the General
01:28Assembly. He said, well, I know I only look like I'm 40, as he spoke in front of the General
01:35Assembly. Of course, he's going to be turning 82 in November. And he really tried to set a sort of
01:41optimistic tone, saying that things can get better. He acknowledged that there are wars raging and
01:48said that those wars must end. He reaffirmed his support for Israel, his support for Ukraine,
01:54his support for democracy. And he spoke about the trajectory of his career and the fact that
02:00he has observed over his 50 years on the world stage that things that seem intractable can
02:08actually improve with diplomatic efforts. He talked about the apartheid and how it eventually ended.
02:14He talked about how when he became a US senator and the war was going on in Vietnam, then now the
02:21United States is actually a friend of Vietnam. So he really tried to strike this optimistic note
02:26and look at the bigger picture. There was also the elephant in the room, Donald Trump. He had
02:32this sort of veiled message for autocrats when he started to talk about his decision to step down as
02:39president and let a new generation run. He said that really it is not about power. It's about
02:46the people. So it appeared that that was a message for the autocrats of the world and also
02:51for Donald Trump. Because there are certainly fears here at the United Nations that as Biden
02:58steps off the world stage that we have the possibility that we may be seeing Trump elected
03:04this coming November. And that would be absolutely devastating for global institutions and indeed
03:09for the United Nations. Well, Jessica, you talk about Biden striking an optimistic note in his
03:14speech. It has to be said, though, on the Middle East, on the conflict in Gaza and now in Lebanon,
03:23Biden is somewhat out of step with other world leaders, isn't he,
03:27at the UN General Assembly? How did he try and answer some of their concerns today?
03:36Well, when he was talking about Israel, whilst he did express his support for Israel and his
03:42sympathies with the families of the hostages who are still being held, he talked about their
03:47suffering. He also did take time to talk about the suffering of the Palestinian people who are going
03:53through hell, he said, which is, of course, not of their own making. So he seemed to be trying to
03:58strike a slightly more balanced tone. But, of course, Biden's come under intense criticism
04:01here at the United Nations for the United States' steadfast support of Israel. Now, he reminded
04:10all the delegates here that it was the United States that pushed for this Security Council
04:14resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. But the fact of the matter is that has not worked
04:19and now we have the risk of the war becoming a full-blown regional war in the Middle East. He
04:26talked about that and about his desire to push for diplomacy. He said that it is not too late.
04:33Jessica Lamazzeria for us there at the United Nations in New York. Thanks very much.