TOKYO – U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Friday that Tokyo and the nearby port city of Yokohama are “very serious candidates” to host some of the U.N. functions slated for relocation.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Kyodo News in Osaka, Guterres also stressed that as the world’s only country to have suffered atomic bombings in war, “Japan has the moral authority to be a strong leadership voice in relation to nuclear disarmament.”
The U.N. chief was in Osaka to attend the U.N. Special Day at the World Exposition. He also attended the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama, which ran for three days through Friday.
Guterres expressed hopes of holding a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, the first since the start of his second term, on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly’s General Debate in September, saying that “dialogue and cooperation” with the United States is essential.
The Trump administration has reduced U.S. funding contributions to the United Nations and pushed back against the organization’s promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Facing financial headwinds under the Trump administration, Guterres is considering reforms to the United Nations including relocating some of its functions to less costly cities, reducing staff and merging organizations.
While Guterres said that priority for relocations would be given to places where U.N. offices already exist, such as the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, the second phase would see proposals from other cities such as Tokyo and Yokohama be considered.
“We have an important unit in communication in Tokyo that works extremely well. So our experience of working in Japan is absolutely fantastic,” he said.
In July, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike met with Guterres at the U.N. headquarters in New York and proposed the Japanese capital host some of the U.N.’s functions. The Yokohama city government has also made a similar proposal to Guterres.
Regarding global conflicts, Guterres called the situation in Gaza “an absolute hell,” as he urged Israel to agree to an immediate cease-fire and lift restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid.
“What’s happening in Gaza is levels of death and destruction that I don’t remember in any other situation during my mandate, and the dramatic situation of the people in Gaza needs to be corrected,” he said.
Guterres stressed that a similar cease-fire that prepares for a peace “that is just and sustainable” and respects international law is needed in Ukraine.
AloJapan.com