Guterres in London for 80th anniversary of first UN General Assembly meeting

NEW YORK, 17th January, 2026 (WAM) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in London on Friday where he will participate in a special event to mark the 80th anniversary of the first meeting of the General Assembly, held in the UK capital in 1946.

The Secretary-General had discussions with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and thanked him for the UK’s continued support for multilateralism and its active role in the UN.

The two leaders discussed the war in Ukraine, Sudan, the Middle East and UN reform, among other topics.

On Saturday, the Secretary-General will deliver the keynote address at the United Nations Association of the United Kingdom (UNA-UK) conference, which will take place at Methodist Central Hall in London where the first General Assembly meeting was held.

UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq previewed his remarks – entitled ‘UNGA at 80: From 1946 to Our Future’ – during the regular media briefing at Headquarters in New York.

“The Secretary-General is expected to say that as we wish to make the world fairer, it is critical that the international system reflects today’s reality, including the drive to update the Security Council and to reform the unjust and unfair international financial architecture,” Haq told journalists.

“He will say that at a time when the values of multilateralism are being chipped away, the world needs civil society movements everywhere that are fearless and persistent and that make it impossible for leaders to look away.”