“We need a course correction”, urged António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, as he presented his priorities for the year. Humanity faces a stark and urgent choice: breakdown or breakthrough. The choices we make — or fail to make — today could result in further breakdown and a future of perpetual crises, or a breakthrough to a better, more sustainable, peaceful future for our people and planet. Our Common Agenda is an agenda of action, designed to strengthen and accelerate multilateral agreements – particularly the 2030 Agenda – and make a tangible difference in people’s lives.

Chun Jie Kuai Le! (春节快乐！Happy Lunar New Year!) UN Secretary-General António Guterres sends his greetings for good health, prosperity and happiness to the millions of people who celebrate the beginning of the Lunar New Year—in 2023, the Year of the Rabbit. “The rabbit is a symbol of energy and dexterity,” Guterres says in his video message. “These are qualities we need as humanity faces hardship and tests.” In his greetings, the Secretary-General also encourages the international community “to advance peace, sustainable development and a better world for all.” Xie Xie! (谢谢Thank You!)

"In 2023, we need peace, now more than ever. Peace with one another, through dialogue to end conflict. Peace with nature and our climate, to build a more sustainable world. Peace in the home, so women and girls can live in dignity and safety", says the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, in his message to the world for 2023. 

August 18, 2022, marks the fourth anniversary of the passing of Kofi Annan. Born in Ghana, Mr. Annan was the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations. He headed the Organization for two successive terms, beginning in 1997. Credited with revitalizing the UN institutions, shaping what he called a new “norm of humanitarian intervention”. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001. His legacy lives on as we strive to create a more peaceful world.

During his two-day visit to Niger in May, UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, saw first-hand the country’s complex and growing humanitarian crisis. Persistent insecurity in Niger has taken a toll on education; 800 schools have closed nationwide, affecting 69,443 students, including 33,546 girls. OCHA supports projects to ensure access to education for about 7,410 children by building 25 classrooms and training 132 teachers in the Tillabéri region.

I send my warmest wishes as millions of Muslims around the world begin the holy month of Ramadan. This is a period of compassion and empathy… a time for reflection and learning… an opportunity to come together and uplift each other.

9 February 2022 - The COVID-19 pandemic could be defeated this year but only if vaccines, tests and treatments are made available to all people, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday. 

While COVID-19 remains an emergency, other global challenges require our action, as well. UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, flags the following priorities: continuing the fight against the pandemic, reform of the global financial system for a better recovery; bold action on the climate crisis; using technology to our advantage and addressing the digital divide; and securing sustainable peace across the world. Our response to these emergencies will determine the course for human beings on this planet for decades to come. Watch the briefing on UN Web TV.

"Recovery from the pandemic — with a bold plan to vaccinate every person, everywhere.
Recovery for our economies — with wealthier countries supporting the developing world with financing, investment and debt relief.
Recovery from mistrust and division — with a new emphasis on science, facts and reason.
Recovery from conflicts — with a renewed spirit of dialogue, compromise and reconciliation.
And recovery for our planet — with climate commitments that match the scale and urgency of the crisis."

- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres

The COVID-19 pandemic has served as a wakeup call. With the climate crisis also looming, we are at an inflection point in history. Humanity faces a stark and urgent choice: breakdown or breakthrough. The choices we make today could result in further breakdown and a future of perpetual crises. Conversely, we aim for a breakthrough to a better, more sustainable, peaceful future for our people and planet. Our Common Agenda is an agenda of action, designed to strengthen and accelerate multilateral agreements – particularly the 2030 Agenda – and make a tangible difference in people’s lives.

The Secretary-General’s Guidance Note on Behavioural Science encourages all UN colleagues to apply behavioural science to enhance policy development, programme implementation and simplify processes. A corner stone of the Secretary-General’s agenda to reform the UN, behavioural science refers to an evidence-based study of how people behave, make decisions and respond to programmes, policies and incentives. The launch also marks the opening of the UN Behavioural Science Week. Join the UN Behavioural Science Group to learn more, connect and collaborate with colleagues from across the UN system.

“In life, things wouldn’t always go as you wanted to but you have to learn how to roll with the punches,” frontline worker Peaches Dinnoo tells United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in their one-on-one conversation about the challenges she faces raising children, working at home and coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Dinnoo talks about how balance is the key as she raises two children in online school while also working in their shared space.

Action for Peacekeeping, launched by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in 2018, reaches its third anniversary.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has been teetering on the brink of a global debt crisis. One year on from the Secretary-General’s policy brief on debt, he is launching a second policy brief, entitled Liquidity and Debt Solutions to Invest in the SDGs: The Time to Act is Now. The brief provides an overview of the still unfolding crisis, steps taken to date, and the additional measures that are needed. It calls for the creation of a new debt architecture, based on transparency, sustainability, responsible borrowing and lending, and fair burden sharing. A high-level virtual meeting underscores the urgency of this initiative.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres addressed the opening of the High-level segment of the 46th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, with a call to do even more to bring to life the Call to Action for Human Rights. The Call to Action is the Secretary-General’s transformative vision for human rights. Underpinning the work of the entire UN system, human rights are essential to addressing the broad causes and impacts of all complex crises, and to building sustainable, safe, and peaceful societies.