World leaders called for a renewed commitment to multilateralism and the founding principles of the United Nations Charter at a special session at the General Assembly on Monday, as the United Nations marked its 80th founding anniversary.
The theme of this year's historic meeting -- "Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development, and human rights" -- was emphasized in several speeches, as was the need to strengthen the United Nations Charter, which was born from the ruins of war. The one-hour commemoration mixed historical reflection with urgent appeals.
UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations comes at a turning point, and UN member states must choose the right path to show the world that they can be better together, she said, adding that "better together" is more than a motto, but a hard-won truth and a commitment for the next 80 years.
"Better together means to act where action is hard, to choose dialogue and diplomacy when division is easier. Hope, at this 80th anniversary, means that this session is remembered not only for its milestone year, but as the moment when we called on extraordinary resolve equal to the extraordinary challenges we face," said Baerbock.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world organization's guiding principles are "under assault as never before," pointing to conflicts, hunger and climate chaos.
He emphasized that to address these challenges, it is not only necessary to defend the status of the United Nations, but also to strengthen its role.
"The principles of the United Nations are under assault as never before. As we meet, civilians are targeted and international law trampled. As we meet, poverty and hunger are on the rise as progress on the Sustainable Development Goals falters. As we meet, the planet burns with fires, floods and record heat raging through climate chaos. And at the same time, we are moving towards a multipolar world but without strong multilateral institutions, multipolarity as its risks, as Europe learned in the First World War," he said.
"To meet these challenges, we must not only defend the United Nations, we must strengthen it. And that is the purpose of Agenda 2030, the Pact for the Future and the UNAT initiative to renew the foundations of international cooperation and to ensure that we can deliver for people everywhere," said Guterres.
Also at the special session, Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland shared their insights on the role of the United Nations in peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights, calling for enhanced cooperation and action within the multilateral framework.
World leaders call for renewed commitment to UN Charter
World leaders call for renewed commitment to UN Charter
