Africa: ‘Act Decisively Before It Is Too Late’, Guterres Warns Countries, Laying Out His Priorities for 2023 read full article at worldnews365.me

UN News February 7, 2023 African News Leave a comment 16 Views










Time is operating out because the world inches nearer to meltdown and international locations should change course earlier than it’s too late, UN Secretary-Common António Guterres warned on Monday, presenting his priorities for the yr.

Addressing the Common Meeting in New York, he appealed for pressing motion now to realize peace, financial rights and improvement, local weather motion, respect for variety, and inclusive societies – each immediately and for generations to return.

Earlier than unfolding his 2023 roadmap, the Secretary-Common prolonged condolences to the households of the victims of the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, including that the UN is mobilizing to assist the response.

Rights-based strategy

Mr. Guterres pressured the necessity for transformation this yr, grounded within the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“As we look to priorities for this year, a rights-rooted approach is central to achieving our ultimate priority: a safer, more peaceful, more sustainable world,” he said, urging international locations to “act decisively before it is too late.”

Doomsday Clock ticking

The UN chief by referring to the information that the symbolic Doomsday Clock – developed greater than 75 years in the past by atomic scientists to measure humanity’s proximity to midnight, or self-destruction – was simply 90 seconds away from that hour.

The Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the local weather emergency, rising nuclear threats, and the undermining of world norms and establishments have pushed the world nearer to annihilation.

“This is the closest the clock has ever stood to humanity’s darkest hour – closer than even during the height of the Cold War. In truth, the Doomsday Clock is a global alarm clock. We need to wake up – and get to work,” he mentioned.

Consider tomorrow

Stressing that “we need a course correction”, the UN chief mentioned motion is feasible, nonetheless politicians and choice makers lack the strategic imaginative and prescient to see past the quick time period.

This “preference for the present” solely focuses on the subsequent ballot, energy transfer, or enterprise cycle, making the long run “someone else’s problem” – a mindset he described as deeply irresponsible, immoral, and self-defeating.

“My message today comes down to this: Don’t focus solely on what may happen to you today – and dither. Look at what will happen to all of us tomorrow – and act,” the UN chief mentioned.

‘A time for transformation’

The worldwide group has an obligation to behave, he continued, as “this is not a time for tinkering” however, relatively, “a time for transformation.”

Motion must be grounded within the UN Charter, the Group’s founding doc, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which turns 75 this yr.

“When I look at human rights in the broadest sense – with a 21st century lens – I see a roadmap out of the dead end,” he mentioned, noting that it begins with the precise to peace.

Work for peace

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine final February 24 inflicting untold struggling on the nation’s inhabitants, and much past, prospects for peace preserve diminishing whereas the chance of additional escalation and bloodshed retains rising.

“I fear the world is not sleepwalking into a wider war. It is doing so with its eyes wide open. The world needs peace. Peace in line with the United Nations Charter and international law,” he mentioned. “We must work harder for peace everywhere.”

Mr. Guterres referred to the conditions within the Center East, the place the two-State resolution between Palestine and Israel is changing into extra distant; in Afghanistan, the place ladies’s rights are being trampled; within the Sahel, the place insecurity is rising; in Myanmar, which is dealing with new cycles of violence and repression, and in Haiti, the place gang violence is holding all the nation hostage.

Recommit to the UN Constitution

“If every country fulfilled its obligations under the Charter, the right to peace would be guaranteed,” he mentioned. “It is time to transform our approach to peace by recommitting to the Charter – putting human rights and dignity first, with prevention at the heart.”

The Secretary-Common referred to as for “a holistic view of the peace continuum” that identifies root causes of battle and focuses on prevention, mediation, reconciliation, peacebuilding and better participation of girls and younger individuals.

These are among the many UN’s proposed New Agenda for Peace, aimed toward addressing each previous and new threats, and maximizing coalitions for diplomacy, as evidenced by the Black Sea Grain Initiative which is working even amid the battle in Ukraine.

Nuclear battle threat

This yr additionally marks the seventy fifth anniversary of UN Peacekeeping, which can see elevated dedication to reform, he added.

Mr. Guterres additionally referred to as for bringing disarmament and arms management “back to the centre” to each scale back strategic threats from nuclear arms and work for in direction of their whole elimination.

“We are at the highest risk in decades of a nuclear war that could start by accident or design,” he warned, urging international locations with nuclear arms to surrender these “unconscionable weapons”.

