UN Secretary-General António Guterres made the remarks on October 25 in an interview jointly conducted by the Viet Nam Television (VTV) and the Viet Nam News Agency (VNA) on the occasion of the Signing Ceremony and High-Level Conference of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime in Ha Noi.
The opening of the signing of the Ha Noi Convention coincides with the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations on October 24, 1945, adding deeper significance to the event.
Sharing his thoughts, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said this milestone demonstrates that, 80 years after the UN began its work, multilateralism remains strong and continues to be the most effective way to address today’s global challenges.
Cybercrime poses serious threats - from violations of personal privacy and psychological harm to children, to devastating economic consequences and trillions of dollars in global losses - yet, until now, there has been no effective international cooperation mechanism to combat it.
Then the UN came together, and it was possible, after five years of negotiations, to come to this convention, Guterres said.
Eighty years after the UN’s foundation, the organisation continues to rely on multilateral responses to address today’s challenges, recognising that no single country can tackle climate change, maintain global peace and security, combat cybercrime, or manage the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence on its own.
We need multilateral institutions, and this ceremony is the proof that multilateralism is alive and that UN is as important for the world today as it was 80 years ago, according to Guterres.
As the world faces unprecedented challenges that demand equally unprecedented solutions, the UN Secretary-General recognised Viet Nam’s active support for the UN reform process.
He said the UN strongly encourages Viet Nam to continue having a strong voice in its ongoing efforts to make the organisation more effective, efficient, and cost-effective - better able to support people in difficult circumstances worldwide and to assist governments in developing strategies for sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
Sharing his impressions of Vietnamese youth, as well as young people from other countries participating in the event, the UN Secretary-General said everything being achieved in Viet Nam today is thanks to the active participation of young people.
The youth is not the next generation, the youth is already the present generation, he said, adding that the dynamism of the Vietnamese youth is the best guarantee for the future of development, prosperity and peace in Viet Nam.
