“In the face of isolationism, protectionism, racism — the simple concept of looking outwardly and beyond ourselves, of kindness and collectivism, might just be as good a starting point as any,” said Ms. Ardern, 38, who this week became the first head of state to bring her baby — 3-month-old Neve Gayford — to the United Nations.

In her speech, she repeatedly called on members to commit to rebuilding global institutions, not consign them to history.

Ms. Ardern said that instead of seeking to “blame the nameless, faceless other,” world leaders must instead “rebuild and recommit to multilateralism.”

Visiting the United Nations for the first time, Ms. Ardern devoted a large portion of her speech to climate change, the effects of which she called “not academic, or even arguable.” Ms. Ardern later received a round of applause when she spoke about gender equality.

“MeToo must become WeToo,” Ms. Ardern said. She noted while New Zealand had just marked its 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage — it was the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote — it has also struggled with a gender pay gap, a disproportionate number of women in low-paid work and high levels of domestic violence. — CHARLOTTE GRAHAM-MCLAY

Rights Council votes to document war crimes in Myanmar

As speeches from world leaders proceeded at the General Assembly in New York on Thursday, the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva voted to establish a mechanism for gathering and preserving evidence of war crimes against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

The move is seen by some legal experts as an important step toward accountability and justice for the Rohingya.