STORY: UN chief calls for effective multilateral institutions to tackle global challenges
DATELINE: Sept. 20, 2023
LENGTH: 00:08:41
LOCATION: UN Headquarters
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of UN Headquarters
2. various of UNGA Hall
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
4. various of delegates
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
6. various of delegates
7. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
8. various of delegates
9. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
10. various of delegates
11. SOUNDBITE 5 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General

STORYLINE:

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for effective multilateral institutions to tackle global challenges.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General"The world has changed. Our institutions have not. We cannot effectively address problems as they are if institutions do not reflect the world as it is. Instead of solving problems, they risk becoming part of the problem."

In his "state-of-the-world" report right before the opening of this year's General Debate of the UN General Assembly, Guterres warned that the world is becoming "unhinged."

"Geopolitical tensions are rising. Global challenges are mounting. And we seem incapable of coming together to respond," he said.

The world confronts a host of existential threats, from the climate crisis to disruptive technologies, and the world is undergoing a chaotic transition, he noted.

For much of the Cold War, international relations were largely seen through the prism of two superpowers. Then came a short period of unipolarity. Now the world is rapidly moving toward a multipolar world. This is, in many ways, positive. It brings new opportunities for justice and balance in international relations. But multipolarity alone cannot guarantee peace, he said.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Europe was truly multipolar as it had numerous powers. But it lacked robust multilateral institutions and the result was World War I, he said.

A multipolar world needs strong and effective multilateral institutions. Yet global governance is stuck in time, he warned.

The UN Security Council and the Bretton Woods system reflect the political and economic realities of 1945, when many countries in today's UN General Assembly were still under colonial domination.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General"And, indeed, divides are deepening. Divides among economic and military powers. Divides between North and South, East and West. We are inching ever closer to a Great Fracture in economic and financial systems and trade relations; one that threatens a single, open internet; with diverging strategies on technology and artificial intelligence; and potentially clashing security frameworks. It is high time to renew multilateral institutions based on 21st century economic and political realities, rooted in equity, solidarity and universality and anchored in the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law."

That means reforming the Security Council in line with the world of today. It means redesigning the international financial architecture so that it becomes truly universal and serves as a global safety net for developing countries in trouble, he said.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General"I have no illusions. Reforms are a question of power. I know there are many competing interests and agendas. But the alternative to reform is not the status quo. The alternative to reform is further fragmentation. It's reform or rupture."

Guterres called for compromise.

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General"Our world needs statesmanship, not gamesmanship and gridlock. As I told the G20 (Group of 20), it is time for a global compromise. Politics is compromise. Diplomacy is compromise. Effective leadership is compromise. Leaders have a social responsibility to achieve compromise in building a common future of peace and prosperity for our common good."

Multilateral action has produced results over the past year, with important new agreements on safeguarding biodiversity, on protecting the high seas, on climate loss and damage, and on the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, he noted. 

"We have all the tools and resources to solve our shared challenges. What we need is determination." He called for determination to uphold the UN Charter's pledge for peace.

The world is witnessing a surge of conflicts, coups and chaos. If every country fulfilled its obligations under the UN Charter, the right to peace would be guaranteed. When countries break those pledges, they create a world of insecurity for everyone, he said.

SOUNDBITE 5 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General"Nuclear threats put us all at risk. Ignoring global treaties and conventions makes us all less safe. And the poisoning of global diplomacy obstructs progress across the board. We must not relent in working for peace - a just peace in line with the UN Charter and international law."

Peace is inextricably linked to sustainable development, he said. "We see a familiar pattern around the world: the closer a country is to conflict, the farther it is from the Sustainable Development Goals."

Guterres called for reform of the international financial institutions.

The international financial architecture is dysfunctional, outdated and unjust. The deep reforms that are needed will not happen overnight, he said. "But we can take determined steps now to help countries weather crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic have dramatically impacted."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from UN Headquarters.
(XHTV)