Activities of Secretary-General in Germany, 14-16 February
On 14 February, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, travelled to Germany to attend the Munich Security Conference.
He arrived in the country on 15 February and that afternoon, at the invitation of the Munich Jewish community, he visited the Ohel-Jakob synagogue, which is part of the city’s Jewish centre. During the visit, he made a strong appeal against antisemitism and also reiterated his call for the immediate release of all Israeli hostages held in Gaza. (See remarks.)
Following this visit, the Secretary-General met with a group of German journalists for an off-the-record conversation on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
On Friday, 16 February, the Secretary-General delivered remarks during the Conference’s opening session and took part in a panel discussion with several Heads of State and Government.
He told participants that today’s global order is not working for everyone — or even for anyone. As our world is facing existential challenges, the Secretary-General said, the global community is more fragmented and divided than at any time in the past 75 years.
He reiterated his call on world leaders to work towards a more sustainable, inclusive and safer world.
Turning to the situation in Gaza, the Secretary-General said it is an appalling indictment of the deadlock in global relations, warning that an all-out offensive on Rafah would be devastating for the 1.5 million Palestinian civilians there who are already on the edge of survival.
He called for an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as a humanitarian ceasefire, adding that this is the only way to massively scale up the aid delivery in Gaza. (See Press Release SG/SM/22135.)
Immediately after his remarks, the Secretary-General took part in a panel discussion with Mia Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados; Nana Akufo-Addo, the President of Ghana; and Gustavo Petro Urrego, the President of Colombia.
Throughout the day, Mr. Guterres met with leaders attending the Conference. He had bilateral meetings with Josep Borrell Fontelles, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Vice-President of the European Commission; Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq; and Robert Golob, the Prime Minister of Slovenia.
He also held a second background briefing with international journalists attending the Munich Security Conference.
The Secretary-General left Munich early on Friday evening, destined for Addis Ababa.
However, the plane carrying the Secretary-General and his team was diverted to Greece due to a technical fault. The Secretary-General was unable to attend the African Union Summit and proceeded to Doha the following day, to host a meeting on Afghanistan.