Remarks by Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the 1st plenary meeting of the 80th session of the General Assembly.
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Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated on Baerbock’s election — which holds added significance as she became only the fifth woman in history to be elected to this important role.
Addressing the General Assembly, Guterres said, “The United Nations provides the place. The Charter provides the tools. And the Pact for the Future, adopted last September, provided a shot in the arm for the multilateral system and the values that have defined this organization from day one.”
“The Pact reminds us that, eight decades on, we can and must continue rising above division and working together. To make our world a better, more peaceful and prosperous place for all,” he added.
The Secretary-General called on all Member States to “summon the same resolve and spirit of determination that brought delegates to San Francisco in 1945.”
“Let’s live up to their vision — and most importantly, to the expectations and hopes of today’s people around the world,” he concluded.
The debate of the 80th session will open on Tuesday, 23 September, continue through Saturday, 27 September, and conclude on Monday, 29 September 2025.
Source: United Kingdom UK Parliament (video statements)
Prime Minister’s Question Time, also referred to as PMQs, takes place every Wednesday the House of Commons sits. It gives MPs the chance to put questions to the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer MP, or a nominated minister.
In most cases, the session starts with a routine ‘open question’ from an MP about the Prime Minister’s engagements. MPs can then ask supplementary questions on any subject, often one of current political significance.
The Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch MP, asks six questions and the leader of the second largest opposition party asks two. If another minister takes the place of the Prime Minister, opposition parties will usually nominate a shadow minister to ask the questions.
Want to find out more about what’s happening in the House of Commons this week? Follow the House of Commons on:
Source: United Kingdom UK Parliament (video statements)
Watch PMQs with British Sign Language (BSL) – https://youtube.com/live/WDbWXewItn8
Prime Minister’s Question Time, also referred to as PMQs, takes place every Wednesday the House of Commons sits. It gives MPs the chance to put questions to the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer MP, or a nominated minister.
In most cases, the session starts with a routine ‘open question’ from an MP about the Prime Minister’s engagements. MPs can then ask supplementary questions on any subject, often one of current political significance.
The Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch MP, asks six questions and the leader of the second largest opposition party asks two. If another minister takes the place of the Prime Minister, opposition parties will usually nominate a shadow minister to ask the questions.
Want to find out more about what’s happening in the House of Commons this week? Follow the House of Commons on:
On 10 September 2025, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, delivers the State of the European Union address – known as SOTEU – to the European Parliament.
The SOTEU address is an annual speech by the President of the European Commission to the European Parliament, setting her priorities for the Union for the year ahead.
The address is followed by a debate with Members of the European Parliament, reinforcing accountability. Each SOTEU speech sets out the President’s vision and major initiatives for the year ahead, marking an important moment to shape the EU’s direction and respond to citizens’ expectations.
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Briefing by Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, on the future of Peace Operations.
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Also addressing the Council today, Rosemary A. DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said, “There is one fundamental fact that no review, no matter how extensive or ambitious, can change: the failure or weak implementation of mandates is often related to the lack of political support for such operations – in the countries where they are deployed, among regional countries and in the Council, itself. We will therefore need to engage with a laser like focus on bringing the emphasis back to the political questions at the heart of each conflict and finding multilateral responses to them.”
UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations said, “Peacekeeping is not a luxury; it is a lifeline for millions who count on it for a future without fear.”
Addressing the Security Council today (09 Sep), Jean-Pierre Lacroix, said, “Peacekeeping is not a luxury; it is a lifeline for millions who count on it for a future without fear. Over 60,000 peacekeepers representing 115 Member States bravely carry out its vital work in 11 missions, making peacekeeping the UN’s largest and most visible activity in the field.”
He also said, “Rather than retreat we must use the expertise and valuable lessons from nearly eight decades of peacekeeping to use this valuable tool to respond to the legitimate expectations that “the peoples” hold towards the fulfillment of the Charter.”
He continued, “We continue to do our utmost to uphold the highest standards of conduct and discipline. We continue pre-deployment training on conduct and discipline for all uniformed personnel as well as in mission training. We provide avenues for victims to come forward, investigate allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse and when allegations are substantiated, we take the requisite action.”
