Commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, and the six million Jews and others murdered on Nazi orders during the Holocaust, Secretary-General António Guterres told a ceremony in New York that the world must “re-commit to preventing any repetition of those crimes”.

Against the backdrop of a constant stream of attacks targeting Jews, their institutions and property, Secretary-General António Guterres warned of a global crisis of antisemitic hatred. As we see a deeply worrying resurgence in antisemitic attacks around the world, “solidarity in the face of hatred is needed today more than ever”, the UN chief told an annual Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony at New York City’s historic Park East Synagogue.

Speaking at a major, high-level summit on Libya, held in the German capital Berlin, Secretary-General António Guterres evoked the disastrous humanitarian situation faced by thousands of civilians, as conflict in the North African country grows deeper and more destructive. “We will stand with the Libyan people as they work to resolve their differences through discussion and compromise in good faith”, he concluded, “and chart a way to a more peaceful future”.

Haitians had been starting a new year with optimism, recalls Secretary-General António Guterres at the wreath-laying, but “in a few seconds, their hopes turned to dust.” Although 12 January 2010, was one of the darkest days in its history, Haiti “drew on the courage and determination of its people and the assistance of its many friends. Roads were cleared, homes were rebuilt, schools were reopened, businesses got back to work,” Mr. Guterres noted.  

In the wake of an Iranian ballistic missile attack on air bases which house US forces in Iraq, Secretary-General says that he would “continue his active engagement” to de-escalate tensions and avert full-scale war.