Secretary-General António Guterres speaking with school children during a visit to the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. UN Photo/Sahem Rababah
The present report provides a snapshot of the work of the Organization in a world steeped in contradictory and complex challenges. Millions have been lifted out of poverty yet millions of others face the threat of famine. Globalization has brought prosperity to many yet others have been cruelly left behind, excluded and caught in a system of inequality and rising xenophobia. The world has witnessed the massive migration of people fleeing violent conflict on a scale not seen since the Second World War and the undeniable megatrend of climate change and its multiplier effects demand global action, yet multilateralism is being questioned at a time when we most need coherent global responses to these interconnected events. No nation acting alone can resolve these crises. The United Nations is the gravitational centre for dialogue and cooperation to find common solutions, and with its concentrated support Member States have reached two landmark agreements: the 2030 Agenda and the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. Taken together, they demonstrate that nations have the will to work multilaterally when they see a driving need. They represent a clear road map to a mutual destination: taking care of our shared global home.
The United Nations must be up to the challenge. I have laid out a number of reform proposals to make the Organization more effective, flexible and nimble, with a renewed culture of prevention permeating all our work. Ultimately, future generations will judge the United Nations by our ability to make our norms and aspirations a reality, particularly for those who suffer the most. The onus falls on the United Nations to prove its worth.
The onus falls on the United Nations to prove its worth