Antonio Guterres

“I must say I have a personal love affair with India, with its civilisation, its culture.”

“The humanitarian aid system is built on a concept that when disaster strikes, outside agencies provide a temporary helping hand until people can take back control of their own lives. But across the world, we see millions of people caught in semi-permanent crises. As each year goes by, they are less and less likely to break free.”

“World Migratory Bird Day is an opportunity to celebrate the great natural wonder of bird migration - but also a reminder that those patterns, and ecosystems worldwide, are threatened by climate change.”

“There is never a humanitarian solution for a humanitarian crisis. The solutions for the humanitarian crisis are always political ones.”

“Nagasaki and Hiroshima remind us to put peace first every day; to work on conflict prevention and resolution, reconciliation, and dialogue; and to tackle the roots of conflict and violence.”

“In a world where the latest app can sell for billions of dollars, there are plenty of ways to provide a minimum of humanity for those caught in conflict, who never had the opportunity to reach their potential in the first place.”

“There is increasing recognition that violence against women is a major barrier to the fulfilment of human rights and a direct challenge to women's inclusion and participation in sustainable development and sustaining peace.”

“As a global society, we have the technology, resources and the know-how to make a massive difference to living standards everywhere, including for refugees.”

“The United Nations must focus on delivery rather than process and on people rather than bureaucracy.”

“The total elimination of nuclear weapons remains the highest disarmament priority of the United Nations.”

“India is a country that has no direct interests in some areas of global conflict. It has very good relations with countries in conflict or countries facing difficult security situations, and I believe Indian diplomacy is very well received. India is a bridge-builder, an honest broker, and a messenger of peace.”

“Our world needs to move from managing crises to preventing them in the first place. Too often, the world responds too late and too little.”

“Migration powers economic growth, reduces inequalities, and connects diverse societies. Yet it is also a source of political tensions and human tragedies.”

“Terrorists remain determined to find a weakness in our defence... To stay ahead of the terrorists, I call on the international community, the private sector, and academia to share knowledge, expertise, and resources to prevent new technologies becoming lethal terrorist weapons.”

“One of the most frustrating things is to see a country in which you had elections, the elections were a success, but then you have to say to people nothing can be improved in the next few months, even in the next few years, in infrastructure, in water, in sanitation, in health, in education, in jobs.”

“Let us recommit to supporting every girl to develop her skills, enter the workforce on equal terms, and reach her full potential.”

“Terrorist groups share an agenda of authoritarianism, misogyny, and intolerance. They are an affront to the common values encapsulated in the U.N. Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

“I'm not a multilateralist against anybody. I'm a multilateralist because I believe in a multilateral order.”

“Climate change is moving faster than we are, but we don't give up because we know that climate action is the only path.”

“The United Nations needs to be nimble, efficient, and effective.”