Activities of Secretary-General in United Kingdom, 11-13 June

On Friday, 11 June, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in London, on his way to the Group of Seven (G7) meeting in Cornwall.

There, he held a series of bilateral meeting with senior British officials, including Alok Sharma, President of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), which will take place in Glasgow in December; Tariq Ahmad, Minister for South Asia and the Commonwealth; and Zac Goldsmith, Minister for Pacific and the Environment.

In a briefing to the G7 press on Friday afternoon, the Secretary-General emphasized that the world finds itself at a pivotal moment.  He outlined the bold, “quantum steps” the international community needs to take in the face of both the COVID-19 pandemic and the global climate change crisis.

The Secretary-General arrived in Carbis Bay in Cornwall on Saturday morning to attend the G7 Summit.  Upon arrival, he had a bilateral meeting with the host of the G7, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom.  The Secretary-General encouraged the leaders attending the G7 Summit to adopt bold commitments in the fight against climate change.  They also discussed a host of other issues including the situations in Myanmar, Cyprus, Yemen and Afghanistan.

In the afternoon, he attended a G7 session focused on global health and the pandemic.

On Sunday, 13 June, the Secretary-General participated in the last two sessions of the Summit.  The first was a session on how open societies and economies can apply the democratic model to best address global challenges.  Before leaving, he also joined the G7 group and other guests for a discussion on the fight against climate change.

The Secretary-General departed the United Kingdom later that day.