UN Secretary-General says he has “no authority whatsoever” ahead of annual meeting

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he had “no power at all” ahead of the annual UN General Assembly meeting.

When asked In an interview with CNN Regarding the executive authority he has at the meeting, Guterres said: “No authority at all.”

“The UN Secretary has no power and no money,” Guterres continued. “What we have is a voice and that voice can be loud, and I have an obligation to make it loud.”

General discussion 78^y The UN General Assembly session kicked off this week where countries will be able to broadcast their plans, concerns and calls for action to other world leaders.

Guterres said that the General Assembly is sometimes able to convene more meetings than just states, noting the strength of member states.

“Sometimes we are able to bring together different actors, not only countries, but also the private sector, civil society, women’s and youth organizations, scientific experts and academia,” Guterres said. “But the power lies with the member states.”

Guterres said that the exercise of this authority is hampered by the division between the great powers since World War II.

“We have a level of division between the great powers that has not been seen since World War II,” Guterres said. “Even in the Cold War, things were more predictable than they are today.”

At the two-day summit, which began Monday, Guterres tried to start work on achieving the 17 goals adopted by world leaders in 2015, reminding the leaders that they made “a promise to build a world of health, progress and opportunity for all – a promise to leave no one behind and a promise to pay a price.” that.

General Assembly President Dennis Francis added that the assembled leaders were “lagging behind” on their promises, according to the Associated Press.