General News

United Nations Secretary-General's New Year's Message

UN chief António Guterres had a dire warning message for the world at Columbia University in New York on Wednesday, urging humanity to end the war against nature which has seen a collapse in biodiversity, record global warming and ocean temperature rises, and a global pandemic.

But he also said there was plenty of room for hope that a new, sustainable world can emerge from the pandemic, and an international coaltion of nations commited to net neutrality, by 2050. Here's his concluding remarks as he makes climate action the UN's top priority for the 21st Century.

UN Secretary-General's press encounter on Libya, in New York, on 23 October 2020.

The UN Secretary-General stressed the importance in the Security Council on Tuesday, of rallying the world as one to fight COVID-19, by silencing the guns in conflicts across the world. He used the example of Yemen and the urgent need to end the fighting there.

A global ceasefire has never been more important he told ambassadors.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres makes the opening remarks at the key climate action event of the UN General Assembly, UNGA75, on 24 September 2020.

UN Secretary-General's address to the Opening of the General Debate of the 75th Session of the General Assembly, on Tuesday, 22 September 2020.

UN Secretary-General's opening remarks at #UNGA press conference, on 16 September 2020

“New York City has always been proud to host the United Nations”, Penny Abeywardena, New York City’s Commissioner for International Affairs told UN News.

Although the COVID-19 virus outbreak has been designated a pandemic, containment is still possible, and there is no need to panic. This is the official advice from the World Health Organization (WHO). 

After he took part in a media briefing at the UN health agency’s headquarters on Friday, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jašarević spoke to Daniel Johnson from UN News about the appropriate responses need by governments and citizens worldwide to the outbreak. 

It’s time that humankind realizes “that nature doesn’t exist for us”, the Head of the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) office in New York has said, just ahead of World Wildlife Day.

Assistant Secretary-General Satya Tripathi described 2020 as a “super year for nature”, warning that we are currently standing on “the precipice of complete annihilation”.