UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the UN General Assembly today on the topics of peace, security, equality and human rights. He spoke for about 30 minutes to leaders from around the world.
"80 years ago, in a world torn by war, our leaders made a choice: they chose cooperation over chaos, peace over war," Guterres said at the beginning of his speech. "That choice led to the creation of the United Nations, not as a dream of perfection, but as a practical strategy for the survival of humanity," he added.
"The United Nations is more than a meeting place. It is a moral compass, a force for peace and peacekeeping, a guardian of international law, a catalyst for sustainable development, and the hub that translates your decisions, the decisions of Member States, into action," Guterres stressed.
"Our world is becoming increasingly multipolar. And that is positive because it reflects a more diverse and dynamic global landscape. But multipolarity without effective multilateral institutions can lead to chaos," the UN Secretary-General warned.
Guterres also spoke about commitments to the UN Charter.
"The Charter is not optional. It is our foundation. And when the foundation cracks, everything that is built on it falls apart," Guterres said. "Around the world, we see countries behaving as if the rules don't apply to them. We see people being treated as less than human. And we must condemn it," he added.
Guterres said that "impunity is the mother of chaos - and it has given rise to some of the most horrific conflicts of our time."
He drew attention to the situation in Sudan, where "civilians are being slaughtered, starved and forced into silence, and women and girls are being subjected to unspeakable violence."
As expected, Guterres also touched on the war in Ukraine.
"In Ukraine, ruthless violence continues to kill civilians, destroy civilian infrastructure and threaten global peace and security," he said.
On the subject of Gaza, Guterres announced that "the horrors have continued for almost a second monstrous year. They are the result of decisions that contradict fundamental human values."
"The scale of death and destruction exceeds any other conflict I have seen in my years as Secretary-General", the diplomat pointed out.
"We must choose human dignity and human rights. Human rights are not an ornament to peace - they are its foundation", stressed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.