UN chief marks anniversary of humanitarian summit

NEW YORK / ISTANBUL (AA) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday marked the first anniversary of the World Humanitarian Summit held in Istanbul, Turkey a year ago.

The UN-sponsored summit held on May 23-24 "rallied the global community together behind a vision to address the increasingly urgent and complex challenges that are driving humanitarian need and vulnerability around the world," Guterres said in a written statement.

The secretary general praised the summit's vision, which he said was in line with his efforts to "reform the way the United Nations works, in order to put people at the heart of our decision-making".

In a statement on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the summit a milestone in the search for more effective and lasting solutions for global challenges.

“The Istanbul summit, which brought together all stakeholders of the global humanitarian system for the first time in history, has made it possible for a new hope for the future to blossom," Erdogan said.

He said Turkey shows commitment to the spirit of the summit through her ongoing efforts to host 3 million refugees who escaped from conflicts in Syria and Iraq.

Last year's summit convened participants from 173 countries, including 55 heads of state and government, hundreds of private sector representatives and thousands of people from civil society and nongovernmental organizations.