The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterrestold world leaders on Tuesday that countries are “locked down by a colossal global dysfunction” and they are not ready or willing to deal with the main challenges or threats to the future of humanity and the planet.
In his speech at the beginning of the annual meeting of rulers at the UN General AssemblyGuterres warned about the war in Ukraine, the multiple conflicts around the world, the climate emergency, the financial situation of developing countries.
also mentioned recent setbacks in progress towards the goals set by the UN in order to end extreme poverty and provide quality education to all boys and girls.
“Our world is in danger, and paralyzedGuterres said at the beginning of the general debate of the current session of the UN General Assembly, the 77th, which began two weeks ago, although he clarified that there is still hope.
The highest authority of the UN said that the only viable path is that of cooperation and dialogue, and warned that “there is no power or group that can solve things on its own.”
“Let us work as if we were one, as a coalition of the world, as united nations,” Guterres told world leaders gathered at the General Assembly.
World crisis
“The purchasing power crisis is unleashed, confidence is crumbling, inequalities are skyrocketing, our planet is burning, people are suffering, especially the most vulnerable” and, despite this, “we are locked in by a colossal global dysfunction,” Guterres lamented..
Some 94 countries, with 1.6 billion people – the majority in Africa –They are facing “a perfect storm: economic and social fallout from the pandemic, rising food and energy prices, huge debts, spiraling inflation, and lack of access to financial markets.”
“These crises threaten the very future of humanity and the fate of the planet”Antonio Guterres
“These crises threaten the very future of humanity and the fate of the planet,” he warned, then added: “Let us have no illusions. We are in a rough sea. A winter of discontent looms on the horizon.”
Despite the dangers, the international community is “paralyzed,” lamented the secretary general, who warned of the “risk of division between the West and the South.”
“The political divisions undermine the work of the Security Council, international law, trust and people’s faith in democratic institutions,” he explained.
“We cannot continue like this,” he said, before noting that “coordinated action anchored in respect for international law and the protection of human rights” is needed.
Guterres also urged rich countries to tax windfall profits generated by fossil fuels to help countries affected by the impact of climate change and populations affected by inflation.
“I urge all developed economies to tax the windfall profits of fossil energy producing companies and redirect them in two ways: to countries suffering loss and damage caused by the climate crisis, and to populations in distress due to food prices. and energy,” he said, reported the AFP news agency.
Guterres had denounced a few weeks ago the “greed” of the big oil and gas companies that obtain “scandalous” profits “at the expense of the poorest”, due to the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, for which he urged governments to make them pay higher taxes.
However, then he did not mention the possibility of redistributing a part of these taxes to the countries in the front line of the impact of global warming caused mainly by coal, oil and gas.
The focus on “loss and damage” caused by the multiplication of extreme weather events has become a crucial point in the climate negotiations and could become another key point of the COP27 to be held in Egypt next November, together with the reduction of emissions, as provided for in the Paris agreement, adaptation to impacts and financing.
In the Glasgow COP26 end of 2021despite pressure from developing countries that demanded specific financing for these losses and damages, the rich countries blocked said demand and the meeting limited itself to announcing a “dialogue” on this matter until 2024.
A few days ago, the group of least developed countries, gathered in Dakar, presented this claim again, calling for the establishment of a “financing mechanism” to deal with the damage caused by the impact of warming.
