Antonio Guterres

There is never a humanitarian solution for a humanitarian crisis. The solutions for the humanitarian crisis are always political ones.

As a global society, we have the technology, resources and the know-how to make a massive difference to living standards everywhere, including for refugees.

The world's problems transcend borders.

Humanitarian response, sustainable development, and sustaining peace are three sides of the same triangle.

The fact that societies are becoming increasingly multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multi-religious is good. Diversity is a strength, not a weakness.

Syria has become the great tragedy of this century - a disgraceful humanitarian calamity with suffering and displacement unparalleled in recent history.

When counterterrorist policies are used to suppress peaceful protests and legitimate opposition movements, shut down debate, target human rights defenders, or stigmatize minorities, they fail, and we all lose. Indeed, such responses may cause further resentment and instability and contribute to radicalization.

Plastic waste is now found in the most remote areas of the planet. It kills marine life and is doing major harm to communities that depend on fishing and tourism.

For many people, Timbuktu has long represented the essence of remoteness: a mythical, faraway place located on the boundaries of our collective consciousness. But like many of the myths associated with colonialism, the reality is very different.

...in the midst of migrants in search of a better life there are people in need of protection: refugees and asylum-seekers, women and children victims of trafficking...Many move simply to avoid dying of hunger. When leaving is not an option but a necessity, this is more than poverty.

Stateless people are hidden. During the 2011 refugee crises, it was obvious that people were fleeing Somalia and Libya - there was a lot of international attention. Statelessness goes undetected because stateless people are in legal limbo and are afraid to show up.

Climate change is moving faster than we are, but we don't give up because we know that climate action is the only path.

Far too often, girls are not given the space and opportunities they need to achieve their full potential.

Negative gender stereotypes related to girls' education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics begin as early as primary school and have the devastating effect of making them doubt their own potential.

Terrorists remain determined to find a weakness in our defence... To stay ahead of the terrorists, I call on the international community, the private sector, and academia to share knowledge, expertise, and resources to prevent new technologies becoming lethal terrorist weapons.

Many countries do not allow women to convey their nationality to their children - if they are single mothers, the children become stateless.

The Secretary-General must be a determined advocate for the values of tolerance and solidarity - universal values that are shared by cultures and religions around the globe.

As populations continue to increase, and the climate continues to deteriorate, and as people flock in ever increasing numbers to large, underdeveloped cities, the threat of multiple protracted mega-emergencies has become reality.

The only sure way to eliminate the threat posed by nuclear weapons is to eliminate the weapons themselves.

Terrorism is a persistent and evolving global menace. No country is immune.

Since the shock of former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's death, I have been reflecting on what made him so special. To my mind, it is simply this: Kofi Annan was both one of a kind and one of us.