During the plenary session (23-24 June 2021) in the European Parliament in Brussels, MEPs debate with António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, the status of human rights in the world. This transcription is the result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Brussels

statement

plenary session

GUTERRES, António (PT)

Formal sitting - Address by António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ant&oacute;nio GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Dear President Sassoli, distinguished members of the European Parliament, ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to finally be back in Brussels, having myself been a member of the Portuguese assembly for 17 years. I am particularly honoured to address the European Parliament.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, We leave at a time when the strategic partnership between the European Union and the United Nations is more indispensable than ever. And on behalf of the United Nations, let me begin with two words. Thank you. You are the largest budgetary contributor to the United Nations system.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, In addition to the regular and peacekeeping budgets, the European Union and its member states provide UN agencies with life-saving voluntary contributions. These funds go towards our development activities and other crucial aspects of our work, including human rights, you are also the biggest humanitarian donor in a global context of skyrocketing needs.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, With more than 34 million people on the brink of famine or famine like conditions, you have significantly increased your humanitarian budgets. I thank you for working with the United Nations to help the most vulnerable populations in more than 170 countries. Thanks to the Spotlight initiative, the EU is our most important partner in our commitment to end violence against women and girls by 2030.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, And we have also supported efforts to adopt and implement the most ambitious institutional reforms of the United Nations in decades, making our organisation more agile and fit for purpose in an ever changing global environment.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Finally, in the context of an unprecedented global AIDS crisis, I commend the European Union for reaffirming its solidarity and support for the Covacs facility and for its Team Europe approach to help countries tackle the impact of the pandemic and these difficult times for all Europeans.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, I want to express my deepest condolences for the hundreds of thousands of lives lost in our in your countries to the covid-19 pandemic, including my own country, Portugal, the members of Parliament. We are at a crossroads and the situation can go either way. Breakdown or breakthrough?

