After this sobering assessment António Guterres also said this to the meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he remains committed to alleviating the suffering of Ukrainians and vulnerable people around the world who are still reeling from the conflict’s “dramatic, devastating impact” on the global economy.
“There will be an end… everything has an end, but I don’t see an end to the war in the near future‘ Mr Guterres said. “I currently see no chance for serious peace negotiations between the two parties.”
Tragic chopper crash reaction
In a related development, the top UN humanitarian official in Ukraine expressed expressing their deep sadness at the helicopter crash near a kindergarten in a Kyiv suburb on Wednesday morning that killed at least 18 victims, including the country’s interior minister.
“I am deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of Ukraine’s Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi, First Deputy Minister Yevhen Yenin and Secretary of State Yurii Lubkovych,” said Denise Brown. The UN Resident Coordinator for Ukraine confirmed that other unnamed government officials and residents, including children, were killed and injured in the Brovary incident.
A man mourns the loss of his best friend at a cemetery in Bucha, Ukraine.
worlds apart
Repeats that the February 24 Russian invasion violated international law and the UN Charterthe Secretary-General underscored the difficulty of ending the violence if both sides continue to “two different ideas about what the Russian Empire was, what the nationalities were“.
He added: “That makes it harder to find a solution, but this solution must be based on international law and respect territorial integrity… I see no conditions for this to happen in the near future.”
While Ukrainian and Russian fighters were entrenched in a war of attrition, Mr Guterres stressed that the UN had nonetheless helped secure support from Kyiv and Moscow to deliver much-needed grain and fertilizer to countries either facing rising food insecurity are or try to ward them off.
To date, 17.8 million tons of raw materials have been shipped as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiativeto Afghanistan, China, Israel, Kenya and Tunisia, among others, with corn, wheat and sunflower meal or oil being delivered in the largest quantities.
UN committed to peace
The United Nations has also remained in touch with representatives of Ukraine and Russia in several other hotspots in the interests of peace, the Secretary-General stressed.
That included discussion Exchange of prisoners of war with both sides to support the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency of the United Nations, IAEAin his efforts Securing the ailing Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and all other plants in the country. Guided by principles of international law and territorial integrity, Mr Guterres said, “We are doing everything we can … to limit damage, reduce suffering.”
Mr Guterres said that in the face of the world’s deepest geopolitical division and distrust “in generations”, leaders in Davos and elsewhere must bridge divisions and restore cooperation to advance peace, sustainable development and human rights.
Mountain communities in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, including Mustang community in Nepal above, are already feeling the impact of biodiversity loss, increased glacier melting and less predictable water availability when climate change hits.
Remembering the climate crisis
In a wide-ranging speech to world leaders in Davos, covering everything from a looming US-China clash to the growing disconnect between the Global South and the Global North, the UN Secretary-General once again urged world leaders on not ignoring this climate crisis.
“Every week brings a new climate horror story,” he said in an appeal to the industrialized nations “Finally redeem” their $100 billion climate finance commitment. to support developing countries. “Greenhouse gas emissions are at record levels and rising. The commitment to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees is almost unraveling. Without further measures, we are heading for an increase of 2.8 degrees.”
Unless tough policy decisions are made to deal with the climate crisis, Mr Guterres warned “that it would mean a death sentence for many”.
Private industry must also do more to help the climate, he stressed before urging business leaders present in Davos to comply UN endorsed net zero guidelinesand not “dubious or murky” benchmarks.
“Without setting the stage for massive private sector engagement, it will be impossible to get from the billions to the trillions required to make that happen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” said the Secretary General.
Activists protest against oil and gas exploration in Africa on Civil Society and Energy Day at COP27.
Big Oil Challenge
The UN chief also addressed major fossil fuel producers, highlighting recently reported revelations that some ” fully aware in the 1970s that their core product was baking the planet.
“Some in Big Oil have been peddling the big lie,” continued the UN chief, “but we know it Ecosystem meltdown is cold hard scientific fact“.
In a call for more international cooperation and confidence-building to resolve so many interrelated issues, Mr Guterres warned that divisions between the United States and China risk decoupling the world’s two largest economies.
Such a split cost the global economy $1.4 trillion IMF – would become “two different trading rules, two dominant currencies, two internets and two conflicting artificial intelligence strategies. That’s the last thing we need,” said the Secretary-General.
And while one might expect US-China relations to differ on human rights and security issues, it is important that both remain meaningfully engaged on climate, trade and technology “to avoid decoupling economies or even the possibility of a future confrontation“.
north-south gradient
The UN chief also warned against it North-South divide “deepens‘, because of ‘frustration and anger at the gross injustice in vaccine distribution in the recent past (and) the recovery from pandemics’, support had been ‘overwhelmingly focused on wealthier countries that could print money’.
Trillions of dollars have been printed in the Global North, Mr. Guterres explained, while developing countries “couldn’t print money because their currencies would go down the drain“.
The Global South is also being paralyzed by the climate crisis – despite being the least contributor to global warming – and a lack of financial resources to respond to the challenge, the UN chief continued.
The Secretary-General reiterated his call for multilateral development banks to “change their business model” and stated that emerging economies really need access to “a massive influx of private finance at reasonable interest rates”.
“International financial institutions are too small and the capacity to increase development aid abroad is not in sight in the short term,” he said.
