EU leaders and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres underlined, on Thursday 23 March, their commitment to strengthening cooperation between the EU and the UN.
“The EU and the UN will continue to deepen their relations”, says the European Council readout of the working lunch between Mr Guterres and EU leaders.
According to the readout, the European Council and the Secretary General stressed the importance of cooperation between the two organisations in addressing pressing global challenges. They underlined their shared commitment to multilateralism, with the United Nations at its core, and explored possibilities for closer collaboration for a “peaceful, just and sustainable world”.
“We will continue to cooperate very closely with the United Nations, which plays a key role in defending the values we believe in for stability, security, and to reintroduce humanity and dignity in a world that needs it”, Mr Michel said in welcoming Mr Guterres.
The members of the European Council reaffirmed their full commitment to the UN Charter and its principles, “at a time when these are violated by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine”.
The EU leaders and the Secretary General underlined the substantial political, financial and material support that the EU and its Member States provide to the UN system. The heads of state and government also highlighted the need to modernise the United Nations and introduce global governance reforms.
On his arrival at the summit, the UN Secretary General called on Europeans to do more for development and the climate. Mr Guterres explained that he was counting on the EU’s leadership, “which has been demonstrated time and again”, in the fight against climate change. “The 1.5 degree target is almost impossible to achieve. We need to speed up our agenda”, he warned. In the face of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, the leaders and the Secretary General stressed the urgency of strengthening the global response by accelerating decarbonisation and promoting nature-based solutions.
Moreover, “we are counting on the EU to lead the necessary transformations to be able to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda”, he added. According to the readout, the European Council reaffirmed its commitment to the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.
The leaders and the Secretary General focused on financing for development and called for reform of the multilateral development banks and stressed the urgency of closing the growing funding gap for humanitarian assistance.
At the meeting, EU leaders and Mr Guterres also discussed the Black Sea Grain Initiative. According to a diplomat, the discussions also focused on the perception of the ‘global south’ and how to better explain the situation in order to get more countries on board in multilateral fora, including the establishment of a special tribunal for crimes committed in Ukraine. (Camille-Cerise Gessant and Nithya Paquiry with the editorial staff)