Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon,

It’s a pleasure to be here in Kampala and to meet the leaders of two of the most important partners of the United Nations: the Non-Aligned movement and the G77 plus China.

Their voices, championing solidarity, sustainable development and South-South cooperation, are foundational to the United Nations.

Their contributions to UN peacekeeping forces are unmatched and irreplaceable.

And their commitment to multilateral solutions is an antidote to our ailing world.

Across the globe, democracy is eroding; populism and extremism are increasing; our climate is heating; and trust in institutions of all kinds is breaking down.  

The global economy is faltering.

And many developing countries are caught in the jaws of a debt crisis, unable to pay their bills or to invest in sustainable development, climate action, or digital technologies.

The share of Official Development Assistance going to Africa is at its lowest level in more than two decades.  

And high interest rates put private finance largely out of reach of so many countries.

Meanwhile, conflicts are multiplying, and human rights and international law are being flouted – from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to Sudan, and to the Middle East.

The relentless Israeli bombardment of Gaza, in response to the horrific terror attacks by Hamas, is the most intensely destructive campaign waged since I became Secretary-General.

The number of civilian casualties, including women, children and our own staff, is unprecedented in such a brief period of time. It continues to rise, and hunger and disease are now adding to the toll.

More than 100 days after 7 October, more than 100 hostages are still being held.

And I will not give up on calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

That is the only way to end this nightmare for civilians in Gaza, facilitate the release of all hostages, and prevent the conflict from engulfing the entire region.

The refusal to accept the two-state solution for Israel and Palestinians, and the denial of the right to statehood to the Palestinian people, are unacceptable.

This would indefinitely prolong a conflict that has become a major threat to global peace and security; exacerbate polarization; and embolden extremists everywhere.

The right of the Palestinian people to build their own state must be recognized by all.

Ladies and gentlemen of the press,

My messages to the Non-Aligned Movement and the G77 plus China focused on renewed international efforts for peace; financing for sustainable development and climate action; and the need for urgent reforms to our multilateral institutions.   

From the United Nations Security Council to the Bretton Woods system, global institutions reflect the world that built them 80 years ago, when many African countries were still colonized. They are no longer fit for purpose.

The Security Council is stuck in a time warp. How can we accept that it still lacks a single African Permanent Member?

The global financial system is outdated, dysfunctional and unfair.

This September, the United Nations will convene the Summit of the Future, with a focus on updating these institutions so that they align with today’s world and respond to today’s challenges – notably, the vital interests of developing countries.

Governments will consider our proposed New Agenda for Peace, which sets out initiatives around disarmament, conflict prevention, tackling terrorism and transnational crime, and managing the security threats including those posed by Artificial Intelligence. 

The New Agenda for Peace calls for a new generation of peace operations — including peace enforcement and counter-terrorism operations — led by regional partners, notably the African Union, but with a Security Council mandate and supported by guaranteed funding, including through UN assessed contributions.

I have been urging this for many years and I welcome the Security Council’s recent resolution in support.

As a matter of fact, it does not make sense to [have] peacekeeping operations, where there is no peace to keep. We need peace enforcing operations, African peace enforcing operations, but properly supported by the international community.

Ladies and gentlemen of the press,

Peace and sustainable development go hand in hand.

Developing countries have a large and growing share of the global economy. But their representation in global financial institutions lags far behind.

September’s Summit of the Future will consider ways to reform the global financial architecture and make it truly universal and responsive to today’s global challenges.

In the immediate term, we need urgent action on debt, including a reprieve for countries facing insurmountable debt repayment obligations over the next three years.

And we also need faster progress on an SDG Stimulus of $500 billion a year in accessible, long-term finance for sustainable development.

Multilateral Development Banks must be adequately capitalized and must change their business models to leverage far more private finance for developing countries at a reasonable cost to invest in the SDGs. 

And developed countries must also meet their pledges on climate finance.

Clarifying the delivery of the $100 billion and doubling adaptation finance are an essential starting point for much greater ambition.  
The unity and tenacity of the global South helped to create the Loss and Damage Fund. But it now needs significant contributions to fulfil its purpose. 

Ladies and gentlemen,

The United Nations is working around the world to support the efforts of developing countries to mobilize domestic resources and maximize investments in the SDGs. 

Strong, cohesive societies can only be built on a foundation of advancing sustainable development, respecting human rights, and recognizing the rights of minorities, and standing up to all forms of discrimination.

It is critical to uphold the basic human rights of every person, regardless of background, race, religion, sexual orientation, or political opinion.

Here in Kampala, governments from the global South have stressed the importance of multilateral solutions based on global justice and international law.

Their strong voices will resonate across this year of global reforms.

This is the only path to a safer, fairer, more peaceful world for all.

And I thank you.

Spokesperson: Thank you. Uganda Broadcasting Corporation.

Question: Good morning Mr. Secretary-General, my name is Timothy from UBC. The question is with the divide between the global north and the global south, how do you plan to bridge that gap, especially in a region with a youthful population in Africa? Thank you very much.

