Director-General's remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the XIII Global Baku Forum “Bridging Divides in a World in Transition”

XIII Global Baku Forum “Bridging Divides in a World in Transition”
Opening ceremony
Gulustan Palace, Baku, Azerbaijan

Thursday, 12 March 2026, at 10.00 a.m.

Your Excellency President Aliyev,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great honour and pleasure to join you today for the opening ceremony of the XIII Global Baku Forum. I would like to sincerely thank His Excellency President Aliyev for his warm hospitality and for his continued support to this international platform. Thank you for welcoming us all in beautiful Baku. I also thank the Nizami Ganjavi International Center for organizing the 13th edition of the Forum.

Over the years, the Global Baku Forum has become a valuable platform for dialogue at a time when dialogue is urgently needed. Forums such as this play an important role by bringing together diverse voices and perspectives to exchange ideas and explore pathways for cooperation.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The theme of this year’s edition – “Bridging Divides in a World in Transition” – reflects the profound transformations shaping our international system.

We are living through a period of profound geopolitical, economic and technological change. The international order that emerged after the Second World War was built on the belief that power would be exercised through the rule of law, institutions and cooperation.

Today, many of these assumptions are under strain. Around the world, multilateralism is under pressure with muscle power increasingly shaping global affairs. 
Geopolitical tensions are rising, trust between nations is eroding, polarization within societies is deepening, and fragmentation is becoming a defining feature of modern international relations.

The military’s escalations in the Middle East, following the use of force by the United States and Israel against Iran, and the subsequent retaliation by Iran across the region, are yet another reminder of how fragile regional stability can be and how quickly crises can reverberate across the international system, undermining international peace and security.

As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has recently noted, we face a profound paradox of our time: when international cooperation is needed the most, the willingness to invest in it often appears to be diminishing.

Yet, the global challenges make cooperation not optional, but essential. Climate change is accelerating, acting as a multiplier of instability. Development gaps and debt distress are slowing progress towards Sustainable Development Goals. At the same time, rapid technological advances – particularly in artificial intelligence – are transforming our economies and societies faster than governance systems can adapt.

No country can address these challenges alone. This is why multilateralism remains indispensable. The UN Member States are working to renew and strengthen international cooperation through initiatives such as the Pact for the Future. The UN80 initiative also invites to reflect on how the Organization itself can adapt to today’s realities and become more effective, inclusive and representative.

At the Palais des Nations in Geneva – one of the world’s key centers of multilateral diplomacy – we see every day how dialogue and cooperation can help bridge differences and advance solutions. Governments, international organizations, civil society, academia and the private sector come together to address some of the most pressing global challenges.

Ladies and gentlemen,

At its core, the United Nations was established to serve as a gateway – a gateway to peace, justice, opportunity and a liveable planet. The international system is evolving, but the principles of the UN Charter, as well as the need for dialogue, solidarity and cooperation remain relevant.

The challenge before us is not to recreate the past, but to build forms of cooperation capable of functioning in a more complex and interconnected world. Bridging divides is essential to shaping a more stable, sustainable and inclusive future.

Thank you.