Building a global coalition for carbon neutrality by mid-century will be the UN’s “central objective”, the world body’s top official told a conference on climate action. “All countries need credible mid-term goals and plans that are aligned with this objective”, Secretary-General António Guterres said, addressing the virtual COP26 Roundtable on Clean Power Transition. “To achieve net zero emissions by 2050, we need an urgent transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy”. 

In his first major speech of the year, Secretary-General António Guterres underlined the need for global cooperation to address today’s challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, during a virtual event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the first meeting of the UN General Assembly, which was held in London. “The work of the General Assembly has helped to boost global health, literacy, and living standards, and to promote human rights and gender equality,” he said, reflecting on some of its accomplishments since then.

Secretary-General António Guterres underlines the critical role of the Security Council in addressing links between fragility and conflict, two of the greatest obstacles to achieving sustainable development across the world. Mr. Guterres was speaking during a high-level virtual debate of the Council to examine the challenges of maintaining peace and security in fragile or conflict-affected countries. 

Addressing the Bundestag, the German parliament, Secretary-General António Guterres warned of a deficit of international cooperation and underscored that global challenges require global solutions. The COVID-19 pandemic, a generational global economic crisis, and faltering progress on sustainable development and gender equality were some of the challenges he outlined in a speech, delivered in German.

Throughout a challenging year, Germany has been a reliable, generous and “exemplary” friend to multilateralism, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told journalists. During a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas at the Bundestag, he recalled a global UN survey of some 1.5 million participants, in which 99 per cent of Germans “affirmed their commitment to multilateralism, and international cooperation, to solve the problems of today's world…by far, the largest percentage” of any one nation.