UN chief tells Macron he looks forward to France's engagement

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during a panel discussion, "Financing For Peace: Innovations to Tackle Fragility," during the 2017 Spring Meetings of the World Bank and IMF at World Bank Headquarters in Washington, DC, April 21, 2017. | PHOTO | SAUL LOEB | AFP |

What you need to know:

  • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday telephoned French President-elect Emmanuel Macron to say that he looks forward to France's strong engagement in global affairs, his spokesman said.
  • The election of Macron is welcome news at the United Nations as it struggles to ward off threats of US funding cuts.
  • Macron has promised to defend the Paris agreement on climate change and to work with partners to resolve international crises.

UNITED NATIONS

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday telephoned French President-elect Emmanuel Macron to say that he looks forward to France's strong engagement in global affairs, his spokesman said.

The election of Macron is welcome news at the United Nations as it struggles to ward off threats of US funding cuts.

During the phone call, Guterres told Macron "that he looks forward to the strong engagement of France in the multilateral system," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

INTERNATIONAL CRISES

Macron has promised to defend the Paris agreement on climate change and to work with partners to resolve international crises.

The UN chief is hoping to schedule an early meeting with Macron, whose inauguration is on Sunday.

Guterres and Macron met in December when the then-candidate for the French presidency was in New York to meet with French expatriates.