António Guterres was speaking to reporters on the eve of the opening of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in the Brazilian city. ‘A simple message’ “I have come to Rio with a simple message: G20 leaders must lead,” he said. “G20 countries – by definition – have tremendous economic clout. They...
“You have every right to be angry. I am angry too,” the UN chief posted on social media on Thursday following his meeting with youth representatives and young environmental activists. “I am angry because we are on the verge of the climate abyss, and I don’t see enough urgency or...
“The sound you hear is the ticking clock. We are in the final countdown to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. And time is not on our side,” he warned. In his opening remarks to the World Leaders Climate Action Summit, the ministerial-level segment of COP29, which officially...
He urged the bloc to help forge a more equitable global finance system, boost climate action, improve access to technology and work towards peace, particularly in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine and Sudan. BRICS was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, who were later jointed by South Africa, Iran,...
“Civilians must be respected and protected at all times” and the UN chief “remains deeply alarmed by the rapidly deteriorating situation for civilians in northern Gaza, including mass displacement and the lack of essentials for survival,” said UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq, briefing reporters in New York. Mr. Guterres called...
The grassroots movement of survivors of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, known as hibakusha, is committed to achieving a nuclear-free world – a top priority for the UN. Mr. Guterres described the hibakusha as “selfless, soul-bearing witnesses of the horrific human cost of nuclear weapons.” Although their...
“That’s why I have written directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express profound concern about draft legislation that could prevent UNRWA from continuing its essential work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” he said at the Security Council stakeout in New York. He said such a measure would suffocate...
The horrific attack by Gaza-based militants also saw more than 250 abducted, including many women and children. “It is time for the release of the hostages. Time to silence the guns. Time to stop the suffering that has engulfed the region,” said António Guterres, calling for peace, the restoration of...
UN humanitarians launched a $426 million appeal for Lebanon on Tuesday to support one million people uprooted by widespread Israeli shelling amid what Israel has described as a “limited, localised and targeted” ground operation into Lebanon, across the UN-patrolled line of separation....
Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric issued a statement saying that UN chief António Guterres was “extremely concerned” by the fast escalation of the conflict. “An all-out war must be avoided in Lebanon at all costs, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon must be respected”, Mr. Dujarric added. The UN chief...
This follows Israeli airstrikes in southern suburbs of the city that targeted the leader of the Hezbollah armed group, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed, according to media reports. The development comes amid escalating violence between Israeli forces and Hezbollah along the UN-patrolled line of separation in southern Lebanon known as...
The UN Security Council debated the current situation on the ground in war-torn Gaza on Friday, where Israeli strikes have killed more than 41,500 Palestinians amid mass displacement and stymied humanitarian efforts as Israel continues hampering the entry of lifesaving aid. UN News app users can catch up with our...