[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.6.1″ background_enable_image=”off” collapsed=”off”][et_pb_fullwidth_header text_orientation=”center” header_fullscreen=”on” header_scroll_down=”on” button_one_text=”Download full introduction (PDF)” button_one_url=”https:\/\/blogs.un.org\/annualreport-2020\/files\/2020\/09\/Annual-report-SG-2020-EN-Chapter-0.pdf” scroll_down_icon_size_tablet=”40px” scroll_down_icon_size_phone=”30px” scroll_down_icon_size_last_edited=”on|phone” content_last_edited=”off|desktop” _builder_version=”4.6.5″ title_font=”|800|||||||” title_text_align=”center” title_font_size=”59px” content_font=”||||||||” content_text_align=”center” content_font_size=”59px” content_line_height=”1.21em” background_color=”#07578D” background_image=”https:\/\/blogs.un.org\/annualreport-2020\/files\/2019\/08\/introduction-cover-scaled.jpg” parallax=”on” custom_button_one=”on” button_one_text_size=”14px” button_one_text_color=”#000000″ button_one_bg_color=”#ebb531″ button_one_border_width=”3px” button_one_border_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0)” button_one_border_radius=”30px” button_one_icon=”%%233%%” custom_button_two=”on” button_two_text_color=”#000000″ button_two_bg_color=”#ebb531″ button_two_border_width=”2px” button_two_border_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0)” button_two_border_radius=”30px” title_font_size_tablet=”40px” title_font_size_phone=”36px” title_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” content_font_tablet=”” content_font_phone=”” content_font_last_edited=”on|desktop” content_font_size_tablet=”40px” content_font_size_phone=”36px” content_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” button_one_text_size_tablet=”14px” button_one_text_size_phone=”14px” button_one_text_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” button_two_text_size_tablet=”15px” button_two_text_size_phone=”15px” button_two_text_size_last_edited=”on|desktop”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Opening Statement” _builder_version=”4.6.3″ collapsed=”off”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,3_4″ use_custom_gutter=”on” _builder_version=”4.6.3″ width=”90%” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”|auto|2px|auto||” custom_padding=”3px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”3.27.4″][et_pb_testimonial author=”Anto\u0301nio Guterres” job_title=”Secretary-General” url=”https:\/\/www.un.org\/sg\/” portrait_url=”https:\/\/blogs.un.org\/annualreport-2020\/files\/2020\/09\/intro-guterres-new-portait-300×165.jpg” portrait_width=”170px” portrait_height=”170px” portrait_url_tablet=”https:\/\/blogs.un.org\/annualreport-2020\/files\/2020\/09\/home-guterres-2020-150×150.png” portrait_url_phone=”https:\/\/blogs.un.org\/annualreport-2020\/files\/2020\/09\/home-guterres-2020-300×165.png” portrait_url_last_edited=”on|tablet” portrait_width_tablet=”” portrait_width_phone=”” portrait_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Anto\u0301nio Guterres Quote” _builder_version=”4.6.5″ body_font_size=”18px” position_font=”|300|||||||” position_text_color=”#000000″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”60px||50px||false|false” custom_margin_phone=”||60px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_padding=”||||false|false” child_filter_saturate=”0%” custom_css_testimonial_portrait=”background-position : center top;” border_width_all=”0px” border_width_top=”1px” border_color_top=”#019ad0″ border_width_bottom=”1px” border_color_bottom=”#019ad0″ border_radii_portrait=”on|0px|0px|0px|0px” box_shadow_style=”preset3″]We must commit to building a more inclusive and sustainable world.<\/span><\/span>[\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”3.27.4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.3″ text_font=”Roboto||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” text_font_size_last_edited=”off|desktop” text_font_size__hover_enabled=”off|desktop”]<\/p>\n In 1945, world leaders gathered in San Francisco<\/a> to sign the Charter of the United Nations<\/a>, which gave birth to an organization that represented new hope for a world emerging from the horrors of the Second World War. Our founders were in no doubt about the kind of world that they wished to banish to the past.<\/p>\n In 2020, as the United Nations celebrates 75 years<\/a> since the Charter\u2019s signing, we have an opportunity to reflect on our shared progress, as well as our common future. Our vision and values \u2013 based on equality, mutual respect and international cooperation \u2013 helped us to avoid a Third World War, which would have had catastrophic consequences for life on our planet. For 75 years, we have forged productive cooperative relationships for global problem-solving and the common good. We have put in place vital norms and agreements that codify and protect human rights, set ambitious goals for sustainable development and charted a path towards a more balanced relationship with the climate and the natural world. Billions of people have emerged from the yoke of colonialism. Millions have been lifted out of poverty.<\/p>\n Today, day in and day out, around the clock, around the world, the United Nations is helping to save millions<\/a> of lives every year. Women and men of the United Nations are assisting 80 million refugees and displaced people<\/a> and enabling more than 2 million women and girls to overcome complications from pregnancy and childbirth. Over 40 political missions<\/a> and peacekeeping operations<\/a> comprising 95,000 troops, police and civilian personnel strive to bring and keep the peace and to protect civilians. Our electoral assistance<\/a> now extends to 60 countries each year, and our help for victims of torture reaches 40,000 people. Some 7,500 monitoring missions every year seek to protect human rights<\/a>, make violations known and hold perpetrators accountable.