The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, said this day, in a tribute session to Elizabeth II, that the queen was an “anchor of stability” for decades, leaving “a void that will be impossible to fill“.
“The sun has set on an extraordinary reign. We are here this day to pay homage to the memory of Her Majesty (…). The queen has been a peerless mainstay on the world stage for over 70 years. (…) A reassuring and inspiring presence”, said the Secretary General.
The United Nations General Assembly met this morning, in plenary session, to pay tribute to Elizabeth II, who died last Thursday at the age of 96.
Guterres – who will not be present at the Queen’s funeral next Monday, but who will send his chief of staff on her behalf – took the opportunity to refer to the various moments in history in which the British monarch defended the union of Nations .defying geopolitical gravity“.
“When our institution and the Queen were young, she stood on this very podium and asked leaders to demonstrate their devotion to the ideals of the Charter of the United Nations. She understood very well that formal ties and agreements are only half the story. (…) In thousands of public appearances, the Queen spoke of friendship and strong ties between nations and supported hundreds of global causes that are at the heart of our work”, recalled Guterres.
“For seven decades, the Queen has transcended her role to connect on the most human level with everyone she has met, world leaders and ordinary people alike. And for that, she was among the most respected and loved world leaders of our time,” added the former Portuguese prime minister.
António Guterres concluded his tribute speech declaring that Elizabeth II worked hard until her last hours, for which he asked the diplomatic corps present to honor the Queen through “hard work, to truly be the United Nations“.
These tributes are common in the United Nations when a head of state dies and usually include interventions from different regional groups of countries.
Guterres will not participate in the funeral of Elizabeth II since a summit on the Transformation of Education is scheduled for Monday in New York, in which the participation of some 90 heads of state was expected, but whose composition may be considerably lower, because coincides with the funeral of the Queen of England.
In addition, next week the annual high-level debates begin at the UN General Assembly, in which dozens of international leaders are expected to participate.
Queen Elizabeth II died last Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, after more than 70 years of the longest reign in UK history.
Heads of state transported by coach and landings at Heathrow are prohibited. Rules for the funeral of Elizabeth II
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born on April 21, 1926 in London and became Queen of England in 1952, at age 25, after the death of her father, George VI, who took over when his brother abdicated.
After the death of the monarch, his eldest son, 73 years old, assumes the role of king as Carlos III.
Source: Observadora
