The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

War in Ukraine: the head of the UN is alarmed at the risk of a “wider war”

2023-02-06T20:49:41.746Z


In a somber speech on Monday, Antonio Guterres pointed to “a convergence of challenges never seen in our lifetime”.


As the "

risks of escalation

" in Ukraine increase, the world is heading "

with eyes wide open

" towards "

a broader war

", the UN Secretary General was alarmed on Monday February 6 in a particularly somber speech. presenting its priorities for 2023.

To discover

  • Follow information on the war in Ukraine with the Figaro application

War in Ukraine, climate crisis, extreme poverty... "

We began the year 2023 with our sights set on a convergence of challenges never seen in our lifetime

", declared Antonio Guterres before the UN General Assembly .

Humanity, very close to its end

According to the scientists managing the doomsday clock, humanity has never been so close to its end, now at 90 seconds before midnight, he recalled, seeing it as an alarm signal.

We need to wake up and get to work

,” he insisted, listing the pressing issues for 2023. High on that list is the war in Ukraine.

Read alsoBetween Yerevan and Baku, the war crimes gap

The prospects for peace keep shrinking.

The risks of further escalation and carnage continue to grow.

"

I'm afraid the world is not sleeping like a sleepwalker on towards a wider war, but I'm afraid it's actually doing it with its eyes wide open

," he said, before worry about other threats to peace, from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to Afghanistan via Burma, the Sahel or Haiti.

Call to think long-term

"

If all countries fulfilled their obligations under the Charter (of the United Nations, editor's note), the right to peace would be guaranteed

," he insisted, placing respect for human rights at the heart of these values.

More broadly, Antonio Guterres denounced the lack of "

strategic vision

", and the "

penchant

" of political and economic decision-makers for the short term.

The next election.

The next political move to cling to power

” or “

stock prices the next day

”: “

This short-term thinking is not only deeply irresponsible, it is immoral.

»

Read alsoDictatorships: the demonstrations, an explosive cocktail feared by all autocrats

Emphasizing on the contrary the need to think about future generations, he repeated his call for a “

radical transformation

” of the global financial architecture.

There is something fundamentally wrong with our economic and financial system

,” he insisted, pointing to his responsibility for the rise in poverty and hunger, the gap between rich and poor, or the weight of poverty. debt of developing countries.

"

Without fundamental reforms, the wealthiest countries and individuals will continue to accumulate wealth, leaving only crumbs for communities and countries in the South

."

The pandemic, the leap backwards

A concern echoed by representatives of developing countries, from Africa to small island states.

"

The poorest cannot continue to pay the high price for the benefit of the wealthiest

," insisted Cuban Ambassador Pedro Luis Pedroso Cuesta, on behalf of the G77+China group, which includes 134 developing countries.

Read alsoCovid-19: three years after the announcement of the first death in China, the four scenarios of 2023 for the pandemic

According to the UN development program, with the pandemic, the world has already gone back five years in terms of human development (health, education, standard of living).

And "

the development goals (SDGs) are disappearing in the rearview mirror

", lamented Antonio Guterres, referring to the 17 goals set in 2015 to achieve the eradication of poverty, food security for all by 2030. or access to clean and affordable energy.

Global warming

We have opportunities to save (them)

, however assured the Secretary General, who is organizing a summit in New York on this theme in September.

The fight against global warming as well as "

climate ambition

" will be at the heart of another summit also in September to which he has invited world leaders, "

under conditions

".

Read alsoThe impact of global warming mitigated by desert dust

"

Show us accelerating action for this decade and ambitious new plans for carbon neutrality or please don't come

," he said.

He also once again attacked the fossil fuel sector: "

If you can't plan a credible path to carbon neutrality, with targets for 2025 and 2030 covering all your operations, you should not be in business

" .

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2023-02-06

You may like

News/Politics 2024-02-07T19:02:56.052Z

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.