He added, “From November 2024 to April 2025, we repatriated 17 uniformed personnel on disciplinary grounds. And together with concerned Member States, we have also actively sought solutions to address the too many pending paternity and child support claims – so that children fathered by peacekeepers and their mothers can have closure and assistance.”
He stressed, “To advance durable political solutions that enable peacekeeping to withdraw without a relapse into conflict requires the strong, unified and ongoing support of this Council – through the adoption of clear, prioritized mandates, active political engagement and statements of support. This must be matched by the payment of assessed contributions in full and on time.”
Also addressing the Council today, Rosemary A. DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said, “There is one fundamental fact that no review, no matter how extensive or ambitious, can change: the failure or weak implementation of mandates is often related to the lack of political support for such operations – in the countries where they are deployed, among regional countries and in the Council, itself. We will therefore need to engage with a laser like focus on bringing the emphasis back to the political questions at the heart of each conflict and finding multilateral responses to them.”
Earlier this morning, Ambassador Sangjin Kim, Charge d’affaires, a.i., Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, addressed the press, joined by representatives of Denmark, France, Greece, Guyana, Panama, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom on Climate, Peace and Security in the context of UN Peace Operations.
He said, “For decades, UN peace operations have proven to be testaments of multilateralism in action –saving lives, preventing the spread of conflicts, and sustaining peace. At the same time, however, there is an increasing need for these operations to adapt and respond to complex challenges, notably climate change.”
He added, “Its devastating impacts such as droughts, floods, and land degradation have shown to exacerbate, prolong, or even trigger conflicts, affecting civilian populations as well as UN personnel and activities.”
He stated, “UN peace operations need to be climate-sensitive throughout the entire peace continuum.”
Press Conference: Launch of the UN Secretary-General’s report – The Security We Need: Rebalancing Military Spending for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future.
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“The world is spending far more on waging war than on building peace,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said as he presented a new report showing global military expenditure hit a record $2.7 trillion in 2024, soaring by more than nine per cent from 2023 and signaling a dangerous move away from the principles of the UN Charter.
That is “the equivalent of $334 for every person on Earth,” Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters. “That is nearly thirteen times the amount of official development assistance from the world’s wealthiest nations – and 750 times the regular budget of the United Nations.”
The report, ‘The Security We Need: Rebalancing Military Spending for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future,’ warns that soaring defense budgets are diverting resources from education, healthcare, and climate resilience at a time when only one in five Sustainable Development Goal targets is on track.
“Our shared promise of sustainable development is in jeopardy,” Guterres said. “The financing gap is growing – and so is the cost of inaction.”
He said the report carries three urgent messages: that the current trajectory is unsustainable, that a better path is possible, and that practical steps are needed to rebalance priorities. “Budgets are choices,” Guterres noted. “Redirecting even a fraction of today’s military spending could close vital gaps – putting children in school, strengthening primary health care, expanding clean energy and resilient infrastructure, and protecting the most vulnerable.”
“The evidence is clear,” he added. “Excessive military spending does not guarantee peace. It often undermines it – fueling arms races, deepening mistrust, and diverting resources from the very foundations of stability.”
Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, said reversing the trend requires recommitting to multilateralism and diplomacy and warned of rising risks. “All nuclear weapon states have been investing huge amounts of money to modernize their nuclear arsenals, and soon, or we might already be in quantitative nuclear arms race starting,” she said. “There is also the rhetoric, or, in our view, misperception that nuclear weapons actually give the ultimate security, which is also causing yet another additional proliferation driver.”
UNDP Acting Administrator Haoliang Xu said the gains of recent decades are at risk. “The human growth that we have achieved over the last few decades will possibly decline. So, what happens from here, is up to us,” he said, urging a shift towards a people-centered and multi-dimensional approach to security.
The Secretary-General’s report projects global military spending could rise to $6.6 trillion by 2035 if current trends continue, further widening the $4 trillion annual financing gap needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
