UN Secretary-General António Guterres addressed the UN General Assembly weeks before the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which he said, ” causes untold suffering to the Ukrainian people and has profound global consequences”.
“The prospects for peace continue to decline. The chances of further escalation and bloodshed continue to grow,” said António Guterres. “I fear the world is plunging into a wider war. I’m afraid he’ll do it with his eyes wide open.”
António Guterres also raised the issue of climate change, saying fossil fuel producers “shouldn’t be in this business” unless they are determined to move towards zero emissions, and warned that the world is in a “biggest war” against Ukraine. .
“I have a special message for fossil fuel producers and their supporters who are trying to scale up production and make huge profits: if you can’t set a solid zero emissions goal, with 2025 and 2030 targets for all your operations, you should not be in this business, ”said António Guterres.
“Your main product is our main problem,” he said. “We need a renewable energy revolution, not self-destruction due to the resurgence of fossil fuel use.”
As for the global financial system, António Guterres called for new commitments to respond to the “radical needs” and voices of developing countries. He also said that a new debt architecture is needed which encompasses debt relief and debt restructuring.
In a speech to the 193-member United Nations General Assembly, António Guterres outlined the organization’s priorities for 2023 and called for a “new Bretton Woods moment” – referring to the 1941 conference that led to the creation of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. .
Guterres, who took office on January 1, 2017, is now in his second and final five-year term, has long pushed for changes in global financial institutions in favor of developing countries and is a strong advocate for the fight against climate change.
