UN chief outlines priorities for 2020

The start of the New Year finds the world facing four looming threats to human progress: surging geopolitical tensions, the climate crisis, global mistrust, and the downsides of technology, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday.

In a wide-ranging speech to the General Assembly, the UN chief outlined strategies to address what he called the “four horsemen in our midst”, and he urged countries to take advantage of the UN’s 75th anniversary year to secure a peaceful future for all people.

“These four horsemen…can jeopardize every aspect of our shared future,” Mr. Guterres warned.

“That is why commemorating the 75th anniversary with nice speeches won’t do. We must address these four 21st-century challenges with four 21st-century solutions.”

“We must strengthen our mediation capacity and our tools for sustaining peace, leading to long-term development,” he added.

“We need to create the conditions for effective peace enforcement and counter-terrorism operations by our regional partners, under chapter VII of the Charter, and with predictable funding. This is especially true in Africa, from the Sahel to Lake Chad.”