The UN Secretary-General António Guterres says Nordic leadership can “light the way” in addressing global challenges such as widening inequalities, climate change and new technologies, that “are evolving faster than our capacity to control them.”
In a video message to the seventy-eighth session of the Nordic Council in Helsinki Guterres said that addressing these challenges requires solidarity, dialogue and concerted action.
The Secretary-General´s message was a keynote address to a thematic debate “Nordic peace mediation in a changing world order.”
Photo: Magnus Fröderberg/Norden.org
Critical funding
“For generations, Nordic countries have been vital partners in pushing for peace — from the Middle East, to the Sahel, to Latin America and beyond,” Mr. Guterres said. He pointed out the Nordic countries´ critical funding to sustain peace processes and strengthen peace infrastructure. He said the international community should draw on the Nordic countries experience of such initiatives as the training of mediators, network building, sharing of expertise and research.
“And you have shown how women, youth, marginalized groups and civil society can — and must — play meaningful roles in mediation and negotiation.”
Mediation must keep pace
The Secretary-General emphasized that mediation must keep pace with a world undergoing profound change. He said Nordic leadership has long understood the importance of conflict prevention, building trut and advancing political solutions.
Mr. Guterres highlighted three “acute — and even existential — challenges” where he counted on Nordic leadership.
The seventy-eighth session of the Nordic Council takes place in Helsinki 26-29 October. Photo: Magnus Fröderberg/Norden.org
The first of the three, widening inequality, would become “a recipe for economic, social and political strife,” if left unchecked. For that reasion it was vital to scale up development financing, addressing the debt crisis, reforming the international financial architecture and speeding up progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. “I am counting on Nordic leadership to keep championing this crucial agenda,” the Secretary-General said.
Climate action goes hand-in-hand with prosperity.
Secondly Mr. Guterres named the climate chaos. Failure to limit global temperature rise poses a grave risk to international peace and security by inflaming tensions over land, water and food; straining institutions; driving displacement; and triggering wider instability.
“With the Arctic warming nearly four times faster than the global average, Nordic countries are also feeling the heat. Yet, you have shown climate action goes hand-in-hand with peace and prosperity. The world must follow suit — and rapidly curb emissions, speed up the renewables revolution and deliver climate justice.”
Control of AI
The third challenge, according to Mr. Guterres is “runaway technologies.”
“I welcome the call for control of frontier AI models led by Finland and Norway,” the Secretary-General said. “And I urge all Member States to act quickly and collectively to ensure AI is safe, transparent and accountable — with humanity always at the centre.”
Finally, Mr. Guterres said that Nordic leadership has never been more valuable. “Together, we can realize the power of dialogue and diplomacy.”
Nordic Council
The Nordic Council is the official body for inter-parliamentary co-operation. It consists of 87 MPs elected by the eight Nordic parliaments; Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have 20 members each. Two of the Danish members are from the Faroe Islands and two of the Finnish members come from Åland. Iceland has seven members. Established in 1952, the Council promotes closer co-operation by proposing initiatives designed to improve everyday life for the people of the region, help the region play a bigger role in the world, and address challenges faced by all of the Nordic countries.