About: António Guterres
International alliance of cities commits to tackling air pollution
Poor air quality causes 422,000 premature deaths deaths each year in Europe and EU member states have repeatedly been singled out for exceeding pollution thresholds. At the C40 Summit on Friday (11 October), 35 cities decided to take the matter into their own hands. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Turkish and Syrian rebel forces to start Syria offensive ‘shortly’
Turkish forces, together with the rebel Free Syrian Army, will cross the Syrian border "shortly", President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s communications director said early on Wednesday (9 October), as a surprise withdrawal of US troops made way for the Turkish incursion.
UN sets constitution committee for Syria, but hopes to end war muted
The United Nations announced Monday (23 September) the long-awaited creation of a constitution-writing committee on Syria that will include the government and opposition, but it remained to be seen if the step could finally end the civil war.
Washington sees ‘many options short of war’ with Iran after attacks on Saudis
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (18 September) there were many options short of war with Iran after US ally Saudi Arabia displayed remnants of drones and missiles it said were used in a crippling attack on its oil sites that was "unquestionably sponsored" by Tehran.
Trump says US ‘locked and loaded’ for potential response to Saudi oil attack
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday (15 September) that the United States was "locked and loaded" for a potential response to the attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities, after a senior official in his administration said Iran was to blame.
As Amazon burns, Brazil’s Bolsonaro tells rest of world not to interfere
Amid growing international criticism over the wildfires raging through the Amazon, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday (22 August) admitted farmers could be illegally setting the rainforest ablaze but told foreign powers not to interfere.
18 EU countries now support 2050 carbon neutrality goal
Germany, Greece, Italy and Slovenia have added their names to a growing list of EU countries supporting a carbon neutrality objective for 2050, increasing the chances that a deal will be struck at an EU summit later this week, according to documents seen by EURACTIV.
Guterres: European unity vital to avoid new cold war
UN Secretary General António Guterres on Thursday (30 May) warned Europe must remain united if it wants to avoid a new “cold war” in tumultuous political times. “If you want to avoid a new cold war… if you want to...
EU urges Sudan army to carry out ‘swift’ handover to civilian rule
Sudan's army ousted veteran president Omar al-Bashir Thursday (11 April), but protestors against his iron-fisted rule denounced a "coup" and thousands rallied outside army headquarters as a night-time curfew kicked in.
EU voices concern as Libya strongman Haftar orders ‘advance’ on Tripoli
Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar ordered his troops Thursday (4 April) to "advance" on Tripoli, seat of the internationally-recognised unity government, as world powers warned of consequences for military action.
UN head ‘shocked’ by suffering at migrant camp in Libya
UN Secretary General António Guterres said Thursday (4 April) he was "shocked" by the level of suffering of migrants at a detention centre in Tripoli which he visited during a visit to the Libyan capital.
EU, UN welcome thaw in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations over Nagorno-Karabakh
The EU welcomed on Friday (18 January) a recent thaw in relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the conflict of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Afghan president names team for Taliban peace talks, EU to act as ‘guarantor’
Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday (28 November) announced in Geneva a 12-person team for prospective peace talks with the Taliban, as his government pledged unwavering commitment to resolve the conflict despite persistent bloodshed.
Trump may cancel Putin meet after Ukraine-Russia sea clash
US President Donald Trump has said he may cancel a long-awaited summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after a confrontation at sea between Russia and Ukraine led Kyiv to warn of the threat of "full-scale war".
Paris Peace Forum harbours ambition to become annual gathering
It was billed as a "Davos for democracy". But will the newly launched Paris Peace Forum, the latest addition to international conferencing, have an impact?
Merkel, Macron defend multilaterism as Trump avoids peace forum
The leaders of Germany and France called for a unified approach to fostering world peace at a forum in Paris on Sunday (11 November) that was attended by dozens of heads of state and government with one notable exception: US President Donald Trump.
In solemn Paris ceremony, Macron leads global WW1 Armistice commemorations
French President Emmanuel Macron led tributes to the millions of soldiers killed in World War One on Sunday (11 November), using an emotional ceremony in Paris attended by scores of world leaders to warn against nationalism a century on from the conflict.
Learning to trust the killer robots
It's been more than 75 years since the American science fiction writer Isaac Asimov published his seminal 'Three laws on Robotics', a concise ethical framework that came to govern the principles by which Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been developed worldwide.
Cypriot minister: We hope for resumption of reunification talks
Cypriot Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides said on Tuesday (17 July) there was new hope of resuming talks on Cypriot reunification, with a new UN envoy about to start meetings with all parties in an effort to relaunch the talks.
Minister: Central Asia can be a model of peace, security and cooperation
In a wide-ranging interview, Galymzhan Koisybayev, deputy minister of foreign affairs of Kazakhstan, told EURACTIV about the results of a recent summit of the Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan) and the past and the future of regional cooperation.
UN to slap sanctions for hate speech in Central African Republic
The UN Security Council yesterday (30 January) maintained an arms embargo on the Central African Republic and added incitement to hatred as well as attacks on aid workers as criteria for sanctions.
Guterres highlights cooperation potential of Central Asia with Afghanistan
UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted on Friday (21 January) the potential of the five countries of Central Asia for addressing the threats of violent extremism and transnational organised crime in Afghanistan. For its part, Kazakhstan has suggested building an economic and security partnership with Afghanistan.
UN’s Guterres warns against ‘sleepwalking’ into war over North Korea
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, warning against the danger of “sleepwalking” into war, said today (14 December) that Security Council resolutions on North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs must be fully implemented by Pyongyang and other countries.