Secretary-General António Guterres today (11 Oct) told reporters in Vientiane, the capital of Lao, that with "geopolitical tensions rising, climate chaos battering countries, and deepening inequalities ripping the social contract to shreds,” the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) “is a bridge-builder and a messenger for peace.”
That peace, Guterres said, “is more necessary than ever, when see the immense suffering of the people in Gaza, now extend to Lebanon, and not forgetting Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar and many others.
The Secretary-General, who is attending the ASEAN-UN summit in Vientiane said, “our challenges are inter-connected, we all can and must be part of the solution,” and noted that ASEAN countries “have much to offer.”
On climate change, he said, “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.”
Guterres 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.”
Nevertheless, he expressed concern “about the worsening political, humanitarian and human rights situation in Myanmar,” and said, “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.”
Asked about the peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) that were wounded by Israeli fire in Lebanon, the Secretary-General said, “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.”
After the presser Guterres attended a presentation by local coffee growers supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) alternative crops project
During his visit, the Secretary-General met with President Tho
