The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, in his participation in the 13th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations, on the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Summit, held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on September 7th, 2023, highlighted the importance of regional and global cooperation to face global challenges. 
António Guterres congratulated “ASEAN and its member states for their vital role in building bridges of understanding” and added that “ASEAN has been an important factor for unity in a divided world” and that “we need it more than ever in an increasingly multipolar world that requires strong multilateral institutions based on equity, solidarity and universality”. 
The UN Secretary-General also emphasised the need for “more intense cooperation on climate issues”, given that the world faces “a real risk of fragmentation and major fractures in the global economic and financial systems”. He also praised “ASEAN member states, such as Indonesia and Vietnam, which are leading partnerships for the just energy transition”, a tool that he considered “crucial to unlocking emission cuts, boosting renewable energies and growing the green economy”. 
The situation in Myanmar was also addressed by the UN Secretary-General, who expressed his “deep concern at the worsening political, humanitarian and human rights situation in Myanmar” and reiterated his “urgent appeal to the Myanmar military authorities to listen to the aspirations of their people, release all political prisoners and pave the way for a return to democratic governance”. 
During the day, Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão held a brief meeting with António Guterres, who, in his speech, welcomed Timor-Leste’s first participation as an observer at the ASEAN Summit.