Luís Montenegro praises António Guterres at UN General Assembly

Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro praised United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres during his official visit to New York for the 81st UN General Assembly. Montenegro described Guterres as a “great moral reference for the nations” and commended his tireless decade-long efforts to uphold international law, the UN Charter, and humanitarian law.

Addressing the Assembly, Montenegro characterized the United Nations as a “political masterpiece of humanity” and emphasized that multilateralism remains the essential collective response to global challenges. He noted that while the organization sometimes fails to meet its objectives, he attributed this to the incapacity of certain members, particularly permanent members of the Security Council, rather than a lack of effort from the Secretary-General.

Montenegro called for reforms to make the organization more agile and effective, urging member states to honor financial commitments and provide adequate resources for peacekeeping missions. This visit precedes Portugal’s upcoming term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, beginning in January.