The UN chief identified four key areas of engagement: peace and conflict prevention, sustainable development and financial justice, climate action, and digital transformation and cybersecurity.
Peace and conflict prevention
The Secretary General thanked ASEAN countries for their active participation in UN peacekeeping missions and highlighted Malaysia’s role in facilitating the ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand. He called for respect for international law in the South China Sea and expressed deep concern about the situation in Myanmar, where fighting continues, lives are being lost, millions have been displaced and humanitarian needs are rapidly growing. “I strongly condemn the bloodshed and call on all parties to end hostilities, protect civilians, allow unimpeded humanitarian access and begin an inclusive political process,” he said, emphasising the need to release arbitrarily detained persons, in a
Financial justice and sustainable development
The UN secretary-general drew attention to growing inequality and debt burdens that are “strangling” developing countries. Guterres called for urgent reform of the global financial architecture to ensure that international financial institutions reflect current reality and ensure greater participation of developing countries, including ASEAN states, which he said are “clearly underrepresented.”
Climate action
Ahead of the COP30 climate conference in Brazil, the UN chief called on countries to present ambitious national contributions to reduce emissions and accelerate the transition to renewable energy. He noted that ASEAN nations are facing floods, droughts, sea level rise and smog, which threaten the region’s food security, health and economy.
Digital transformation and the fight against cybercrime
The Secretary General described artificial intelligence as “a powerful tool for inclusive development.” In this regard, he recalled the launch of two UN initiatives: the International Scientific Panel on AI and the annual Global Dialogue on AI Governance, which should bring together science, policy and practice, giving a voice to each country. The UN chief stressed the need to fight transnational organised crime, including cyber fraud, assuring that the UN Office on Drugs and Crime will continue to support the countries of the region. Guterres concluded his speech by urging the participants of the forum to continue to prove through their actions that