Activities of Secretary-General in Malaysia, 26-28 October

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, early on Sunday, 26 October, to take part in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-UN Summit, chaired by Malaysia.

Later in the morning, at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, he attended the Opening of the forty-seventh ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.

On the sidelines of the Summit, the Secretary-General held bilateral discussions with leaders. On Sunday, he had meetings with Anutin Charnvirakul, the Prime Minister of Thailand; Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., the President of the Philippines; the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, as well as with the Secretary-General of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Kao Kim Hourn.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Secretary-General also welcomed the Joint Declaration between Cambodia and Thailand as a means to consolidate the July ceasefire. He expressed his appreciation for the important role played by Malaysia, as Chair of ASEAN, and the United States in facilitating this Declaration.

On Monday morning, 27 October, Mr. Guterres went to UN House for a meeting with the UN country team. At lunchtime, he joined a reception held on the Occasion of Timor-Leste's admission to ASEAN.

This was followed by an executive talk, where the Secretary-General delivered remarks. This event was organized by the Malaysian authorities to mark the UN's eightieth anniversary.

Later in the afternoon, the Secretary-General took part in the ASEAN-UN summit. In his remarks at the summit, he highlighted the collaboration between the United Nations and ASEAN.

Turning to Myanmar, he condemned the bloodshed in the country and urged all parties to halt the fighting, protect civilians, allow unimpeded humanitarian access and engage in an inclusive political process. The release of those arbitrarily detained, including democratically elected leaders, is essential, he added.

The Secretary-General told ASEAN leaders that under current conditions, any elections in Myanmar risk further exclusion and instability.

Earlier in the day, the Secretary-General held a press conference, in which he reiterated his call for an immediate end to the violence in Myanmar and for a credible path back to civilian rule.

Turning to climate, the Secretary-General said the stakes are perilously high for South-East Asia, where climbing temperatures, rising seas and worsening storms threaten lives, livelihoods and entire communities and countries. Next week, when leaders gather in Brazil for the thirtieth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30), they must agree on a credible plan to close the gap to 1.5°C and mobilize $1.3 trillion annually in climate finance by 2035 for developing countries, he said.

Also on Monday, the Secretary-General did a one-on-one interview with Channel News Asia, and he attended the ASEAN Summit gala dinner.

On Tuesday, 28 October, Mr. Guterres left Malaysia.