Activities of Secretary-General in Switzerland, 11-12 June

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Geneva from Amman, Jordan, on Tuesday, 11 June.

On Wednesday, 12 June, the Secretary-General opened the celebrations marking the sixtieth Anniversary of the UN Conference on Trade and Development, now known as UN Trade and Development, or UNCTAD for short.

He said that UNCTAD has a proud and long-standing record of contributing to discussions on reforming the international financial architecture.  It has been a powerful force for change at the global level, shaping narratives, influencing international negotiations and advancing the cause of multilateralism.  See Press Release SG/SM/22266.

He then spoke to the press in Geneva in advance of his attendance at the forthcoming Group of Seven (G7) meeting in Italy.  He said that we face profound global challenges on multiple fronts and that G7 leaders have a particular responsibility. First, on climate, he said, the G7 needs to commit to end coal power by 2030.  He added that they need to act on the international financial architecture, which he said is outdated, dysfunctional and unfair.  The rich are over-represented; the poor are underserved.  And we must act urgently on artificial intelligence (AI) — another of the items for the G7 — a central question of governance today.

Regarding Gaza, Mr. Guterres said that he welcomed President Joseph R. Biden’s recent peace initiative and urges all parties to seize the opportunity for a ceasefire and release of the hostages and prepare the ground for a two-State solution.

He added that we must also keep working for peace in Ukraine — a just peace, based on the United Nations Charter and international law.

The Secretary-General also addressed the Council of the International Telecommunication Union.  He commended the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for placing universal connectivity and sustainable digital transformation at the heart of its strategy, including its Partner2 Connect coalition — which had just reached $50 billion of investment pledges towards global connectivity — and its partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on the Giga initiative to connect every school to the Internet.

Noting that digital technologies are reshaping every facet of our lives, he stated that artificial intelligence “poses extreme — and even existential — risks”.  He advocated that “we should join forces to ensure AI never stands for ‘advancing inequality’”.  See Press Release SG/SM/22272.

Mr. Guterres travelled that afternoon to Brindisi, Italy.