Remarks by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, at Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Secretary-General António Guterres called for peace, actions on climate and AI governance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana, Kazakhstan today (04 Jul), Guterres reiterated that the central goal of multilateral system must be peace – a pre-condition for sustainable development and the enjoyment of human rights.

The UN chief continued, “Starting with an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, ending the bloodshed; but also an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages; a surge in life-saving aid; and a clear commitment and roadmap to guarantee the two-state solution and the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. Every day counts while children in Gaza are dying, suffering severe injuries and trauma, seeing their parents being killed and their homes being destroyed. This must stop.”

Guterres reiterated peace in Ukraine, Sudan to the Sahel, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Somalia, from Myanmar to Haiti, and in Afghanistan, are also important.

The Secretary-General stressed that today’s deep global divisions are an obstacle to progress on two existential threats.

First is the climate emergency. He said, “2023 was the hottest year on record – but it could be one of the coolest years of the future. The gathering impacts of the crisis are already hitting your countries hard, from melting glaciers to deadly floods, storms, droughts and extreme heat. Unless we act now, this is just a taste of what is to come.”

The UN chief said, “We need far greater ambition to slash emissions and deliver climate justice, starting by the developed countries, but mobilizing also all other bigger emitters, based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.”

“All governments must submit new Nationally Determined Contributions, new national action plans, by next year. These plans must be fully aligned with limiting long-term global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. They must include absolute emissions reduction targets for 2030 and 2035. And it is important that they reflect how countries will contribute to the global transitions essential to keeping 1.5 degrees within reach — ending deforestation; tripling renewable energy capacity; and cutting the global production and consumption of fossil fuels by at least thirty percent by 2030,” Guterre added.

He stressed, “in my belief, it also means all countries ending the use of coal power completely by 2040 at the latest.”

Guterres also highlighted that Finance is critical. Critical to promote climate action, but also critical to fight inequality.

He said, “We need a strong finance commitment as an outcome of COP29 this year, and strong action to substantially increase the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks and change their business model, enabling more private capital to flow to climate action. And we need developed countries to fully respect their commitments and assume their responsibilities.”

The second existential threat is posed by digital technologies, the Secretary-General pointed out.

He said, “We urgently need the full engagement of governments, working with tech companies, academia and civil society, to agree on risk management frameworks for AI – and on monitoring and mitigating their harms. But the governance of AI cannot be a privilege of rich countries. It requires that all countries participate, and the UN is ready to provide a platform to make this possible.”

The Secretary-General concluded by saying that the Summit of the Future in September is a pivotal opportunity for renewal. The Summit will consider essential reforms to the global financial architecture to make it representative of today’s world and responsive to today’s challenges to the benefit of developing countries.