UNIS/SGSM/1449
22 October 2024
The United Nations was built by the world, for the world.
Since 1945, it has been the place for countries to unite behind global solutions to global problems.
Solutions that ease tensions, build bridges and forge peace.
Solutions to eradicate poverty, spur sustainable development, and stand up for the most vulnerable.
Solutions that deliver lifesaving relief to people living through conflicts, violence, economic hardship, and climate disasters.
Solutions that level the scales of justice and equality for women and girls.
Solutions that tackle issues that were unimaginable in 1945 — climate change, digital technology, artificial intelligence, and outer space.
In September, the General Assembly adopted the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations.
Together, these milestone agreements will help ensure that the United Nations system adapts, reforms and rejuvenates, so it is fit for the changes and challenges around us and delivers solutions for all.
But our work will always be rooted in the timeless values and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and in the dignity and human rights of every person.
In today’s troubled world, hope is not enough.
Hope requires determined action and multilateral solutions for peace, shared prosperity and a thriving planet.
Hope requires all countries working as one.
Hope requires the United Nations.
On United Nations Day, I call on all countries to keep this beacon for the world, and its ideals, shining.
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"The transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans was a crime against humanity that resonates through history and continues to scar societies." — António Guterres
"United Nations personnel serve some of the world's most vulnerable people while aspiring to our highest ideals: peace, dignity, equality and justice." — António Guterres
The retreat of glaciers in the Upper Danube River Basin is one of the most alarming consequences of climate change, says the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) as it joins the global community in commemorating World Water Day 2025.
"The theme of this year's World Meteorological Day – Closing the Early Warning Gap Together – reminds us that, in this new climate reality, early warning systems are not luxuries." — António Guterres