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Breakdown and perpetual crises or breakthrough leading to a greener, safer and better future for all. I will do everything in my power to push for breakthroughs, the pandemic has revealed our shared fragility, our interconnectedness and the overwhelming needs for collective action.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Our biggest challenge and the greatest opportunity is to use this crisis as a chance to pivot to a greener, fairer and more sustainable world. Contributing to more effective global corporations with less global concerns is a priority for my second term in office. The driving team is prevention in all its aspects, from conflict, climate change and pandemics to poverty and inequality.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Dear members of Parliament, the covid-19 pandemic has revealed utterly inadequate health systems, huge gaps in social protection and major structural inequalities within and between countries. While some countries are slowly starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The virus remains a threatening reality in many places around the world, and therefore, to us all, the pandemic is causing more deaths today than a year ago.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, And vaccines are our only way out of this crisis. They must be considered as a global public goods available and affordable to all. Vaccine equity is not only the greatest moral test of our times, it's also a matter of effectiveness as the virus tends to mutate. Nobody is safe until we are all vaccinated. And sadly, the world is not rising to the occasion.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, We face the spectre of a divided world and a lost decade for development. Unless the African continent receives 20 to 20 to 25 million additional doses, almost 90 percent of African countries are set to miss the September target of vaccinating 10 percent of their people. And if we want to get 75 percent of the world's population vaccinated, we need not one but 11 billion doses.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, We must step up the global vaccination efforts, as I reiterate it, at the G7 meeting. As I read today at the G7 meeting, we need a global vaccination plan, vaccine producing countries, and those that will be able to do so if supported, must come together in an emergency task force supported by the World Health Organisation, the Vaccine Alliance, GAVI and international financial institutions.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Such a task force would need to be able to mobilise the pharmaceutical companies and key industrial actors to them to define and implement a global vaccination plan to ensure the vaccination of the entire world population as lovely as possible in 2022.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, And that requires exploring all options from voluntary licences and technology transfers to patent public and flexibility on intellectual property rights. Addressing supply chain bottlenecks is also critical to scaling up production rapidly around the world and the European Union must use its leverage as a global actor to help it to help in this effort to ensure fair and equitable access to vaccines for all.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, From the outset of the pandemic. The United Nations mobilised early and in a comprehensive manner. We led a global health response, provided lifesaving humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable, established instruments for rapid response to the socio economic impact, and laid out the broad policy agenda for action on all fronts.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, We also provided logistics and services and operational support to governments and other partners around the world as they mounted national responses to this unprecedented global challenge. But as we start to draw lessons from the pandemic, we must ensure that the world never again faces a crisis of this magnitude and prepared.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, And that requires sustained investments, global solidarity and collaboration to strengthen local, national and regional capacities. I welcome the report of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, calling for a new global instrument to respond further faster to disease outbreaks.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, And they also support last month's decision by the World Health Organisation to hold a special session in November 2021 to consider developing a new international instruments on pandemic preparedness and response.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, And that should increase and increase the authority of the World Health Organisation, namely on information gathering, sharing and evaluation. No single country can address pandemics and global health emergencies alone.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Dear members, this pandemic has also shown and accentuated the existing imbalances in social and economic and other times, including in Europe. In many countries, it has accentuated structural problems such as limited health capacity, health systems, not sued for suitable for purpose and the limits of the public sector.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, And this has jeopardised decades of progress. The pandemic is also a unique opportunity to bring about a more resilient and stronger and fairer society. But once again, we see shocking inequalities between developing and developed countries at a time when certain countries are able to mobilise billions of dollars to help their economies. Whole regions of the south of the world are left to their own devices.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Developed countries are developing up the 28 percent of their GDP in relaunch and renewal programmes. The countries of the South can only mobilise six percent of their GDP and that comes down to one percent of their GDP, 15 times less for the least developed countries. The consequences are quite obvious for the current year.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, The growth forecasts for the world economy are 5.5 percent, but only three point four percent for the African continent. This is a tragedy that is underway in Africa. All of this means that we need all this jeopardises the struggle against the pandemic, and the danger is that it will accentuate inequalities further.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, There are millions of people who are starving. Half of the world's population doesn't have access to the health care that it requires. And at the same time, in fact, just last year, the wealth of the most fortunate in the world went up by five million billion dollars.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, So I will propose a tax on wealth so that we can ensure that the richest people who have benefited from this pandemic can help in relaunching and saving the world's economies. But over and above that, developing countries need to gain access to enhanced liquidity.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, So I renew my appeal to support the poorest countries, including through condoning part of their debt if necessary. If we want to get through this crisis, we have to set up a world mechanism that will strengthen the transparency and the viability of debt.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, We also need to ensure that this can affect all developing countries and intermediate level of income countries where required this debt relief that I'm referring to. I am reassured by the measures from the IMF and the measures that have been launched to support more the more vulnerable countries.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, And I trust that I will be able to count on your support in this area. But we need to go much further. We need bold, daring steps and more than ever, the Agenda 2030 and our sustainable development goals should be our collective roadmap.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, This brings me to another global fragility the state of our planet. On the climate front, the US shown the way with the Greenville's a commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, our 2030 targets and just transition plans.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Also, thanks to you, members of the European Parliament, the Global Coalition for Net Zero Emissions is gaining momentum and countries representing 70 percent of the world economy and 65 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions have not committed to carbon neutrality by 2050.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, This drive for net zero emissions must become the new normal for everyone, everywhere. Every country, company, city and financial institution, including key sectors such as aviation, shipping, industry and agriculture and all commitments to net zero must be underpinned by clear dates to end fossil fuel subsidies and finance, as well as credible plans to halve emissions by 2030 at the latest.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, We also need to re-establish trust between developed and developing countries and we once again look to the EU to become a powerful bridge builder in the run up to Cop 26. The way to do so is by fulfilling the promises that were made in Paris, namely regarding the mobilisation of one billion US dollars of support to developing countries every year. And this is not a symbolic pledge. It is a vital commitment.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, We can only ask for more ambition if we provide additional supports and the breakthrough on adaptation. Resilience must also be a global priority, with many countries on the front line of the climate crisis. We have a moral imperative and the clear economic case for supporting developing countries to adapt and build resilience to current and future climate impacts.