Watch live: The UNGA meets to discuss urgent international issues | DW News

Key Concepts:

• Multilateralism
• Peace and Security
• Sustainable Development
• Human Rights
• Information Integrity
• Impunity
• Collective Security
• Gender Equality
• Agenda 2030
• Better Together

Opening Remarks and Musical Performance:

• The High-Level Plenary Meeting commemorates the 80th anniversary of the United Nations.
• The meeting is called to order, and delegations are welcomed.
• A musical performance is presented by the Match Chorus artists, pianist Howard Watkins, and the Sing for Hope Youth Chorus, directed by Tilman Michael.

Historical Context and the UN Charter:

• The world 80 years ago was marked by devastation: over 70 million dead, two world wars, the Holocaust, and colonialism.
• The UN Charter, signed on June 26, 1945, was a promise to learn from past horrors and prevent future catastrophes.
• The charter was not meant to deliver heaven, but to prevent humanity from being dragged into hell.
• The UN's failures stemmed from complacency, not a lack of power.

Current Global Challenges:

• The world faces crises such as the situation in Gaza, the war in Ukraine, sexual violence in Sudan, gang violence in Haiti, online hatred, and climate change.
• These challenges raise the question of whether the lessons of the past need to be relearned.

The Theme: "Better Together":

• The theme of the 80th session is "Better Together," a commitment to confront problems and choose dialogue and diplomacy.
• The UN has driven progress on sustainable development, peace and security, and human rights for 80 years.
• The commemoration is a story of people who have worked to turn hope into reality.

Short Film: "Better Together":

• A short film titled "Better Together" is shown, highlighting the work of individuals who have contributed to peace, dignity, and sustainability.

Secretary-General's Address (Antonio Guterres):

• The Secretary-General reflects on the early days of the UN, where many staff members bore visible wounds from war.
• These individuals chose to serve peace because they had witnessed the worst of humanity.
• The principles of the UN are under assault, with civilians targeted and international law trampled in various conflicts.
• Poverty, hunger, and climate change are on the rise.
• The world is moving towards a multipolar world, but without strong multilateral institutions, this poses risks.
• Agenda 2030, the Pact for the Future, and UN 2.0 are initiatives to renew international cooperation.
• The UN has achieved great triumphs, such as the eradication of smallpox and preventing a third world war.
• The challenges of the next 80 years will include war, poverty, climate change, runaway technologies, and the militarization of space.
• The only way forward is together, with clarity, courage, and conviction.

Address by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf:

• Focuses on peace and security, particularly in Africa.
• Democracy is weakening in Africa, with fractures across borders.
• Communities are standing up to violence, and regional bodies are mediating transitions.
• Prevention costs less than reconstruction, and reconciliation is a process.
• Liberia's story illustrates UN-led progress in disarmament, elections, security reform, and reconciliation.
• The multilateral architecture is underperforming, and global leadership lacks a unified effort.
• Commemoration without change is unaffordable.
• Calls for immediate protection of civilians, finance for conflict prevention, accountable leaders, women's participation in peace negotiations, and addressing the weaponization of information.
• Peace is built in classrooms, clinics, markets, and courts.
• Asks if the current generation is worthy of the hopes inherited from the UN's founding generation.
• "Better Together" must be a strategy involving regional bodies, civil society, governments, and equal power sharing between women and men.
• Calls for concrete commitments, funded priorities, and a timetable for action.

Address by Gro Harlem Brundtland:

• Highlights sustainability and gender equality as areas where the UN has made a difference.
• The UN was founded as a solemn promise to prevent wars, enshrine human rights, and foster peace and development.
• The World Commission on Environment and Development cemented the concept of sustainable development.
• Over 80% of the targets under the Sustainable Development Goals are off track.
• The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was a significant step.
• Despite adversity, the UN has worked to strengthen the position of women through education, microfinance, and advocacy.
• The UN is more important than ever in a time of geopolitical shifts and technological development.

Address by Maria Ressa:

• The UN was born to prevent humanity from destroying itself after fascism manipulated information.
• Similar forces are now surging through digital platforms, manipulating people for power and profit.
• The biggest battle is against impunity, leading to dehumanization in both the physical and virtual worlds.
• Information integrity is needed to remind people to be human.
• News groups lost gatekeeping powers, and an "atom bomb" exploded in the information ecosystem.
• This is the deadliest period for journalists in recorded history, with over 240 journalists killed in Gaza alone.
• Lies spread six times faster than facts on social media, exacerbated by generative AI.
• Without facts, truth, and trust, there is no shared reality, journalism, electoral integrity, or democracy.
• Algorithms reward outrage over empathy, spreading fear and hate.
• Regulating technology is about public safety, as online violence is real-world violence.
• The Philippines, a charter member of the UN, saw its commitment to multilateralism tested under the Duterte administration.
• 72% of the world is now under authoritarian rule.
• The solution is to strengthen multilateralism by addressing impunity.
• Three solutions:
  • End big tech impunity through global accountability and binding standards for information integrity.
  • Build alternative infrastructures for trust, such as open-source chat apps.
  • Invest in comprehensive solutions, such as recognizing Palestinian statehood and supporting women's peace efforts.
• Information integrity is the mother of all battles.
• Values of peace, human rights, justice, and the rule of law are more essential today than ever.

Poem Recitation by Mariam Burka:

• The UN grew out of the ashes of war and the collective memory of failed dialogue.
• The story is unfinished, and the cracks in the foundation require repair.
• The world bleeds before our eyes, and it begs the question of whether we are witnessing the collapse of conscience.
• Behind every pact, there are people, and behind every statistic, there is a story.
• The UN is a mirror reflecting what we dared to imagine 80 years ago.
• Peace is not a line that we cross, but a choice that we make over and over again.
• Peace is not the absence of war, but the presence of understanding.
• Peace is messy and is built brick by brutal brick.
• Let us measure strength by how long we can hold space for someone else's truth.
• Peace is the poem you write after the war in your chest has finally run out of ink.
• Let us not forget the women who have carried peace quietly through the fire.
• Speaks peace into the bones of this world, into the rubble, into the rage, into the ruins.

Concluding Remarks:

• Peace is only a word and "Better Together" is only a slogan until we embrace it.
• The story is of people who chose peace, upheld dignity, and stood for the earth.
• The high-level plenary meeting is adjourned.

Synthesis/Conclusion:

The High-Level Plenary Meeting commemorating the UN's 80th anniversary served as a moment of reflection on the organization's past, a stark assessment of current global challenges, and a call to action for a more collaborative and effective future. Speakers emphasized the importance of multilateralism, peace, human rights, and sustainable development, while also addressing critical issues such as information integrity, impunity, and gender equality. The overarching theme of "Better Together" underscored the need for collective action to address the complex problems facing the world. The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment to the UN's founding principles and a call for concrete steps to build a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world.