The UN Secretary General spoke to reporters in Geneva “Unprecedented level of destruction” in Gaza: UN Secretary General speaks ahead of G7 summit Peace and Security
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday reaffirmed the world body’s solidarity with the people of Gaza and called on the world’s richest countries ahead of the G7 summit in Italy to expand aid to debt-burdened developing economies.
Speaking in Geneva on Wednesday, the UN chief noted that it is extremely difficult to support the population in Gaza amid shelling, and restrictions on supplies make this even more difficult.
Commenting on the findings of the authoritative independent commission of inquiry in Gaza, which found Hamas and Israel guilty of war crimes, the UN chief emphasized the enormous scale of destruction and death over the past eight months of fighting.
“We have witnessed… an unprecedented level of destruction and loss among the Palestinian population during these months of war,” said António Guterres.
Rising inequality
The Secretary-General spoke on the sidelines of the Global Leaders Forum, organized by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which is celebrating its sixtieth anniversary these days. The meeting takes place on the eve of the opening of the G7 summit in Italy. Guterres used the podium today to reiterate his deep concern about the unequal distribution of wealth in the global economy.
“In developing and emerging markets outside China, clean energy investments have been stuck at the same level since 2015, and Africa had less than one percent of renewable energy installations last year, despite its wealth of resources and enormous potential, Guterres said. “We need advanced economies to rally around emerging and developing countries and demonstrate climate solidarity by providing them with the technological and financial support they need to reduce emissions.”
From words to deeds
The UN Secretary-General stressed that the G7 countries must commit to doubling funding for adaptation measures by next year and replenishing the existing there is a shortage in this area.