UN Secretary-General's Press Encounter – at the ASEAN-UN Summit - 2024

Secretary-General: I am pleased to be in Lao PDR at this crucial time for the region and our world. 

The ASEAN-UN partnership has never been stronger as we make progress on the joint Plan of Action. And I am here to bolster that partnership even further. 

This is my first visit outside of UN headquarters since world leaders gathered in New York for the opening of the General Assembly last month. 

Leader after leader highlighted the enormous challenges facing our world. 

We see geopolitical tensions rising…climate chaos battering countries… and deepening inequalities ripping the social contract to shreds. 

In this dramatic context, ASEAN is a bridge-builder and a messenger for peace. 

Peace that is more necessary than ever, when see the immense suffering of the people in Gaza, now extend to Lebanon. Not forgetting Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar and many others. 

In the face of all these trials and tests, world leaders took an important step forward with the adoption of the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations. 

At the ASEAN-UN Summit, we discussed how to move forward together in implementation and advancing our shared mission of peace, sustainable development and human rights. 

And in my remarks I zeroed in on four areas but one essential theme: inclusion and community. 

Our challenges are inter-connected – we all can and must be part of the solution. And ASEAN countries have much to offer. 

First, building on the ASEAN theme of connectivity, we must make sure that emerging technologies benefit everyone – and that every country is a part of the global conversation. 

This is particularly true when it comes to AI governance where we made an important breakthrough last month with the Global Digital Compact that was approved in New York. 

It includes the first truly universal agreement on the international governance of Artificial Intelligence that would give every country a seat at the AI table. 

Second, on finance, we must keep pushing for reform of the international financial architecture. Today it fails to provide developing countries with the support or safety net they need. 

The Pact for the Future calls for groundbreaking reforms and urges G20 countries to lead on an SDG Stimulus of $500 billion a year, substantially increasing the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks, and enabling them to massively scale-up affordable long-term climate and development finance. 

All this is essential for developing countries to be able to implement the Agenda 2030 and to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Third, climate. We need look no further than the devastating effects of Super Typhoon Yagi for a glimpse of the supercharged climate dangers we are facing. 

The coming year is crucial for climate action. 

Every country must produce a new national climate action plan – or NDC – that aligns with limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. 

The G20 – the biggest emitters – must lead. 

Innovative models for collaboration are critical. I welcome the Just Energy Transition Partnerships in Indonesia and Vietnam. 

We also need to get finance flowing to climate action, including: 

Significant contributions to the new Loss and Damage Fund; 

An ambitious finance outcome at COP29 in Baku; 

And developed countries honoring their promise to increase adaptation finance to at least 40 billion dollars a year by 2025. 

I urge all countries to deliver.  

Finally, we need peace. 

I commend ASEAN for its ongoing constructive role in seeking to defuse tensions from the Korean peninsula to the South China Sea – and for doing so by putting the priority on dialogue and respect for international law. 

But I am deeply concerned about the worsening political, humanitarian and human rights situation in Myanmar.   

The people of Myanmar need peace.   

With one-third of the population needing humanitarian assistance, and almost 3.5 million people internally displaced, skyrocketing poverty and food insecurity are compounding the already dire reality on the ground. 

I support strengthened cooperation between the UN Special Envoy and the ASEAN Chair on innovative ways to promote a Myanmar-led process, including through the effective and comprehensive implementation of the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus and beyond. 

And I reiterate my call on all countries to leverage their influence towards an inclusive political solution to the conflict and prioritise the protection of civilians in line with international humanitarian law. 

The plight of the Rohingya people must not be forgotten. And we must create the conditions for their voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return to Myanmar by solving the Myanmar political problem. 

And, more broadly, we know that peaceful and stable societies rest on a foundation where democratic space and human rights are protected -- including the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. 

I want to express my support for the work of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights.  

The way forward is clear. The world has much to learn from ASEAN countries. And the United Nations is proud to be a strong partner of ASEAN countries on this path. 

And once again thank you for this warm welcome. 

Thank you.

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Questions and Answers:

Question: And I have two short questions. From China Central Television. 

The first question is, breaking news about the United Nations yesterday, October 10, Israel forced attacks in United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon, wanting to peacekeepers. What is your response? And the second question is the last week that Israel designed your undesirable personality in Israel and to ban your entry into Israel. But many countries, including China, has expressed their opposition to Israel decision, and they will continue to support you, but the Israel maybe doesn't care about it, just like yesterday, the attacks the UN peacekeepers. So what is the response of the United Nations to Israel explaining and recent attacks, everything about the United Nations. Thank you.

Secretary-General:  First of all, this is something that we had the opportunity to refer in our meeting with ASEAN. The two soldiers that were wounded were Indonesian. They belong to ASEAN. And obviously, I condemn the fact that there was shooting against the UN premises, wounding two peacekeepers, which is a violation of international humanitarian law. Peacekeepers must be protected by all parties of the conflict, and what has happened is obviously condemnable. There was naturally a reaction from many sides in solidarity with the peacekeepers that were wounded, and in telling Israel very clearly that this incident is intolerable, and it cannot be repeated. 

The second question is, I'm sorry to say, irrelevant

Question: I'm coming from Phoenix TV, and I have two questions. The first question is, during your term as UN Secretary General, you have seen the most complicated international situation. How do you feel about this, and how do you think we can avoid the war?

And second question is, last month, communications equipment explosions occurred in Lebanon, and dozens died and thousands injured. So what do you think of this incident, especially the impact for on the international global supply chain? Thank you.

Secretary-General: Well, first of all, in relation to the first question, I have never seen in my time of Secretary General, any example of deaths and destruction as dramatic as what we are witnessing in Gaza. On the other hand, we are seeing escalation after escalation, regionalization of the conflict that is becoming a threat to global peace and security. And I strongly urge the different actors maximum restraint, because we cannot afford a global conflagration in the region that will have dramatic negative impacts to the economic and political situation globally.

In relation to the second question. I mean, this was just the beginning. What we are witnessing in Lebanon is a massive operation which strikes, heavy bombardments, obviously also with bombardments from the Hezbollah side, but that are causing dramatic number of civilians being killed. We believe that the number of killed is close to 2000 and we see already 170,000 people fleeing to Syria. We see more than 1 million displaced. We see an enormous tragedy in Lebanon, and we must do everything do everything to avoid an all-out war In Lebanon.

Question:  From the Spanish news agency. The Nobel Prize Committee will announce soon the Nobel Prize and you are nominated. So what would you say if you are awarded with this? 

Secretary-General: The only award I'm seeking is to be conscious that I'm doing my duty.

Question: Your Excellency. I'm a journalist from China Media Group. My question will be about the relation between China and ASEAN. As you know, China has done what it can to help and cooperate with the regional countries, and on Thursday, it has announced, together with the ASEAN of the FTA, new version 3.0, new version of free trade area negotiations. It will cover new economy, digital economy, green energy, supply chain, etc. It will definitely promote and escalate the corporations in the region, can you comment on this trade? 

Secretary-General: We are totally committed to, first of all, guarantee that we have only one global economy with one only set of rules, one global Internet, and that fragmentation must be avoided at all costs. So, what brings people together within this global economy, all the agreements that are made in order to increase free trade, in order to create conditions for economic growth to be boosted, all those agreements are, from our perspective, always welcome.

Thank you very much.  

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