The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has urged the international community to intensify efforts toward peace and climate protection as the UN General Debate commenced in New York. Addressing the General Assembly on Tuesday, he emphasized the critical need for prioritizing peace under international law.
Guterres highlighted the dire situations unfolding in several regions, citing the ongoing violence in Sudan where civilians are suffering, the unrelenting conflict in Ukraine claiming civilian lives and the devastating scale of death and destruction in Gaza, which he stated surpasses any conflict he has witnessed as Secretary-General. He underscored the legal obligations of states engaged in conflict, asserting, “The UN Charter is not optional. It is our foundation.
The Secretary-General stressed that respect for human rights is fundamental to achieving peace and advocated for increased investment in sustainable development. He pointed to a perceived paradox of the current era: “We have the solutions, but we are draining the fuel that would allow us to make progress”. Guterres strongly condemned recent cuts to development financing, characterizing them as “a death sentence for many” and a “stolen future for others.
Acknowledging the accelerating climate crisis, Guterres also pointed to the rapid advancements in solutions. He declared that the future of clean energy is no longer a distant promise but a present reality, adding, “Fossil fuels are a losing bet”. He noted, however, that investments in fossil fuels currently outweigh those in renewable energy sources by a ratio of nine to one. Immediate action is now vital to prevent surpassing the critical 1.5-degree Celsius warming threshold.
The President of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, characterized the United Nations as being at a critical juncture. She implored each member state to uphold the principles enshrined in the UN Charter and to strive for collective improvement, emphasizing that the UN serves as a vital safeguard for every nation.
Baerbock used her address to champion the appointment of a female successor to Secretary-General Guterres, noting that, eighty years after the UN’s founding, the organization has never selected a woman for the role. She questioned how, among 4 billion potential candidates worldwide, no woman has been identified for this position.
