“António Guterres is an extremely cultured man, brilliant as an academic who has projected Portugal into the world and continues to do so every day”. The phrase is from Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of the Republic, taken from an extensive and highly complimentary speech by António Guterres. The stage? The Aula Magna of the University of Lisbon. The reason? The presentation of the 2020 University of Lisbon Prize.
The head of state treated the UN Secretary-General as a “dear friend” and argued that in this capacity António Guterres is someone who “never gives up” on various issues, such as “climate issues or the protection of human rights”. All this while trying not to give up on “peace”.
“In a time of unilateralism, selfishness and isolation, it is passionately trying to fight for multilateralism. It is with passion that it looks to the future,” said the president of the republic. “Guterres was always one of the brightest of his generation,” he added.
Earlier, António Guterres stated that “there is a lot of inequality” that can and must be resolved, as “the countries of the south”, such as Kenya, in particular, are “wronged in a competitive world”.
Before an audience with illustrious faces, such as Ramalho Eanes, former President of the Republic, Carlos Moedas, Mayor of Lisbon, or some members of the government, António Guterres looked to the future, especially “climate change”, which he considered a problem “worrying,” in a speech that received the award — which seeks to distinguish national and international figures who contribute to science and culture.
During the ceremony, which took place this Thursday afternoon, Paulo Macedo, President of the Executive Committee of Caixa-Geral de Depósitos, and Luís Ferreira, Rector of the University of Lisbon, spoke. The prize awarded to António Guterres corresponds to 2020 (it was only awarded now due to the covid-19 pandemic) and has a value of 25 thousand euros, which will be donated entirely to the Portuguese Council for Refugees.
Source: DN
