UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the environment is being attacked on all fronts and called on the international community to urgently tackle the intersection of health and climate issues. Speaking at the 17th BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he emphasised the human impact of environmental devastation and climate change.  And as environmental disasters increase, the sustainable development goals are also being left behind. "Across the world, lives and livelihoods are being ripped apart, and sustainable development gains left in tatters as disasters accelerate," Mr. Guterres said. 

“We’re here in Sevilla to change course,” the UN chief told world leaders on Monday, calling on them to grasp a once-in-a-decade opportunity to close a $4 trillion financing gap facing developing countries to meet sustainable development goals – and build a better world for all. António Guterres issued his clarion call noting that sustainable development powered by international cooperation, is now facing “massive headwinds.”

Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, warning that the humanitarian crisis has reached “horrific proportions” and that the world must not let the suffering of Palestinians be overshadowed by other regional conflicts. Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters ahead of his departure to Spain for the International Conference on Financing for Development, the Secretary-General said that while the Israel-Iran conflict had dominated recent headlines, the plight of civilians in Gaza remained urgent and dire. 

Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the Charter’s principles are increasingly under threat and must be defended as the bedrock of international relations. “The Charter of the United Nations is not optional. It is not an à la carte menu. It is the bedrock of international relations,” he said, stressing the need to recommit to its promises “for peace, for justice, for progress, for we the peoples.”
 

The ocean is under siege – and greed is to blame. UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday urged world leaders and grassroots groups to confront the powerful interests driving marine destruction, from illegal fishing and plastic pollution to the accelerating impacts of climate change. Mr. Guterres’ stark assessment came during a press conference on the second day of the UN ocean summit, known as UNOC3, where hundreds of government leaders, scientists and civil society groups are gathered on France’s Côte D’Azur. Their mission: to confront the escalating emergency facing the world’s oceans.