New York (Online): The new UN chief Antonio Guterres said he would like to make 2017 a year to 'a year for peace', marking his first day as the world body s chief.
The former Portuguese prime minister, 67, took over as UN Secretary-general from South Korea s Ban Ki-moon, inheriting complex crises in Syria, South Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, North Korea and elsewhere.
Guterres said, "How can we help the millions of people caught up in conflict, suffering massively in wars with no end in sight?"
"Civilians are pounded with deadly force. Women, children and men are killed and injured, forced from their homes, dispossessed and destitute.
"No one wins these wars; everyone loses."
Stepping in 2017, Guterres asked the world to make "one shared New Year s resolution: Let us resolve to put peace first.
"Let us make 2017 a year in which we all -- citizens, governments, leaders -- strive to overcome our differences."
The unanimous election of Guterres, who fought for migrants’ rights as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for a decade, has energized UN diplomats who see him as a skilled politician who may be able to overcome the divisions crippling the international organization.
"Peace must be our goal and our guide," he said. "All that we strive for as a human family -- dignity and hope, progress and prosperity -- depends on peace."
"But peace depends on us."
