UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said he is counting on the EU to be a bulwark against the rise of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.
The former Portuguese prime minister was speaking on arrival in Brussels alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Ms von der Leyen congratulated Mr Guterres on his recent re-election as Secretary General, saying the UN was “very lucky” to have him at the helm.
“As a European, I’m particularly proud with the contribution that I consider the most important contribution of Europe to global civilisation – and that is in my opinion, the Enlightenment, the values of the Enlightenment. The primacy of reason, tolerance,” Mr Guterres said.
The Age of Enlightenment – also known as the Age of Reason – was a European intellectual movement that spread during the 17th and 18th centuries.
“This is particularly important when we see the risks of moving into a kind of post-Enlightenment era and where we see the multiplication of different forms of irrationality - nationalism, populism, racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim hatred.
“I believe that the European Union is, and we count on the European Union to be on the forefront of the good battle for the values of the Enlightenment, which, as I mentioned, were the very important contribution of Europe to global civilisation.”
Mr Guterres will attend a working lunch with Ms von der Leyen and Commission leaders, with the recovery from Covid-19 and vaccine equity on the agenda.
