Secretary Blinken’s Call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ahead of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly. The Secretary and the Secretary-General discussed a wide array of issues, including the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine, and the security situation in Haiti. They discussed U.S. priorities for the General Assembly, including reinforcing the core principles of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, modernizing the UN to address 21st century challenges, and our efforts to advance the UN’s sustainable development goals. The Secretary shared information on U.S.-hosted side events focused on addressing the threat of synthetic drugs, harnessing artificial intelligence to advance the UN’s sustainable development goals, and leveraging private capital for major infrastructure projects. The Secretary thanked the Secretary-General for his efforts to ensure a productive High-Level-Week.