The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres has described 2023 as the year of enormous suffering and violence across countries.
In a solemn video message released on Thursday December 28, Guterres lamented that 2023 was marked by conflict, climate disasters and economic hardship globally.
“2023 has been a year of enormous suffering, violence, and climate chaos. Humanity is in pain. Our planet is in peril,” he said.
Recalling conflicts in places like Sudan where fighting erupted in April 2023, Guterres noted “Wars are growing in number and ferocity.”
He also mentioned that 2023 was the hottest year on record and that people were getting “crushed by growing poverty and hunger.”
The UN chief stressed that “Humanity is strongest when we stand together” and called for more trust, hope and joint solutions in 2024.
“We must come together across divides for shared solutions. For climate action. For economic opportunity and a fairer global financial system that delivers for all,” he noted.
Guterres urged the world to stand against discrimination and hatred while ensuring new technologies like AI remain a force for good.
He promised the UN would continue “rallying the world for peace, sustainable development and human rights” in 2024.
The Secretary-General concluded: “Let’s resolve to make 2024 a year of building trust and hope in all that we can accomplish together.”
