The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, said Tuesday that the G20 “has fallen into the trap of geopolitical divisions” and that international relations are in danger of ending in “G-nothing”, in a harsh criticism of the lack of cooperation. dialogue.
In his opening speech at the general debate of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, Guterres stressed that “the world is in danger and paralyzed”, with “geopolitical divisions that undermine the work of the Security Council, undermine international law , undermine people’s trust and faith in democratic institutions, to undermine all forms of international cooperation.”
“We cannot go on like this. Even the various groupings formed outside the multilateral system by some members of the international community have fallen into the trap of geopolitical divisions, such as the G20,” he said, referring to the world’s largest emerging economies.
“At one point, international relations seemed to be moving towards a G2 world; now we are in danger of ending G-nothing. No cooperation. No dialogue. No collective problem solving. But the reality is that we live in a world where the logic of cooperation and dialogue is the only way forward”, urged the Secretary General.
In what is the first UN General Assembly since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Guterres dedicated part of his speech to that conflict, defending that it unleashed widespread destruction, with massive violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. .
However, the former Portuguese Prime Minister drew the attention of the Heads of State and Government present to the conflicts and humanitarian crises that are multiplying all over the globe, “often far from the spotlight”, referring to the situation Economic and Human Rights in Afghanistan; regional tensions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the fighting in Ethiopia; gang activities in Haiti; the unprecedented drought in the Horn of Africa; or the divisions in Libya.
The cycles of violence in Israel and Palestine were also included in the UN leader’s speech; tensions in Iraq; the dire humanitarian, human rights and security situation in Myanmar; terrorist activity in the Sahel; and the violence in Syria.
“The list goes on. Meanwhile, nuclear riots and threats to the safety of nuclear power plants are adding to global instability,” he noted.
Guterres also pointed out that the financing gap of the United Nations Global Humanitarian Appeal amounts to 32,000 million dollars (31,900 million euros), “the largest in history”.
The United Nations leader also accused big information technology companies of “monetizing outrage, anger and negativity”.
“Social media platforms based on a business model that monetizes outrage, anger and negativity are causing untold harm to communities and societies. Hate speech, misinformation and abuse, especially targeting women and vulnerable groups , they proliferate. Our data is bought and sold to influence our behavior, while ‘spyware’ and surveillance are out of control, all with no regard for privacy,” said António Guterres.
“Artificial intelligence is compromising the integrity of information systems, the media and, indeed, democracy itself. Quantum computing can destroy cybersecurity and increase the risk of complex systems malfunctioning. The global architecture does not deal with none of this,” he pleaded.
“This is not the world we chose. Because of our decisions, sustainable development everywhere is at risk,” he said.
Stressing that developing countries bear the brunt as they are “hit from all sides,” Guterres directly called for an immediate increase in funding for these nations, as well as debt relief.
“We need concerted action. Today, I call for the launch of ‘Stimulus Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’, led by the G20, to massively boost the sustainable development of developing countries. The next G20 Summit in Bali is the starting point point,” he predicted.
The Secretary-General also called for deep structural reform in the global financial system and international institutions, stating that African countries, in particular, are underrepresented in these systems.
“The divergence between developed and developing countries, between the North and the South, between the privileged and the rest, becomes more dangerous every day. It is at the root of the geopolitical tensions and lack of trust that poison all areas of global cooperation, from vaccines to sanctions to trade,” he said.
However, Guterres concluded his speech by noting that he has hope for the future, which he finds in climate and peace activists; in young people working for a better and more peaceful future; in the women and girls of the world who fight for those who are denied their rights; in science and academia; and the humanitarian heroes who provide life-saving aid around the world.
“The UN stands with them all. (…) We will develop common solutions to common problems, based on the goodwill, trust and rights shared by all human beings. We will work as one, as a coalition of the world, like the United Nations,” he concluded.
The high-level debate began this Tuesday at the General Assembly in New York, with the presence of leaders from around the world, and will continue until the end of the week, with Russia’s war in Ukraine in the spotlight.
Western powers are expected to use their UN speeches to reaffirm their support for kyiv and seek more pressure on the Kremlin from countries with vacant seats, particularly Africans.
On the other hand, Russia is expected to use this event to try to undermine the US and European war narrative.
Source: TSF