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, And this requires adequate and predictable financing. Yet adaptation represents a mere 21 percent of climate related financial support to developing countries. I reiterate my call to donors and multilateral development banks to ensure that at least 50 percent of climate finds that finance is for adaptation and resilience. The success of Cop 26 rests on achieving a breakthrough on adaptation and finance.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, I urge European countries to step up their technical and financial support to developing countries well ahead of the cop 26. Dear members of the European Parliament, lawlessness in cyberspace represents another growing fragility. Covid-19 has laid bare both the potential and the challenges of digital technologies.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Today, the online world is largely dominated by commercial interests and shaped in ways that do not always serve the public interests. Advertising models amplify sensationalist and misleading content. Big tech companies exercise extraordinary control over issues that profoundly affect people's lives.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, We need to have a say in the use of our data, which is not only used for targeting advertising, but also to manipulate our perceptions and to shape our behaviour, and surveillance manipulation and also used by some states to control populations in democratic ways.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Violence and harassment online targeting women and girls have massively increased, causing devastating damage and pushing many women out of the public conversation and virtual threats of real life consequences. We are no longer questioning if regulation is needed but asking what type of good regulation should be put in place.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, And we must address cyber insecurity and reclaim the online spaces of public goods and confront hate speech, misinformation and human rights abuses, and this also applies to artificial intelligence. Human beings must remain in control and lethal autonomous weapons must be banned.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, We must strengthen global governance in a domain where it is largely missing and ensure diversity in those who create and develop new technology so that we do not amplify inequalities. This call for global action is the foundation of the UN Roadmap for Digital Cooperation issued last year.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Dear members of the European Parliament, the European Union is the world's prime proponent of a more open, inclusive and secure digital future for all and of safeguarding human rights online from cyber security, governance and open data to net neutrality and the digitalisation of public services.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, The European Union is demonstrating global leadership and set global standards. The international community has much to learn from the human centric European approach to digital, transformational digital rights, consumer protection, privacy and the ethical development of artificial intelligence.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, And we must close the digital divide and ensure that 3,7 billion people currently excluded from the digital realm gain access as a method of urgency. The aim is an open, free and secure digital future.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Dear members, the weaknesses and constraints that I have just described, not only mutually reinforce one another, but also have an impact on our provisions for peace and security. And they threaten to exacerbate many of the conflicts that we already suffer from and the time of the pandemic.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, There have been extremist groups that have not hesitated to use violence. A number of countries have got involved into a vicious cycle, a combination of vulnerability and crime, and this has made their prospects for peace weaker. The new threat and threats to our international peace and prosperity are enhanced by this pandemic.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, At the same time, there's increased levels of gender based discrimination and violence, and this is causing tremendous suffering to millions of citizens. We have to continue to explore all diplomatic avenues to come up with peaceful solutions to conflicts while also combating their deep causes, but may be more important than solving conflicts is avoiding them.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Prevention should become our top priority. We need to strengthen our collective capacity to to prevent to forecast and prevent these challenges by mobilising public and private sectors. And your support through monitoring and supporting electoral processes is an excellent example of successful mediation, not least with countries neighbouring the European Union.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Dear members. The challenges to peace that we face today will probably be even more complex in upcoming years. There are new areas of stress and of geopolitical conflict in cyberspace. All of this means we need more international cooperation, not less.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, But we need a renewed, more efficient approach to world governance and to international cooperation based on common values and shared responsibilities and with human rights. At the centre of this approach, we need a form of multilateralism that's in a network including all multilateral, regional and subregional organisations and international financial agencies and development banks.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, And we need an inclusive form of multilateralism based on cooperation with youth, women, civil society sectors, local authorities, academic and philanthropic institutions. And we need to learn from the lessons of the current crisis and strengthen those areas where we need better, stronger governance, such as vaccination and other areas of public interest.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Both organisations would build on shared principles and the strong commitment to the international rule of law, with the aim to prevent past tragedies and build a more peaceful and prosperous world. We both aspire to put human rights at the forefront of our efforts.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Last year, I launched the Call to Action for Human Rights, a comprehensive framework to advance our most important work from sustainable development to climate action, from protecting fundamental freedoms to gender equality, the preservation of civic space, and ensuring that digital technology is a force for good.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Since then, the ongoing. The global heath crisis has highlighted the indivisibility and interconnectedness of the full spectrum of human rights, civil, political, cultural, economic and social, and it has shown how easily some hard gains, some hard earned gains can be undone using the pandemic as a pretext.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Some authorities around the world have developed handed security responses and emergency measures to criminalise dissent and basic freedoms and subvert electoral processes. And the pandemic has also exacerbated entrenched discrimination against women and girls.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Violence against women and girls in all forms has exploded from domestic violence to online abuse, sexual exploitation and child marriage. I welcome your efforts to protect and promote human rights and the rule of law worldwide. But we must also protect vulnerable people within the EU borders.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, The rights of refugees and asylum seekers are protected by international law, regardless of how they arrive in a country as a fellow European and former head of government. I know that migrants and refugees are not a threat, but a valuable contribution to our continent.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, As former U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, I've seen what it means to rebuild your life while finding the strength to enrich the lives of others. We must ensure the integrity of the international refugee protection regime. We must increase our support and solidarity with refugee hosting countries.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, And we must pursue international cooperation amongst the countries of origin, transit and destination to promote regular, safe and orderly pathways for migration. Leaders in all sectors of society must invest in social cohesion so that every community feels valued.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Dear members of the European Parliament. The European Union, has brought decades of peace and prosperity and serves as an inspiration to the world over the decades, it has become a vital partner for the United Nations. Today, as the world is facing unprecedented challenges and transformation.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, The European Union must champion universal values and fundamental rights and help lead the way. And in a context of this trust between state and society, the role of the European Parliament for building shared understandings is more crucial than ever.

SOUNDBITE (Original), António GUTERRES, Secretary General of the United Nations, Parliaments are the beating heart of democracy. You are the bridge between politics and people. Your representation of your citizens, especially the most vulnerable, will be key to regain trust and together build a more sustainable, just and resilient future. And I thank you.