The 6 Longest Speeches Given At United Nations

The Longest Statement made at the United Nations (UN) was given by VK Krishna Menon of India in year 1957.

According to the Guinness World Records, the longest statement made at the United Nations (UN) was given by Indian citizen VK Krishna Menon in year 1957.

Menon in that speech as India’s representative to the UN defended India’s position on Kashmir.  The Menon’s speech lasted more than eight hours during three meetings of the Security Council.

According to the document called the “List of Speeches and Visits Made by Heads of State and Dignitaries (1945-1976)”, the longest timed speech was made by Fidel Castro of Cuba at the 872nd plenary meeting of the General Assembly on 26 September 1960. The time listed is 269 minutes.

Here’s a list of 6 longest speeches made at United Nations.

Here’s a list of 6 longest speeches made at United Nations.

1. V.K. Krishna Menon (8 hours); 2. Fidel Castro (269 minutes); 3. Sékou Touré (144 minutes); 4. Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (140 minutes); 5. Dr. Soekarno (121 minutes); 6. Colonel Muammar Al-Qadhafi (96 minutes).

In 1949, Menon accepted the command of the Indian delegation to the UN, a position he would hold until 1962.

He earned a reputation for wisdom in the UN, often engineering sophisticated solutions to complex international political issues, including a Peace plan for Korea, a ceasefire in Indo-China, the deadlocked disarmament talks, and the French withdrawal from the UN over Algeria.

Menon was described by some as the second Most Powerful man in India, after his ally, 1st Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru.

Currently, Rule 72 of the UN General Assembly’s Rules of Procedure concerns the length of statements in formal meetings. The Rules of Procedure have been amended over the years.