With humanity on the edge of an abyss, and moving in the wrong direction, the world must wake up, Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres said in his keynote address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
Outlining six 鈥淕reat Divides鈥� that must be bridged now, he called for greater action in areas such as climate policy, gender equality and closing the gap between rich and poor.
鈥淭his is our time. A moment for transformation.听 An era to re-ignite multilateralism.听 An age of possibilities,鈥�听the Secretary-General听told听world leaders and ambassadors.听听听听 听
鈥淟et us restore trust.听 Let us inspire hope. And let us start right now.鈥�
COVID-19 鈥榤oral indictment鈥櫶� 听
Amid 鈥渢he greatest cascade of crises in our lifetimes鈥� - which include the听COVID-19听pandemic, the climate emergency, and upheaval in places such as Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Yemen - Mr. Guterres singled out one disturbing image as indicative of the present moment, citing 鈥渢he picture we have seen from some parts of the world of COVID-19 vaccines鈥n the garbage. Expired and unused鈥�.
鈥淥n the one hand, we see the vaccines developed in record time - a victory of science and human ingenuity. On the other hand, we see that triumph undone by the tragedy of a lack of political will, selfishness and mistrust.鈥�
For the Secretary-General, the fact that most wealthier countries are vaccinated, while more than 90 per cent of Africans are still awaiting their first dose, was听鈥渁 moral indictment of the state of our world鈥�听and听鈥渁n obscenity鈥�.
Core values in the crosshairs
While the pandemic and the climate crisis have exposed profound fragilities, countries have shunned solidarity and are instead pursuing what Mr. Guterres described as 鈥渁 dead end to destruction.鈥�
Additionally, people are at risk of losing faith not only in their governments, but in UN values such as peace, human rights, dignity for all, equality, justice and solidarity.
鈥淟ike never before, core values are in the crosshairs,鈥�听he said.听 鈥�A breakdown in trust is leading to a breakdown in values. Promises, after all, are worthless if people do not see results in their daily lives.鈥�
Bridging the 鈥楪reat Divides鈥�
Stating that 鈥渘ow is the time to deliver鈥�, and also to restore trust and inspire hope, the UN chief stressed that these problems can be solved.听 He listed six 鈥淕reat Divides鈥�, or 鈥淕rand Canyons鈥�, that must be bridged, starting with achieving peace.
鈥淔or far too many around the world, peace and stability remain a distant dream,鈥�听he said, pointing to places such as Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Syria, and the Sahel region in Africa.
鈥淲e are also seeing an explosion in seizures of power by force,鈥澨�he continued, adding that 鈥渕ilitary coups are back.鈥�
Additionally, lack of international unity is another hindrance, with geopolitical divisions 鈥渦ndermining international cooperation and limiting the capacity of the听Security Council听to take the necessary decisions.鈥�
The fact that the world鈥檚 two largest economies are at odds represents another concern, making it impossible to address 鈥渄ramatic economic and development challenges.鈥�
The Secretary-General called for cooperation, dialogue and understanding to restore trust and inspire hope among nations, and for investment in prevention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding.
鈥極bligation to act鈥� over climate
Bridging the climate divide will require bridging trust between the North and South, he said, underscoring the need for success at the COP26 UN climate conference in Glasgow, which starts on 31 October.
Countries need to show more ambition in the key areas of mitigation, finance and adaptation, which includes committing to carbon neutrality by 2050, and providing the $100 billion annually promised a decade ago, to support developing nations.
鈥淢y message to every Member State is this: Don鈥檛 wait for others to make the first move. Do your part,鈥�听he said, urging governments to shift to the green economy through steps such as taxing carbon, ending subsidies to fossil fuels and committing to no new coal power plants.
鈥淭his is a planetary emergency. We need coalitions of solidarity - between countries that still depend heavily on coal, and countries that have the financial and technical resources to support their transition. We have the opportunity and obligation to act.鈥�
Global vaccine plan
Ending the pandemic for everyone, everywhere, is the first step in bridging the gap between rich and poor, said Mr. Guterres.听 He underlined the need for a global vaccine plan to reach 70 per cent of the world鈥檚 population by mid-2022, through at least doubling present production capacity.
鈥淲e have no time to lose,鈥�听he said.听听鈥淎 lopsided recovery is deepening inequalities.听 Richer countries could reach pre-pandemic growth rates by the end of this year while the impacts may last for years in low-income countries.鈥�
While welcoming the听听by the International Monetary Fund () of $650 billion in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), a type of foreign reserve asset, he regretted that they were mainly going to countries that need them least.
The Secretary-General advised richer economies to reallocate their surplus SDRs to countries in need, and renewed his call for debt suspension to be extended to 2022, calling it 鈥渟olidarity in action.鈥�
鈥楤old steps鈥� for gender equality
The pandemic has also exposed and amplified the power imbalance between men and women:听鈥渢he world鈥檚 most enduring injustice鈥�, according to the UN chief.
鈥淏ridging the gender divide is not only a matter of justice for women and girls. It鈥檚 a game-changer for humanity,鈥� he stated.
鈥淲omen鈥檚 equality is essentially a question of power. We must urgently transform our male-dominated world and shift the balance of power, to solve the most challenging problems of our age.鈥�
This transformation would see more women leaders in government and business, and women鈥檚 full representation everywhere. He called for 鈥渂old steps鈥� in implementing quotas and benchmarks for gender parity.
鈥淎t the same time, we need to push back against regressive laws that institutionalize gender discrimination. Women鈥檚 rights are human rights,鈥� he added.
鈥淓conomic recovery plans should focus on women, including through large-scale investments in the care economy. And we need an emergency plan to fight gender-based violence in every country.鈥�
Digital technology dangers
Restoring trust and inspiring hope means bridging the digital divide, he continued, noting that half the planet still does not have access to the internet.
However, given the growing reach of digital platforms, and the use and abuse of data, the Secretary-General also pointed to the perils of digital connectivity.
鈥淎 vast library of information is being assembled about each of us. Yet we don鈥檛 even have the keys to that library. We don鈥檛 know how this information has been collected, by whom or for what purposes. But we do know our data is being used commercially - to boost corporate profits,鈥�听he said.
Mr. Guterres underlined the need for serious discussion over these and other related technological issues, such as the use of autonomous weapons, which he said must be banned. 听
Close the generation gap
The final bridge to mend is听the generational gap with young people听who will inherit the consequences of decisions made today, whether good or bad.
However, he stressed that young people need more than support, they need 鈥渁 seat at the table鈥�, which has prompted the Secretary-General to appoint a Special Envoy for Future Generations and a UN Youth Office.
Mr. Guterres cited recent research which revealed that the majority of young people in 10 countries surveyed, are suffering from high levels of anxiety and distress over the state of the planet.
Furthermore, some 60 per cent of future voters worldwide feel betrayed by their governments.
"Young people need a vision of hope for the future,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e must prove to children and young people that despite the seriousness of the situation, the world has a plan - and governments are committed to implementing it. We need to act now to bridge the Great Divides and save humanity and the planet.鈥�
