Just nine days ago, many of the world’s challenges coalesced in an awful hellscape. Thousands of people in Derna, Libya lost their lives in epic, unprecedented flooding. They were victims many times over: victims of years of conflict, victims of climate chaos, victims of leaders near and far who fai…
I thank the United Kingdom for convening the first debate on artificial intelligence (AI) ever held in the Security Council.
I have been following the development of AI for some time. Indeed, I told the General Assembly six years ago that AI would have a dramatic impact on sustainable development, …
I thank the Government of the United Arab Emirates for convening this important debate on the values of human fraternity in promoting and sustaining peace. It is an immense privilege to be joined today by His Eminence Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, and His Excellency Ar…
I am very pleased to join everyone for the election of the President of the General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session.
I would like to congratulate the esteemed President- elect, His Excellency Dennis Francis of Trinidad and Tobago, on being elected to lead the next session.
However, allow me…
I thank the Government of Switzerland for convening this important debate and President Spoljaric Egger and Ms. Mounkaïla for joining us.
Less than six weeks have passed since war erupted in the Sudan. In that time, hundreds of civilians have been killed, including United Nations personnel. Some 25…
Allow me to say a few words before my colleagues provide their briefings.
For 10 days, the Sudan has been ravaged by a deadly conflict, despite calls for a ceasefire from inside and outside the country. At least 450 people have been killed, including four members of our United Nations family. More …
Allow me to start my remarks with a few words on the Sudan, where the situation continues to worsen. Since the start of fighting on 15 April, hundreds of people have been killed and
thousands have been injured. The violence must stop. It risks a catastrophic conflagration within the Sudan that coul…
Earlier this month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirmed that humans are responsible for virtually all global heating over the past 200 years. The IPCC report showed that limiting the overall temperature rise to 1.5°C is achievable, but time is running out. The window for a…
I commend the Government of Mozambique for convening this timely debate.
(spoke in English)
Terrorism is the root cause and the result of many of the problems under the consideration of the Security Council. Terrorism tightens its grip by seeking out and exploiting weaknesses and instability in po…
It is an honour to join you in commemorating the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The evil enterprise of enslavement lasted for more than 400 years. It was the largest legally sanctioned forced migration in human history. Millions of Afric…
I am pleased to join the General Assembly for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Today we recall the Sharpeville massacre of 1960, and pay tribute to the heroes of the struggle against apartheid and all those who have fought racism and racial discrimination around th…
The purposes and principles embedded in the Charter of the United Nations are not a matter of convenience. They are not merely words on paper. They are at the core of who we are. They reflect the driving mission of our United Nations. And they exist precisely to address any grievance, whatever it mi…
My thanks go to the Government of Malta for shining a light on the dramatic implications of rising sea levels for global peace and security.
Rising seas are sinking futures. Sea level rise is not only a threat in itself; it is a threat multiplier. For the hundreds of millions of people living in sm…
Before we begin, I want to convey my deep sadness about the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria. I extend my condolences to the families of the victims. The United Nations is mobilizing to support the emergency response, so let us work together in solidarity to assist all those hit by the d…
I congratulate Japan on its presidency at the beginning of its tenure on the Security Council, and I thank you, Sir, for opening the new year with this debate on the rule of law. I also welcome my two fellow briefers — Judge Joan E. Donoghue, President of the International Court of Justice, and Pro…
Strengthening multilat eralism to address today’s global challenges has been my highest priority since assuming office as Secretary- General. My report Our Common Agenda (A/75/982) and the process it has initiated are aimed above all at reinvigorating multilateralism to deal with today’s in tercon…
The ocean is life, the ocean is livelihoods and the ocean binds humankind together across history and cultures, from the air we breathe to the atmosphere that sustains all life, to the ocean-based industries that employ some 40 million people and to the species that call the ocean home.
Four decade…
I thank the Government of Ghana for organizing this open debate on integrating effective resilience-building in peace operations for sustainable peace.
Our peace operations, which include peacekeeping operations and special political missions, provide the space for political solutions. They help to…
I thank Gabon for hosting this important meeting on cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union. I also welcome my dear friend Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, to the United Nations.
I am pleased that we can take this opportunity to celebrate th…
The people of Pakistan are the victims of a grim calculus of climate injustice. Pakistan is responsible for less than 1 per cent of global greenhouse-gas emissions, yet it is paying a supersized price for man-made climate change. One month ago, I travelled there and saw a level of climate carnage be…
