Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council
The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday evening, 5 July, to attend the Seventeenth Summit of the BRICS [Brazil, Russian Federation, India and China] countries.
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On Sunday afternoon, 6 July, after being welcomed by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the President of Brazil, the Secretary-General addressed an outreach session on “Strengthening multilateralism, economic-financial affairs and artificial intelligence”. He highlighted that artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping economies and societies, and that the fundamental test is how wisely we guide this transformation.
The Secretary-General also emphasized that AI cannot be a club of the few, but must benefit all, and in particular developing countries, which must have a real voice in the governance of artificial intelligence.
In the evening, the Secretary-General attended an official cocktail on the occasion of the BRICS Leader’s Summit, hosted by the President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Janja Lula da Silva.
On Monday morning, 7 July, soon after his arrival at the 17th Summit of the BRICS venue, the Secretary-General took part in the family photo. He then addressed an outreach session on “Environment, COP30 [Thirtieth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change] and global health”, warning that our environment is being attacked on all fronts. Mr. Guterres pointed out that across the world, lives and livelihoods are being ripped apart, and sustainable development gains left in tatters as disasters accelerate.
The Secretary-General noted that the most vulnerable and the poorer pay the highest price and stressed that we need to tackle the point where climate and health meet. He also emphasized that we need Governments to build on the progress of last year’s biodiversity COP, particularly reaching an ambitious agreement on finance, adding that we need to make COP30 a success.
In the afternoon, in a bilateral meeting on the margins of the BRICS Summit, the Secretary-General and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iran, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, discussed the situation in the Middle East. The Secretary-General noted the importance of the consolidation of the ceasefire to lay the groundwork for the resumption of negotiations.
Immediately after, the Secretary-General held a bilateral meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, Hakan Fidan. The Secretary-General and the Minister discussed the strong partnership between the United Nations and Türkiye. They also exchanged views on the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and the next round of meetings on Cyprus.
Also in the afternoon, the Secretary-General met Sergio Diaz-Granados, the Executive President of the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean.
On Tuesday morning, 8 July, the Secretary-General met with the Premier of the State Council of China, Li Qiang. They discussed cooperation between the United Nations and China, sustainable development, climate change and financing.
The Secretary-General commended China for its commitment to multilateralism and thanked China for its valuable contribution to the United Nations and its activities.
The Secretary-General departed Rio de Janeiro in the afternoon of Tuesday, 8 July.