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Grand Master addresses UN Summit of the Future, meets with Secretary General Guterres: “We cherish your cooperation”

The Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Fra’ John Dunlap, accompanied by the Grand Chancellor, Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo, met with the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, on Saturday 21 September at the UN headquarters in New York. On Sunday, the Grand Master delivered an address during the United Nations Summit of the Future. In attendance was the Secretary General for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Giampaolo Cantini, and the Order’s Ambassador to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador Paul Beresford-Hill.

The occasion marked the first visit of a Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the United Nations in New York, with a meeting with the Secretary General and participation in the high profile event of Heads of State and Government. During the meeting the Grand Master awarded the Secretary General with the highest decoration of the Order, the Grand Cross with Collar, pro Merito Melitense.

The Secretary General expressed his admiration for the assistance provided by the Sovereign Order of Malta around the world – in many cases under difficult circumstances. “Your actions in so many areas of the world are a beacon of hope.”

The Grand Master recalled some of the most prominent programmes of humanitarian assistance provided by the Sovereign Order of Malta, especially in Ukraine.

In turn, the Grand Chancellor illustrated the areas and the sectors of activity of the Order worldwide, including many programmes to alleviate the social inclusion of the most vulnerable. He also noted some of the hospitals run by the Order in many countries, particularly those in Bethlehem and Timor Leste.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the UN Secretary General reiterated his appreciation for the work of the Order: “We cherish your cooperation,” he said.

In his intervention at the Summit of the Future, the Grand Master underlined that the Sovereign Order of Malta shares the hope and determination that inspires the Pact of the Future adopted by the Summit. He stressed that the Sovereign Order looks in positive terms and with confidence to the future. He noted that “Technology and scientific innovation, and artificial intelligence in particular, may carry substantial improvements and advances for humankind, but the international community should never lose sight of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, to which the Order of Malta traditionally devotes its humanitarian activities.”

Respect for international humanitarian laws, protection of civilians and relief operators
The Grand Master renewed the appeal of the Sovereign Order in demanding respect for international humanitarian laws and for the protection of civilians and relief operators in situations of conflict.

In this spirit, the Grand Master recalled the most significant activities conducted by the Order of Malta on the ground, especially in Ukraine and currently in Gaza, where the Order works closely with the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem.

Fra’ John Dunlap also emphasised that the Order attaches the utmost importance to the goal of safeguarding and promoting religious freedom, and stressed the positive role that faith-based organisations can play as vehicles of conflict mediation, social advancement and sustainable development.