Quotes from Antonio Guterres

For many people, Timbuktu has long represented the essence of remoteness: a mythical, faraway place located on the boundaries of our collective consciousness. But like many of the myths associated with colonialism, the reality is very different.

Nagasaki is not just an international city with a long and fascinating history. It is a global inspiration for all those who seek to create a safer and more secure world.

Many countries do not allow women to convey their nationality to their children - if they are single mothers, the children become stateless.

I think Australia is an extremely relevant partner and a key instrument for the stability, the progress, and the support of the East Timorese.

Looking at U.N. staff and budgetary rules and regulations, one might think some of them were designed to prevent, rather than enable, the effective delivery of our mandates. It benefits no one if it takes nine months to deploy a staff member to the field.

It is essential to understand that the U.N.'s strength lies in its values. The values enshrined in the Charter, the values the U.N. stands for, the values all religions respect.

United Nations Day marks the birthday of our founding Charter - the landmark document that embodies the hopes, dreams and aspirations of 'we the peoples.'

The United Nations must focus on delivery rather than process and on people rather than bureaucracy.

I am totally committed to the cooperation between the African Union and the United Nations.

The United Nations needs to be nimble, efficient, and effective.

Since the shock of former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's death, I have been reflecting on what made him so special. To my mind, it is simply this: Kofi Annan was both one of a kind and one of us.

When we see so many conflicts multiplying, the only way to allow the international community to be able to address those conflicts, the only way to allow the international community to act boldly, is with unity of the countries of the region, able to serve together and in the same universal principles.

I'll put everything I have in my capacity at the service of the noble cause and noble values of the U.N. and the U.N. Charter.

China can be a guarantor to North Korea that if they give up their nuclear capacity, the United States will not be in a position to harm them. And for the United States, China can also be a guarantor that if there is an agreement, that the agreement is effectively implemented by the North Koreans.

Nowhere in the world has the use of force alone resolved a conflict.

The future is unpredictable.

Global coherence demands a permanent strategic cooperation culture at all levels.

The facts are clear. Our oceans are a mess.

There is an urgent need for disarmament of all kinds, but especially nuclear disarmament.

Preventing conflict means going back to basics - strengthening institutions and building resilient societies.

I am a multilateralist. I am deeply convinced that there is no other way to deal with global challenges than with global responses, and organised in a multilateral way.

Migrants make huge contributions to both their host countries and countries of origin. They take jobs that local workforces cannot fill, boosting economic activity. Many are innovators and entrepreneurs.

One of the problems with the Security Council is that there are vetoes, and they do not allow us to do what might be justified from the point of view of sanctions.

Human rights are being violated in so many places. But we don't give up because we know respect for human rights and human dignity is a basic condition for peace.