<\/p>\n Yet these efforts have not been enough to hold back the tides of fear, hatred, inequality, poverty and injustice. Moreover, early in 2020, we were brought to our knees by a microscopic virus: the virus responsible for the coronavirus disease<\/a> (COVID-19) pandemic has taken a horrific toll on individuals, communities and societies, with the most vulnerable disproportionately affected.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/blogs.un.org\/annualreport-2020\/files\/2019\/08\/intro-sg-un75-lahore.jpg” alt=”SG Guterres standing in front of sign: UN75 2020 AND BEYOND – SHAPING OUR FUTURE TOGETHER” title_text=”Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres speaks to students at Lahore University of Management Sciences on the role of youth in the United Nations of the twenty-first century (Lahore, Pakistan, 18 February 2020)” show_bottom_space=”off” disabled_on=”off|off|off” admin_label=”UN75 SG Lahore University Photo” _builder_version=”4.6.5″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” animation_style=”fade” animation_delay=”100ms” animation_speed_curve=”ease-in”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”UN75 SG Lahore University Photo Caption” _builder_version=”4.6.3″ text_font=”Roboto Condensed|300|||||||” text_font_size=”15px” text_line_height=”1.5em” header_font=”Roboto||||||||”]<\/p>\n Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres speaks to students at Lahore University of Management Sciences on the role of youth in the United Nations of the twenty-first century (Lahore, Pakistan, 18 February 2020)<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.3″ text_font=”Roboto||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” text_font_size_last_edited=”off|desktop” text_font_size__hover_enabled=”off|desktop”]<\/p>\n The pandemic has demonstrated the fragility of our world. It has laid bare risks ignored for decades: inadequate health systems; gaps in social protection; structural inequalities; environmental degradation; the climate crisis.<\/span><\/p>\n The United Nations family mobilized quickly and comprehensively<\/a>, leading on the global health response<\/a>, continuing and expanding the provision of life-saving humanitarian assistance<\/a>, establishing instruments for rapid responses to the socioeconomic impact<\/a> and laying out a broad policy agenda<\/a> in support of the most vulnerable communities and regions. But the setback to the fundamental Charter goals of peace, justice, human rights and development has been deep and may be long-lasting.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Building a more sustainable future” _builder_version=”4.6.3″ custom_padding=”0px||3px||false|false” collapsed=”off”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,3_4″ use_custom_gutter=”on” _builder_version=”3.27.4″ width=”90%” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”|auto|2px|auto||” custom_padding=”3px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”3.27.4″][et_pb_testimonial author=”Amina J. Mohammed” job_title=”Deputy Secretary-General” portrait_url=”https:\/\/blogs.un.org\/annualreport-2020\/files\/2019\/08\/intro-mohammed-new2.png” portrait_width=”170px” portrait_height=”170px” portrait_width_tablet=”” portrait_width_phone=”” portrait_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Amina J. Mohammed Quote” _builder_version=”4.6.5″ body_font_size=”18px” position_font=”|300|||||||” position_text_color=”#000000″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”60px||50px||false|false” custom_margin_phone=”||60px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_padding=”||||false|false” child_filter_saturate=”0%” custom_css_testimonial_portrait=”background-position : center top;” border_width_all=”0px” border_width_top=”1px” border_color_top=”#019ad0″ border_width_bottom=”1px” border_color_bottom=”#019ad0″ border_radii_portrait=”on|0px|0px|0px|0px” box_shadow_style=”preset3″]The COVID-19 pandemic has made the promise of the 2030 Agenda more relevant and vital than ever. To recover better, we must recover together \u2013 there is no other way.<\/span><\/span>[\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”3.27.4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Title” _builder_version=”4.6.5″ text_font=”Roboto|||on|||||” text_text_color=”#019ad0″ header_font=”Roboto|500|||||||” header_text_color=”#019ad0″ custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.3″ text_font=”Roboto||||||||” text_font_size=”18px”]<\/p>\n Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the world was not on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals<\/a> by the target date of 2030. Now, we face the deepest global recession since the Second World War and the broadest collapse in incomes since 1870. Approximately 100 million more people could be pushed into extreme poverty. Already in its fifth year of implementation, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development remains humanity\u2019s blueprint for a better future. In January 2020, the United Nations launched a decade of action to accelerate implementation<\/a>; the COVID-19 pandemic has made the decade of action both more challenging and more urgent.