Close X
Sunday, December 22, 2024
ADVT 
International

Our world is in big trouble, says UN chief Guterres

Darpan News Desk IANS, 20 Sep, 2022 01:17 PM
  • Our world is in big trouble, says UN chief Guterres

United Nations, Sep 20 (IANS) "Our world is in big trouble".

With those explosive words, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres opened the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on Tuesday listing the crisis upon crisis piled upon the world.

He listed them: war, conflicts, climate change, hunger, financial crises, challenges of runaway technology developments, hate speech, global divisions and inequalities, and massive human rights violations.

"The United Nations Charter and the ideals it represents are in jeopardy," he said. "And yet we are gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction".

In the midst of the gloomy prognosis, Guterres projected on the giant screens at the General Assembly chamber the image of a ship navigating the troubled waters of the Black Sea.

It was the ship, Brave Commander, carrying food grains from Ukraine to Africa and he called it "an image of promise and hope" in "the hell of war".

"At its essence, this ship is a symbol of what the world can accomplish when we act together," he said, mentioning the diplomatic efforts of the UN, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey for ships with foodgrains to break through the stalemate at the UN in dealing with Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"In truth, it is multilateral diplomacy in action", he said.

Assembly President Csaba Korisi echoed Guterres's alarm at the global situation and also the hope.

Korosi said: "A landmark agreement on commercial grain exports from the world's breadbasket offers hope. Diplomacy is at work to release fertilisers so that the shortages we see today do not become the famines of next year."

"It has been 203 days since the General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning the military aggression against Ukraine. Unfortunately, the bloodshed and the suffering have not stopped yet," he said.

Decrying the paralysing polarisation of the geopolitical divides, Guterres warned that the world was descending into chaos with not even two groups.

He said, "At one stage, international relations seemed to be moving toward a G-2 world; now we risk ending up with G-nothing. No cooperation. No dialogue. No collective problem-solving."

"We need a coalition of the world," he said.

On global warming, he said, "We have a rendezvous with climate disaster."

He called for ending use of fossil fuels and imposing punitive taxes on energy companies that market fossil fuels.

Calling for adoption of non-fossil fuels, he said: "Developing countries need help to make this shift, including through international coalitions to support just energy transitions in key emerging economies."

Korosi also spoke about the imminent dangers from climate change.

Calling the floods in Pakistan a "window on the future", he said: "Once this high-level week is over, I plan to launch a series of consultations with the scientific community, asking them to help us."

On the dangers of technology, Guterres said: "Our data is being bought and sold to influence our behaviour - while spyware and surveillance are out of control - all, with no regard for privacy."

He warned, "Artificial intelligence is compromising the integrity of information systems, the media, and indeed democracy itself. Quantum computing could destroy cybersecurity and increase the risk of malfunctions to complex systems."

And yet, he said, there are not even the beginnings of a framework to deal with these issues.

MORE International ARTICLES

Russia gives Ukrainian troops in steel plant another chance to surrender

Russia gives Ukrainian troops in steel plant another chance to surrender
Russia on Tuesday offered another opportunity to surrender for the remaining Ukrainian forces holed up at the Azovstal steel plant in the Black Sea port city of Mariupol. All those present at Azovstal should exit the facility within a two hour deadline without any arms or ammunition on them, the Russian Defense Ministry directed, RT reported.

Russia gives Ukrainian troops in steel plant another chance to surrender

Rain dampens 1st White House Easter Egg Roll since 2019

Rain dampens 1st White House Easter Egg Roll since 2019
Undaunted by rain, President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, kicked off the equivalent of a daylong garden party for some 30,000 kids and adults, including celebrities and costumed characters.

Rain dampens 1st White House Easter Egg Roll since 2019

2 Sikh men attacked & robbed in New York in Queens, the same neighbourhood where an elderly Sikh man was recently punched in the face

2 Sikh men attacked & robbed in New York in Queens, the same neighbourhood where an elderly Sikh man was recently punched in the face
2 Sikh men were attacked and robbed in New York in Queens on Tuesday, the same neighbourhood in the city where an elderly Sikh man was the target of a hate crime less than 2 weeks ago.  The attack happened “very close” to the area where Nirmal Singh was punched in an unprovoked assault on April 3.

2 Sikh men attacked & robbed in New York in Queens, the same neighbourhood where an elderly Sikh man was recently punched in the face

Manhunt on for the mystery assailant in New York mass subway shooting

Manhunt on for the mystery assailant in New York mass subway shooting
Officials from the city and the federal government investigating the morning shooting which seemed to be meticulously planned were puzzled by what triggered the attack. Although 33 shots had been fired, no one has died while five of those hit by bullets were reported to be in a critical condition.

Manhunt on for the mystery assailant in New York mass subway shooting

10 injured in mass shooting in New York train

10 injured in mass shooting in New York train
A total of 16 people were injured in the incident, six of them from shrapnel, smoke inhalation or other causes, officials said. 5 of the gunshot victims were in critical condition, but miraculously there were no deaths reported.

10 injured in mass shooting in New York train

2 killed, 4 injured in LA shooting

2 killed, 4 injured in LA shooting
The shooting occurred at 4.13 p.m. on Sunday evening in the US city's 12200 block of Blakley Avenue, Xinhua news agency quoted the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department as saying in a notification. Two male adult victims were pronounced dead at the scene, the Department said.

2 killed, 4 injured in LA shooting