United Nations Secretary-General AntĂłnio Guterres speaks to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the U.N. General Assembly, at Methodist Central Hall, the site of the inaugural U.N. General Assembly, in London on Saturday.
Toby Shepheard/AFP via Getty Images
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Toby Shepheard/AFP via Getty Images
LONDON — Just over 80 years ago, directly after the Second World War, the United Nations General Assembly met for the first time, in a Methodist hall in Blitz-damaged central London.
There, representatives from 51 countries convened to talk about the importance of international cooperation. Advocates hoped that the UNGA would be the main forum for world leaders to discuss global issues, and thereby avoid future conflict.
“We won the war by fighting together. We must now preserve the peace by working together,” said then-U.S. Secretary of State James F. Byrnes in his speech. U.S. first lady Eleanor Roosevelt also gave an address, which focused on the importance of gender equality.
Following Baerbock’s speech, panels of experts discussed pressing global issues such as peace and gender equality. Among the speakers was Lord Robertson, a former British politician who previously served as the secretary general of NATO. Robertson warned of the dangers of reverting to a time before the United Nations, when conflicts were resolved through war rather than negotiation.
As Robertson approaches his 80th birthday, he reflected on the U.N.’s role in promoting global safety throughout his lifetime. He stressed the importance of world leaders, including President Xi of China, President Kim Jong Un of North Korea, the Iranian ayatollahs, and former President Trump, recognizing the value of multilateralism for international relations. Robertson cautioned that without cooperation, the world risks descending into chaos and conflict.
Image source: [NPR](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2792×2792+698+0/resize/100/quality/85/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc9%2F60%2F65b2a2654b6e8a8366160479b6d2%2Fgettyimages-2161729346.jpg) sentence with a different structure: The cat chased the mouse around the house.
Around the house, the cat chased the mouse.
