Interview: UN chief-designate prioritizes peace, particularly in Syria

UN Secretary-General-designate Antonio Guterres said Thursday that peace would be the most pressing issue on his agenda, and he will do his best to address the current conflicts worldwide, especially the one in Syria.

Guterres was appointed by the UN General Assembly on Thursday as the ninth UN secretary-general whose five-year term will begin on Jan. 1, 2017.

In an interview with Xinhua after his appointment, Guterres said among all the conflicts over the world, the one in Syria is the most dramatic in which people are suffering more than anywhere else, and therefore "the priority is in Syria."

Noting there are also conflicts in Iraq, Yemen, Nigeria and other parts of the world, Guterres said that all these conflicts are interlinking and that they are fueling global terrorism in a dramatic way.

"So this would be my main concern to work with member states strongly to convene, to bring people together, to try to address the problem of global peace and global security," he said.

On addressing conflicts, Guterres said "what a secretary-general can do is good office" by bringing together those countries that have an influence over parties to the conflicts and making them understand that "these are conflicts in which nobody is winning, everybody is losing."

"I think there is much more (goodness) to unite all states to stop the war than the eventual benefits they might think they can obtain in a conflict that will never end," he added.

Guterres, 67, served as UN high commissioner for refugees from 2005 to 2015 and has tackled some of the largest displacement crises across the world in decades, particularly in Syria and Iraq.

Recalling his work as high commissioner for refugees, Guterres said it is a privilege to assist the most vulnerable people to minimize their suffering, "but we were not solving their problem."

"The problem is political; the solution needs to be political," he said, adding that it is important for the United Nations and its Security Council to find political solutions to those conflicts. "And the secretary-general can be a facilitator."

NO PLACE BETTER THAN UN TO SERVE WORLD

Fully aware that the world is in a very difficult situation in face of multiple challenges and crises, Guterres said all problems are now global and the only possible and effective answer is a global one.

On world development, Guterres said the United Nations needs to work effectively to support member states to achieve a set of global development goals, known as SDGs, which aim to end poverty, eliminate injustice and combat climate change.

On climate change, Guterres said that with all the key countries that are relevant to the issue now fully engaged in the Paris climate deal, he is "quite optimistic" that the world can effectively prevent the global temperature from rising.

Guterres spent more than 20 years in government and public service before he joined the UN refugee agency. He was the prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002.

Responding to a question on what change he can bring to the United Nations, Guterres said this will take time to answer.

Yet he mentioned he will appoint a woman as his deputy, and it is a strong commitment of him to make sure that the world body fully respects gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Guterres said there is no place better than the United Nations to allow him to use his political and diplomatic capacities to serve the international community.

"I want the UN to be a UN that is more effective, more cost-effective, but more able to deliver to the people we care for all over the world, and a UN that is a platform for dialogue, for understanding and for respect of all cultures and all religions in the world," he said.

TO WORK WITH CHINA IN ALL POSSIBLE FORMS

"China is the country I admire a lot, and China today has a very important role to play in the world," said Guterres.

He mentioned he had maintained a very constructive dialogue with Chinese authorities when he served as UN high commissioner for refugees.

Looking ahead, Guterres said he will continue to work with China through all possible forms to find solutions for global problems.

"I am really hopeful that the cooperation between the UN and China will be very fruitful and that China will be a very important pillar in this multilateral approach to the problems," he said. Endi