UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday that the "courageous initiative" of a summit between the US and North Korea as well as the recent meeting of the two Korean leaders in Pyongyang offer hope for the possibility of a "full and verifiable" denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
"The courageous initiative of the Singapore Summit between the leaders of the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, along with the recent meeting of the two Korean leaders offers hope for the possibility of a full and verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula in a context of regional security," Guterres said, addressing world leaders at the start of the General Debate at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly.
He said despite the chaos and confusion in the world, he is heartened to see "winds of hope" blowing around the globe, as he cited the signing of the historic peace agreement between the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea in Saudi Arabia.
In the context of a summit of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the two rival leaders in South Sudan have signed a peace agreement.
"I am hopeful that these efforts will continue to be consolidated so that the people of the Horn of Africa can finally turn the page on war and conflict," he said.
He also cited the the strengthened cooperation after Uzbekistan went through a peaceful political transition. The approval of compacts on refugees and migration also represents another sign of hope, even if there is still a long way to go to reconcile full respect for the rights of people on the move with the legitimate interests of states.
"Hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of extreme poverty across the world over the past three decades, and we averted looming famine in four countries in the past two years, he said, adding that the drive for gender equality is gaining ground, amid a growing awareness of pervasive discrimination against women and girls, from violence, harassment and exploitation to unequal pay and exclusion from decision-making.
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