<\/p>\n With the onset of the pandemic, the United Nations called for massive global support<\/a> for the most vulnerable people and countries \u2013 a rescue package amounting to at least 10 per cent of the global economy. Developed countries have stepped up support for their own people, but we are promoting mechanisms of solidarity to ensure that the developing world will also benefit, including through a debt standstill, debt restructuring and greater support through the international financial institutions. This rescue package has yet to fully materialize.<\/p>\n This failure of solidarity compounds a much-longer-standing struggle to secure the financing necessary for the success<\/a> of the 2030 Agenda, complicated by slow growth and high debt. We must act now to maintain progress made on sustainable development. We share\u00a0a common fate. Only with true solidarity and unity will we achieve our shared goals and uphold our values.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,3_4″ use_custom_gutter=”on” _builder_version=”4.6.3″ width=”90%” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”|auto|2px|auto||”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”3.27.4″][et_pb_testimonial author=”Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti” job_title=”Chef de Cabinet” portrait_url=”https:\/\/blogs.un.org\/annualreport-2020\/files\/2019\/08\/intro-viotti-new.png” portrait_width=”170px” portrait_height=”170px” portrait_width_tablet=”” portrait_width_phone=”” portrait_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti Quote” _builder_version=”4.6.5″ body_font_size=”18px” position_font=”|300|||||||” position_text_color=”#000000″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”60px||50px||false|false” custom_margin_phone=”||60px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_padding=”||||false|false” child_filter_saturate=”0%” custom_css_testimonial_portrait=”background-position : center top;” border_width_all=”0px” border_width_top=”1px” border_color_top=”#019ad0″ border_width_bottom=”1px” border_color_bottom=”#019ad0″ border_radii_portrait=”on|0px|0px|0px|0px” box_shadow_style=”preset3″]In these challenging times, we must not lose sight of our shared goals and commitment to sustainable peace.<\/span><\/span>[\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”3.27.4″][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/blogs.un.org\/annualreport-2020\/files\/2019\/08\/intro-sdg-blocks-hq.jpg” alt=”SDG blocks on the northern lawn” title_text=”The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) blocks on the northern lawn of United Nations Headquarters during the UN General Assembly. (United Nations, New York; 23 September 2019)” show_bottom_space=”off” disabled_on=”off|off|off” admin_label=”SDG Blocs HQ Photo” _builder_version=”4.6.5″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” animation_style=”fade” animation_delay=”100ms” animation_speed_curve=”ease-in”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”SDG Blocs HQ Photo Caption” _builder_version=”4.6.3″ text_font=”Roboto Condensed|300|||||||” text_font_size=”15px” text_line_height=”1.5em”]The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) blocks on the northern lawn of United Nations Headquarters during the UN General Assembly. (United Nations, New York; 23 September 2019)<\/em>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.3″ text_font=”Roboto||||||||” text_font_size=”18px”]<\/p>\n COVID-19 also brought home the drastic need to rebalance the human relationship with the natural world<\/a>. We were already approaching the point of no return on climate change. Recovery from COVID-19 must go hand in hand with climate action. With global emissions reaching record levels, I hosted the Climate Action Summit<\/a> and the Youth Climate Summit in 2019. Seventy countries committed themselves to more ambitious national climate plans to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Beyond climate change<\/a>, and after more than 15 years of intense efforts, the 2020 intergovernmental conference on marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction must now be the starting point for greater harmony with nature as a whole.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,1_4,1_4,1_4″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”3″ disabled_on=”on|on|off” admin_label=”Infographic Reveal – DESKTOP” _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” width_tablet=”” width_phone=”100%” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” module_alignment=”center” custom_padding=”||5px||false|false”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb title=”Key Focus Areas” use_icon=”on” font_icon=”%%234%%” icon_color=”#ffffff” use_icon_font_size=”on” icon_font_size=”40px” icon_font_size_tablet=”” icon_font_size_phone=”” icon_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” admin_label=”Key Focus Areas – Reveal Button” module_class=”rv_button1 closed” _builder_version=”4.6.5″ _module_preset=”default” header_level=”h3″ header_font=”|700|||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_font_size=”18px” body_font=”|700|||||||” body_text_align=”center” body_text_color=”#f0b800″ body_font_size=”20px” background_color=”#007cad” text_orientation=”center” background_layout=”dark” width_tablet=”55%” width_phone=”41%” width_last_edited=”on|phone” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”25px||25px||true|false” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”||||false|true” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_css_main_element=”cursor:pointer;”]Building a more sustainable future<\/span><\/h2>\n