Guterres emphasizes ‘hope through action’ for 2025, amid continuing turmoil

In his traditional New Year’s speech comes General Assembly Setting out his key priorities for the global body, the UN chief acknowledged “the chaos of our world” and admitted that it was “understandable to be overwhelmed”.

However, Mr. Guterres called on delegates “Never lose progress and potential”, highlighting the ceasefire in Lebanon which “largely held” and the country’s recent Presidential election, after two years of deadlock.

Away from the world’s battlefields, the UN chief highlighted positive developments on climate action that reflect the UN’s commitment to combating global warming, such as “The world today invests nearly twice as much in clean energy as in fossil fuels…almost everywhere, solar and wind are now the cheapest – and fastest growing – sources of new electricity in history,” he said.

And as a measure of the level of socio-economic progress that has been achieved in accordance with the values ​​of the United Nations, Mr. Guterres noted that “In much of the world, girls have achieved equality in education. Furthermore, in terms of health, “more children are surviving today than ever before,” before adding that the number of HIV infections “continues to decline significantly, along with malaria mortality.” .

He described the United Nations as “construction force” that always underpins the way it works and delivers results, proving the adage that global problems need global solutions.

Pandora’s box

But there can be no illusion that action or inaction has “unleashed the modern-day Pandora’s Box of Disease,” he continued, highlighting long wars, inequality, the climate crisis and “ Technology is out of control.

Conflict is growing, with the full range of human rights under increasing attack.

Mr. Guterres called on negotiators who are said to be close to reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza to finalize the agreement. Across the Middle East”We must reject the extremists’ veto of a peaceful futurehe said.

He announced that he would travel to Lebanon later in the day, encouraged by positive developments there in recent weeks that could see Israelis and Lebanese forge an era of peace and security. new and long-lasting security.

He highlighted conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, the Sahel and Haiti.

Addressing inequality

“Inequality can be defeated,” he said boldly, starting by speeding up the above progress Sustainable development goals (SDGs) through multilateral reforms on all fronts.

He said the scourge of discrimination and hate speech was also fueling inequality, demonstrating the need to strengthen “communities of belonging”: “This is even more important as barriers around social media platforms are being dismantled, allowing misinformation and hate speech to spread..”

Climate crisis

Referring to the fires engulfing canyons in Los Angeles, the United Nations chief said people around the world are suffering the deadly effects of a warming planet and extreme weather.

But there is also a huge opportunity here to reverse the damage and build on climate action such as renewable energy growth, net zero commitments and national plans to cut emissions.

The United Nations is supporting nearly 100 developing countries with climate action plans ahead of the crucial COP30 in Brazil later this year and he promised to hold a special stocktaking event to keep the 1.5oC target within reach.

Technology race

The Secretary-General said the technological revolution in 2025 also offers “unprecedented opportunities” but requires careful management and a commitment to equitable access for all.

Swift and decisive action must be taken across the United Nations to ensure a level playing field, including the establishment of an independent International Scientific Panel on AI – without delay.

Monday, AI governance must protect human rights while promoting innovation. Third, developing countries must be supported so that AI can be leveraged for sustainable development, he said.

“Human hands must control strictlyHe further spoke about the technological revolution with every country helping to shape AI to promote progress, equality and human dignity.

Hope is still there

Finally, he notes that the Pandora myth includes an often overlooked detail. After the box was opened to release the horror, only one thing remained inside – hope.

“We must never lose hope”, Mr. Guterres said. “And we will endeavor to extinguish that hope through action. To make it happen, help it spread – stick to the principles, speak the truth, never give up.”