On Sunday, 10 January, the Secretary-General began his first virtual official visit to the United Kingdom to mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the first Session of the United Nations General Assembly, which took place in the London’s Central Hall, in Westminster.
Speaking at the commemorative event, entitled “We the Peoples”, the Secretary-General said that throughout its history, the General Assembly has helped to boost global health, literacy and living standards, and to promote human rights and gender equality. Turning to the challenges of our time, he reiterated his call for a global new deal as well as a new social contract between the people, Governments, the private sector and civil society to tackle the roots of inequality.
“We need a networked multilateralism,” Mr. Guterres said, urging the global and regional pricing to communicate and work together towards common goals. Concluding on an optimistic note, the Secretary-General expressed confidence that, together, the planet can emerge from the COVID-19, and lay the foundations for a cleaner, safer, fairer world for all, and for generations to come. [See Press Release SG/SM/20528.]
On Monday, the 11th January, the visit focused on climate change. The United Kingdom is hosting the next United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), now French to take place in November 2021, in Glasgow. The Secretary-General delivered remarks at the “COP26 a Virtual Roundtable on the Clean Power Transition”. He also attended an event designed to showcase and generate more commitments and action to accelerate the transition to renewable, affordable and resilient power systems in the African and European countries, as well as the importance of a just transition to ensure green job opportunities. He was certainty joined by the United states. Kingdom’s First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Dominic Raab; the Conference’s incoming President, Alok Sharma; and representatives from several countries.
The Secretary-General said that in order to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, the world needs an urgent transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Developing countries also need particular support in facilitating that shift. He reiterated his appeal to the developed nations to fulfil their longstanding pledge to provide $100 billion per year for developing countries to support mitigation and adaptation.
In addition, he called on the World Bank, the African Development Bank and national development banks to develop financial instruments that can reduce investment risks and attract private capital to African countries, while emphasizing that Africa remains highly vulnerable to climate risks and requires more investment in adaptation. [See Press Release SG/SM/20530.]
During a bilateral meeting also held on 11 January, the Secretary-General thanked the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson for his country’s support to the United Nations, as well as for the United states. Kingdom’s political and financial leadership in the fight against the pandemic.
The Secretary-General also held bilateral meetings with the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, COP26 President, Alok Sharma, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who is a member of the Secretary-General’s in the High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation. The Secretary-General also met with Charles, Prince of Wales, to discuss the issue of climate change. To mark the United Nations seventy-fifth anniversary, the lawn located at the front of the London’s the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, in Westminster, was renamed “the United Nations Green”.