Secretary-General: Well, one thing is clear. The institutions that today are relevant for development, for climate action, the international financial institutions were created after the Second World War. When they were created, very few African countries existed as independent countries, and so they [these institutions] reflect the world of the post Second World War, instead of reflecting the world of [today]. That means that the global south is in a position of inferiority because it lacks effective representation in those institutions – the Security Council, the Bretton Woods institutions.  And because of that, obviously, those institutions have been more attentive to the needs of the global north than to the needs of the global south. And there is an increase of inequality that needs to be quickly corrected.

That is why we have been asking for the reform of the institutions, to make them exactly adapted to the reality of today’s economy; for an adequate representation, namely [of] Africa; and at the same time for a set of measures in relation to debt relief; in relation to the SDRs, Special Drawing Rights redistribution; in relation to the change of business model and the capitalization of Multilateral Development Banks – in order to mobilize much more resources for the African countries to be able to address the enormous challenges that they face.
We live today in a world that is unfair, without [inaudible] dysfunction in its institutions. We must reform those institutions and create conditions to effectively fight the inequality, and to provide the African continent with the resources needed to address the aspirations of the youth that is its most important potential.

Spokesperson: AFP.

Question: Secretary General, Tina Smole from AFP TV. We have a question, where does the UN stand on Ethiopia-Somaliland maritime deal? And would you say like the president of Somalia, that this is a kind of annexation? Thank you.

Secretary-General: Well, we are always guided by all principles. And all principles are related to the unity, to sovereignty and the territorial independence of countries, including Somalia. And we hope that through dialogue it will be possible to overcome the present situation.

Spokesperson: Aljazeera.

Question: Secretary-General, Dorsa Jabbari, Aljazeera English. The Non-Aligned Movement and in particular African countries, seem to be emerging as the conscience of the world on Gaza. What we’ve seen here over the past few years, especially the western countries have been talking repeatedly about rules-based international order. Where are the rules now? I want to get your thoughts on what’s been coming out of these summits here and the difference that you’ve seen between the reaction from African countries, on the ongoing war on Gaza, compared to Western countries?

Secretary-General: The rules are clear. The rules are international law; the rules are the Charter of the United Nations. The rules are International Humanitarian Law. And we cannot have double standards.
And for us it’s clear that we are seeing in Gaza a violation of those rules, namely of International Humanitarian Law, and that situaiton needs to be corrected.
So, for us, there are no double standards. For us, the rules are the same, and they apply to everybody. And they are based on what the international community has built, mainly through the UN Charter and International Law.

Spokesperson: Reuters.

Question: Your Excellency, my name is Justin, I work for Reuters news agency. My question is about the situation of refugees and assylum seekers. UK pushed to deport refugees or assylum seekers to Rwanda, and the possibility that Ukrainian refugees could be drafted into the Ukrainian army. What’s your comment?

Secretary-General: All refugees must be treated equally. And all countries must assume their responsibilities in relation to refugee law. And so we have expressed our opposition to the agreement that you had mentioned. At the same line, I would like to say that Uganda is even a remarkable example of refugee protection. You have much more than 1 million refugees in Uganda, refugees from several neighboring countries. And there has been, since I was a High Commissioner, a concern in order to guarantee to those refugees the same conditions of life as the population of Uganda. And this is something that I believe should be used as an example, and namely that European countries should be looking into those examples. And Ukrainian refugees, of course, have the right to be protected. But all refugees are equal and all refugees have the same rights.

Question: I work at NBS television in Uganda. I want to know from you, there have been calls for Africa to have a permanent seat in UN [Security] Council, but that seems to be falling on deaf ears. I wanted to know if there are power probably frustrating it, if there are any fears from those powers as well.

Secretary-General: I must say I am hopeful in that regard. It is a clear injustice, a flagrant injustice, that there is not one single African permanent member of the Security Council. And that is a result.. that most of the countries of Africa were not independent when the UN institutions were created. But in recent declarations, public declarations, I’ve seen the permanent members being favourable to at least one African permanent member. United States said so, the Russian Federation said so, China has been positive in this regard, UK and France too.
So for the first time, I’m hopeful that at least a partial reform of the UN Security Council could be possible for this for this flagrant injustice to be corrected, and for Africa to have at least one permanent member in the Security Council. It is not guaranteed, nothing that of course depends on the Secretary-General, it depends exclusively on Member States, on the General Assembly, but for the first time I think there are reasons to be hopeful.

Spokesperson: Associated Press.

Question: Patrick from Associated Press. Mr. Secretary-General, you come to Uganda at a backdrop of international condemnation on the Anti-Homosexuality act. The US has passed some sanctions on Uganda. What is your stance as the United Nations?

Secretary-General: I said yesterday in the summit that there should be not any form of discrimination, [and respect…] and the rights of all minorities should be respected.
I just read in my statement to the press, let me see if I can find it again, a sentence in which [I said] it is critical to uphold the basic human rights of every person, regardless of background, race, religion, sexual orientation, or political opinion.

So, my position is in relation to this very clear, and it's based on the principle of non-disrimination that must be respected by every country.

Spokesperson: Thank you very much.

Secretary-General: Thank you.