SG/SM/21478

Secretary-General, Addressing Friends’ Group in Defence of United Nations Charter, Urges Return to Document’s Principles for Tackling New, Emerging Challenges

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the Group of Friends in Defence of the Charter of the United Nations, today:

I am pleased to greet the Group of Friends in Defence of the Charter of the United Nations.

Our world is facing a host of challenges and tests that demand multilateral solutions.  The tools to prevent and resolve these challenges are enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and in the system that it has created.  Yet the international community is falling short in preserving and living up to the values and principles of the Charter.

At the same time, we see a growing deficit of trust both within and among nations.  The Charter must remain our shared framework of international cooperation for the common good.  We must reach back to its principles to address new and emerging problems and make progress towards its promise to succeeding generations.

By using the diplomatic tools it foresees to prevent and resolve conflicts.  By advancing social progress and better standards of life.  And by embracing our common humanity, seeking unity, and acting in solidarity to advance the pillars of peace, development, and human rights.  Let us carry the Charter forward and make our world more just, compassionate, prosperous, and sustainable for all.

Thank you.

For information media. Not an official record.