Rework international finance

With poverty and starvation rising, growing international locations drowning in debt, and social security nets frayed, amongst different indicators, the Secretary-Common referred to as for “radical transformation” of the worldwide monetary structure.

This can require new dedication and resolve, together with to deal with the appalling inequalities and injustices uncovered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the response to the worldwide disaster.

New dedication will even be wanted to make sure growing international locations have a better voice in international monetary establishments, and that weak nations, together with middle-income international locations, can have entry to debt aid and restructuring.

Multilateral Growth Banks particularly, should change their enterprise mannequin and leverage their funds to draw extra non-public capital that may be invested to assist growing international locations obtain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) earlier than the 2030 deadline.

“Without fundamental reforms, the richest countries and individuals will continue to pile up wealth, leaving crumbs for the communities and countries of the Global South,” he cautioned.

Sustainable improvement in peril

This yr will even present alternatives to “rescue” the SDGs, such because the Summit of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) subsequent month and one other in September devoted to the goals.

With the SDGs “disappearing in the rearview mirror”, international locations ought to come to the summit with clear benchmarks on tackling poverty and exclusion, and on advancing gender equality.

Nonetheless, the world should unite now to mobilize sources, mentioned Mr. Guterres, in order that growing economies have the liquidity to put money into schooling, common healthcare, pandemic preparedness, first rate work and social safety.

Local weather motion ‘reckoning’

As the precise to improvement goes along with the precise to a clear, wholesome, sustainable setting, “we must end the merciless, relentless, senseless war on nature,” mentioned Mr. Guterres, repeating a message that has change into a mantra for his tenure.

“2023 is a year of reckoning. It must be a year of game-changing climate action. We need disruption to end the destruction.”

International locations are hurtling previous the 1.5-degree restrict on international temperature rise, due to this fact focus should be on the pressing priorities of chopping greenhouse fuel emissions and attaining local weather justice.

Shift to inexperienced vitality

He mentioned international emissions should be halved this decade, together with by way of “far more ambitious action” in shifting from fossil fuels to renewable vitality, particularly within the G20 group of industrialized nations.

Moreover, companies, cities, areas and monetary establishments which have pledged net-zero carbon emissions, should current their transition plans, with credible and bold targets, by this September.

“I have a special message for fossil fuel producers and their enablers scrambling to expand production and raking in monster profits. If you cannot set a credible course for net-zero, with 2025 and 2030 targets covering all your operations, you should not be in business,” mentioned Mr. Guterres.

Ship on COP27 pledges

Local weather motion is not possible with out sufficient finance, and the Secretary-Common urged richer international locations to, at minimal, ship on guarantees made on the UN COP27 local weather change convention in Egypt final yr.

These commitments embody establishing a fund to deal with loss and harm, doubling adaptation funding, and advancing plans on early warning programs globally inside the subsequent 5 years.

The Secretary-Common will convene a Local weather Ambition Summit in September, forward of the COP28 convention within the United Arab Emirates in December.

Will probably be open to all authorities, enterprise and society leaders, he mentioned, although below one situation: “Show us accelerated action in this decade and renewed ambitious net zero plans – or please don’t show up.”

Variety below assault

Turning to his fourth precedence, Mr. Guterres spoke of how respect for variety and the universality of cultural rights are below assault, as evidenced partially by the rise in antisemitism, anti-Muslim bigotry, the persecution of Christians, racism and white supremacist ideology.

On the identical time, ethnic and non secular minorities, refugees, migrants, indigenous individuals and the LGBTQI-plus group, are more and more focused for hate, each on-line and off.

In the meantime, many individuals in positions of energy are taking advantage of caricaturing variety as a risk, sowing division and hatred, whereas social media platforms use algorithms that amplify poisonous concepts and funnel extremist views into the mainstream.

Preventing hate on-line

The Secretary-Common underlined the UN’s dedication to defending cultural rights and variety, together with by way of programmes on the Holocaust and the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, in addition to its Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech.

“We will call for action from everyone with influence on the spread of mis- and disinformation on the internet – Governments, regulators, policymakers, technology companies, the media, civil society,” he mentioned.

“Stop the hate. Set up strong guardrails. Be accountable for language that causes harm.”

Patriarchy pushing again

With half of humanity “held back by the most widespread human rights abuse of our time,” the UN chief underscored the precise to full gender equality.

He particularly emphasised the plight of girls and women in Afghanistan, now “exiles in their own country” as a consequence of legal guidelines banning them from public life, and their counterparts in Iran, who’ve taken to the streets to demand basic human rights at nice private value.