Venezuela seeking rebirth after political crisis and devastating earthquakes, President tells UN

Addressing the General Assembly, President Rodríguez said her country had endured two major tests in 2026: a political crisis linked to a dispute with the United States and a devastating double earthquake that struck on 24 June.

“In spite of these life’s bitter blows,” she said, Venezuela today is “being reborn.”

The President described a nation recovering from both political division and natural disaster, while working to restore international relations and strengthen democratic institutions.

Relations with the US

In her speech to the Assembly’s annual high-level debate, President Rodríguez welcomed what she described as a new phase in ties with Washington, thanking President Donald Trump and his administration for their willingness to resume diplomatic relations and cooperation.

She highlighted a recent agreement between Venezuela and the United States, calling it one of the most significant accords ever signed between the two countries.

According to the President, both sides are seeking to resolve differences through dialogue while expanding cooperation in energy, security and efforts to combat transnational crime.

“We are working solemnly to, through dialogue, settle our differences,” she said.

She added that Venezuela wanted relations with the US, neighbouring countries and the wider international community to be based on “respect and equality”.

Recovery after disaster

President Rodríguez also thanked countries across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, as well as the wider UN system, for supporting Venezuela after the earthquakes.

She said the disaster had left the country facing one of the darkest periods in its history.

“Venezuela felt the real spirit that inspired the creation of this organization,” she said, expressing gratitude for international solidarity.

The President stressed that recovery would involve more than rebuilding damaged infrastructure.

“A nation cannot only be reborn by rebuilding buildings; rather, it is reborn when it rebuilds trust in its institutions,” she said.

Democratic transition

President Rodríguez announced that Venezuela had begun what she described as “an orderly, institutional, and verifiable” democratic transition.

She said reforms would include a review of state institutions, judicial changes and dialogue with opposition groups.

“There will be elections,” she told delegates, adding that political discussions were underway to ensure all sides could compete “on an equal footing”.

Calling on the international community to support the process while respecting Venezuela’s sovereignty, she said the country aimed to move “from uncertainty and conflict to a full democracy which is recognized by its own people and the world.”

To Venezuelans still recovering from the earthquakes and years of division, she offered a message of hope: “Let us walk united as one nation that decided, in the wake of pain, to choose hope.”