Keep Working to Ensure Peace, Dignity, Horizon of Hope Grounded in Action for People of Middle East, Secretary-General Urges Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly
Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the nineteenth plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, in Rome today:
I am pleased to convey my warm greetings as you gather for this nineteenth plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean.
Your region is an extraordinary bridge between continents, cultures and traditions. And your collective voice resonates far beyond Mediterranean shores. As a former Parliamentarian myself, I greatly value that voice in addressing shared challenges. I know you are focusing on a number of those challenges at your plenary session.
As I look around the world, four tests stand out because they represent, at best, threats that could disrupt every aspect of our agenda, and at worst, upend our very existence: Rampant inequalities; the raging climate crisis; out-of-control technology, including artificial intelligence without guardrails; and of course, runaway conflicts.
As you know so well, the Middle East is in a period of profound transformation — rife with uncertainty, but also possibility. It is clear the region is being re-shaped. But, it is not clear what will emerge. We have a responsibility to help make sure the people of the Middle East come out with peace, dignity and a horizon of hope grounded in action.
In Gaza, that means — as we have long been calling for — the release of all hostages, a permanent ceasefire and irreversible progress towards a two-State solution. In Lebanon, we are working to consolidate the cessation of hostilities, support a government where all Lebanese will feel represented, and a State that will be able to guarantee security to all its citizens. And in Syria, we stand behind an inclusive process in which the rights of all are fully respected, and that paves the way towards a united and sovereign Syria with its territorial integrity fully reestablished.
Finally, I want to thank you for your support for implementing the UN Pact for the Future. You understand that this ties directly to advancing trust — which you have rightly defined as a strategic issue — and to shaping global governance institutions fit for the twenty-first century.
Once again, thank you for your vital voice and leadership. Let’s keep working for peace, sustainable development and human rights for the people of the Mediterranean region and our world.