Showing resolve amid crisis: Guterres highlights UN impact in annual report

In his Annual Report on the Work of the Organization, released ahead of the high-level session of the 79th UN General Assembly, Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the Organization’s ongoing efforts to address these pressing challenges.

Mr. Guterres highlighted the resilience of UN personnel, committed to delivering hope and help to those in need, despite operating under difficult circumstances.

“I am enormously proud of the staff of the United Nations, who are delivering on their mandates in a fractured and sometimes dangerous world,” he said.

“In 2023, together with our partners on the ground, we coordinated humanitarian response plans for 245 million people across 74 countries and delivered life-saving assistance and protection to nearly 160 million people in urgent need.”

The report says that the UN also mobilized a record $22.7 billion in humanitarian aid from donors globally, enabling life-saving programmes in Afghanistan, Sudan, Yemen, and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and regions affected by natural disasters like earthquakes in the Syrian Arab Republic and Türkiye and floods in Libya, Malawi and Mozambique.

However, these operations came at a significant human cost. 2023 saw the highest number of UN staff and humanitarian workers killed, with the vast majority of casualties being staff of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) working in the Gaza Strip. The Secretary-General honored their sacrifice, underscoring the UN’s commitment to standing with the world’s most vulnerable.

Peace and security core to UN’s mission

Diplomacy for peace remained core to the Organization’s work amid escalating global peace and security challenges. In response, the Secretary-General proposed his New Agenda for Peace, which, among others, calls for multilateral action to address the interlocking threats to our shared future.

The report also highlights that for the first time in 34 years, the Secretary-General invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, bringing the hostilities in Gaza and Israel to the attention of the Security Council and calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the release of hostages. The UN worked to prevent regional escalation and advance peace efforts aimed at ending the occupation and achieving a two-State solution in line with international law and relevant UN resolutions.

The UN also facilitated peace talks, supported State-building efforts and helped to protect civilians globally, including in Sudan. In addition, the Organization oversaw the withdrawal of some 13,000 personnel from its peacekeeping mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, amid rapidly deteriorating security conditions.

The Peacebuilding Fund allocated over $200 million to support national peace plans in 36 countries, with a focus on gender equality. Partnerships with regional organizations, like the African Union, further bolstered conflict prevention.

A call for action on Global Goals

In 2023, the SDG Summit gathered over 6,000 participants, renewing global commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, only 15 per cent of which are on track to be met by the globally agreed deadline of 2030, with many developing countries facing challenges in securing the resources needed to ensure a sustainable future.

Environmental initiatives such as the Water Action Agenda and a landmark agreement on plastic pollution were key achievements in 2023. The UN’s advocacy for global climate action was also a major highlight of the past year, with calls for fossil fuel transitions, operationalizing the loss and damage fund, and ending deforestation by 2030.

Human rights and multilateralism

Human rights remained a key focus of the UN’s mission. In 2023, the UN supported initiatives to eliminate violence against women, empower rural women, and ensure their representation in constitutional processes.

The Secretary-General also raised concerns about the erosion of multilateral principles, noting the impunity with which some parties to conflicts are targeting civilians, hospitals, humanitarian aid and schools.

In preparation for the landmark Summit of the Future, the UN released policy briefs on issues such as peace, security, and governance of artificial intelligence, aiming to reinforce the values of the UN Charter and tackle global challenges like mis- and disinformation in the public sphere.

Committed staff

“At every step, our Organization and our personnel will continue to stand in solidarity with the people of the world through these trying times, as we seek to forge a more peaceful, healthy, equal and prosperous future together, and a world that leaves no one behind,” Mr. Guterres said.

“Their resolve is to achieve results for the people of the world and to deliver the help and the hope that every person deserves – and that the human family needs today, more than ever.”