The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, defended this Tuesday that the world needs “diplomatic arsenals” to guarantee peace and that Europe must reform itself to defend “without truce” all fundamental rights and values.
“Never, since the creation of the UN and the European Union, have these values been so threatened. Therefore, we must raise our voices and reaffirm these values. And, above all, we need peace”, said António Guterres, in Cuacos de Yuste, Spain, where today he received the European Carlos V.
Guterres stressed that today there is violence “in too many corners of the planet”, in wars like the one in Ukraine, but also in other wars and humanitarian crises that often last “far from the focus” of the media.
“Peace should never be underestimated or taken for granted. We must work for and for her, every day, without rest. In a world that is falling apart, we must heal the divisions, prevent escalations, listen to grievances. they need diplomatic arsenals.”
For the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), it is necessary to reaffirm the primacy of peace “among men”, but also of “peace with nature”.
Guterres has stressed that “climate chaos” is “endangering the very survival of humanity” and causes phenomena such as fires, floods or droughts that displace millions of people and “exacerbate tensions and fuel conflicts”, for which acting in defense of the planet “is acting for peace”.
But for “peace to be sustainable, it must be based on the respect and protection of human rights as a whole,” he added, before stressing that the European Union (EU) and the United Nations were created at one of the “difficult times” of humanity, after the Second World War, “around universal values” and that “lifted millions of people out of poverty and forged peace in countries in conflict”.
“Now is the time, once again, to rise to the occasion. We need unity and courage. We have to reinvent multilateralism. In this sense, Europe must renew itself to continue to be at the forefront, but it must not give up its identity”, she defended.
For Guterres, “only a united Europe can face the enormous challenges of the present and the future” and “the world needs a strong Europe that looks outwards, not a Europe closed in on itself”.
“Let us not forget that Europe is a border and not an island. For this reason, we need a Europe that tirelessly defends universal values and fundamental rights for all, that fully contributes to a multipolar world, with international relations based on justice and aid. to the most vulnerable,” she argued.
The former Portuguese Prime Minister recalled that the EU has been a “symbol of international solidarity and cooperation” and considered that it had “the historical responsibility of reaffirming the meaning of multilateralism and working in solidarity with those who aspire to pursue the same development and welfare”.
“On this Europe Day, let us reaffirm the ideals of peace, justice and international cooperation. Together, let us tirelessly defend dignity and human rights, dialogue and mutual respect. And let us build a more just, inclusive and dignified world that leaves no one back”, he asked, after warning about the expansion of hate speech, racism and xenophobia.
“It is time to demand the right to life, liberty, security, freedom of expression, the right to request asylum”, he stressed, adding that “the time has also come to put equality at the center ”.
“Equality between communities, equality between citizens, gender equality”, said Guterres, who stressed that the Covid-19 pandemic revealed “scandalous existing fractures” in the world, fueled “by a profoundly unfair international financial system”. with “the poorest countries are suffocated by debt, while the richest have been able to invest in a strong economic recovery.”
What is at stake is an “economic and social division that risks producing political fractures”, an “injustice that threatens peace” and “once again, it is urgent to rebuild trust, on the basis of justice and solidarity,” he defended. .
“Today more than ever, in our fractured world, building bridges is the only option,” he reiterated.
António Guterres received the Carlos V European Award today from the King of Spain, Felipe VI, in an act attended by the President and Prime Minister of Portugal.
The Carlos V European Award recognizes the work of “people, organizations, projects or initiatives that have contributed to the general knowledge and enhancement of the cultural, social, scientific and historical values of Europe, as well as to the process of construction and European integration” , according to the Foundation of the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste, which assigns it.
Source: TSF
