Ahead of 78th General Assembly: UN scribe makes fresh call for peace to end global challenges.

The UN scribe made the appeal September 13. This was in his remarks at the Peace Bell Ceremony. This is in prelude to the 78^th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 78), to take place in New York from September 18 to 26, 2023.

The event to group world leaders will hold under the theme: “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and the sustainability for all”.

Addressing the President of the General Assembly, cross section of distinguished personalities and messengers of peace, António Guterres, categorically stated that: “Peace is the most fundamental job we have”.

He quickly added that peace is “not solely the responsibility of governments or presidents” but a “job that belongs to each and every one of us”.

Guterres however regretted that at the moment of his declaration, peace is under assault across communities, countries and regions and “under assault within the hearts and minds of people by the dark forces of disinformation and hate speech”.

The UN scribe was blunt that “drop by drop, the poison of war is infecting our world, placing millions in the line of fire, eroding human rights and the security and wellbeing of all people and reversing hard-won development gains”.

Appeal for change of trend

He used the opportunity to call on all to do their utmost to change trend and “nurture the seeds of hope”.

Such a feat, Guterres said, can be achieved by “rallying together to tackle the common challenges we face” such as poverty, hunger, discrimination and inequality, those posed by rapid breakthroughs in technology — including artificial intelligence — which must be managed carefully to ensure that humanity is helped, not harmed; climate change, pollution and epic biodiversity loss.

“For people and planet alike, we can — and we must — push for peace,” Guterres stated, adding that: “Pushing for peace means focusing on prevention, dialogue and mediation to heal divisions, defuse conflicts and ensure every community has a stake in a shared future”.

To further push for peace, the UN scribe called on all and sundry to rally around tools that support global trust and solidarity — including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Charter.

He also mentioned efforts to address discrimination and racism, rescuing the Sustainable Development Goals and expand opportunities for women and girls, accelerating the battle against climate change, ending addiction to fossil fuels and invest in renewable energy, amplifying facts and science over lies and hate, supporting activists, young and old, in their calls for progress, as means to push for peace.

This, Guterres said, can be achieved through “global solidarity, collective action, commitment and mutual trust”.  

“Let us all pledge to be part of this push for peace,” he appealed, before ringing the peace bell.

Zoom on upcoming 78^th UNGA

The UNGA opens in New York September 18. The first day of the high-level General Debate will be September 19, 2023.

During UNGA, world leaders, including young leaders, will discuss and debate how to confront the global polycrisis, and find strategies to accelerate action on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The SDG Summit will be a central UNGA 78 event. It will bring together leaders and communities to reaffirm commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals at the halfway mark to 2030.

The Climate Ambition Summit, scheduled for September 20, will be an opportunity for leaders to demonstrate their collective commitment to respond to the mounting climate emergency.

During UNGA 78, the United Nations Foundation will highlight key moments, and share insights and perspectives from leaders, experts, and influencers across borders and sectors.