Europe

16 February 2018, Munich

Address at the Opening Ceremony of the Munich Security Conference

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an enormous pleasure for me to be back since last year’s session. 

And if I remember well, last year, on discussing the global threats we are facing, I concentrated on, in the absence of power clear relations, on the multiplication of new conflicts and at the same time the fact old conflicts seem never to die, be it in Afghanistan, Somalia, or in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

21 December 2017, The Hague

Opening remarks at press conference with Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands

Thank you very much. I want to pay tribute to the Netherlands as an extremely reliable partner of the United Nations. The Netherlands is today a very important pillar of multilateralism in a moment in which multilateralism is put into question in different situations. The Netherlands have been leading in key aspects of the interests of not only the UN but the international community as a whole - in relation to climate change, in relation to development cooperation in humanitarian aid, in relation to peace and security, in relation to human rights.

21 December 2017, The Hague

Remarks at Closing Ceremony for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)

Your Majesty [King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands],
Mr President,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
It is an honour to be here today to commemorate the closing of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
And I wish to express my gratitude to His Majesty and the Government of The Netherlands for hosting us in this beautiful and historic Hall of Knights.
 

22 December 2017, The Hague

Remarks at the opening of the Centre for Humanitarian Data

Dear Minister,
Dear Mark,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is indeed a great pleasure to be here this morning in the company of our hosts, representing not only the City of The Hague but the Government of the Netherlands and also with my colleague the OCHA head [USG Mark Lowcock], to open this Centre for Humanitarian Data. 

This is a signpost for the future. 

It shows how the technologies that are revolutionizing every aspect of our lives can be harnessed to help and support vulnerable people all over the world. 

22 December 2017, The Hague

Remarks at joint event with cabinet ministers, academia and civil society of the Netherlands: “Security Central: The United Nations and Current Threats To International Peace and Security”

I am delighted to be visiting the Netherlands because it is always a pleasure to visit a country whose government and people are such strong supporters of the United Nations and so clearly committed to multilateralism in the difficult times that multilateralism is facing in the present world.
 

12 December 2017, Paris

Remarks at One Planet summit

President Macron,
Excellencies,
World Bank President Jim Kim,
Ladies and gentlemen,
 
We are not yet winning the war on climate change -- the defining challenge of our times.
 
The Paris Agreement lays the basis for ambitious action.
 
But we know that current commitments will not get us there.
 
Every day, in every region, the front pages are dominated by weather-related disasters – storms, floods, droughts, fires.
 
My recent visit to Barbuda and Dominica was truly heart-breaking and eye-opening.

16 November 2017, London

Speech at SOAS, University of London, on “Counter-terrorism and human rights: winning the fight while upholding our values”

I thank SOAS and Valerie Amos for bringing us together this evening.

As Valerie said, I had the luck of being working side by side with her to support the most vulnerable of the vulnerable in the most tragic of circumstances.

And I have to tell you that she is a leading humanitarian, a fantastic colleague and a very dear friend.

And I also want to thank all of you for being here to talk about one of the most difficult and challenging issues of our time: Combating the global threat of terrorism, without compromising our respect for human rights.

15 November 2017, Bonn

Opening statement to the press at COP23

Good afternoon,

The COP23 takes place in a moment where we dramatically feel that we need urgency and ambition when thinking and acting about climate action.

The reports recently published show that the level of CO2 in the atmosphere is the highest since 800.000 years ago. And unfortunately, in 2017, we see for the first time in the last three years the emissions of greenhouse gases rising again.

15 November 2017, Bon

Remarks at the High-level event at COP23

Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the United Nations Climate Conference (COP23) in Bonn, Germany. Photo: UNFCCC

Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I thank Prime Minister Bainimarana for his remarks. And I want to congratulate him for his remarkable Presidency of COP23. My sincere gratitude for the excellent work that Fiji, the Government of Fiji and yourself, Prime Minister, have done.

And you are right.  We need more ambition.  We must go further and faster together.

It is fitting that this year’s conference is led by Fiji, a nation on the frontlines. 

09 July 2017, Kyiv

Press remarks with President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine

Ladies and gentlemen of the press,
 
I want, first of all, to express my very deep gratitude to President [Petro] Poroshenko for his very warm welcome and his invitation that allowed me to be here today.