UN chief at press conference in Rio de Janeiro. Guterres: G20 countries must lead efforts to address global challenges UN
Ahead of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday called on the leaders of the world’s largest economies to step up efforts to ensure peace, combat climate change, reform international financial institutions and ensure universal access to new technologies.
“I came to Rio with a simple message: G20 leaders must lead,” Guterres said at a news conference. “The G20 countries, by definition, have enormous economic power and significant diplomatic clout. They must use them to address the world’s key challenges.”
Fighting Global Challenges
The Secretary-General stressed the need to accelerate action on major global challenges, including the climate crisis, armed conflict, rising inequality and stagnation in the fight against poverty. “Our failure to address these challenges is eroding people’s trust in governments and international institutions,” he said.
Guterres recalled that in September, UN member states adopted the Pact for the Future, which aims to strengthen multilateral cooperation and advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He stressed that existing global institutions, such as the UN Security Council, are in dire need of modernization.
“A Step Forward for Peace”
The Secretary-General named peace in the world’s hot spots – Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine and Sudan – as one of his top priorities.
“Peace requires action based on the UN Charter, the rule of law and the principles of sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of states,” he noted.
Financial Injustice systems
Speaking about international finance, Guterres drew attention to vulnerable countries that face challenges beyond their control. The current financial architecture is “outdated”, “inefficient and unfair”, he stressed.
He called on G20 countries to advance reforms, including increasing the representation of developing countries in international financial institutions, expanding the lending capacity of multilateral development banks and introducing innovative financial instruments.
Climate commitments
The climate crisis was another key theme in his speech. Guterres expressed concern about the lack of progress at the COP29 negotiations in Baku. It is now vital to set a high target for climate finance that will help developing countries cope with the challenges, he said.
According to the Secretary-General, the current climate policies of the world’s countries could lead to a catastrophic temperature increase of 3.1 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, but the Paris Agreement on climate change requires keeping the temperature increase within 1.5 degrees Celsius. The G20 countries, which account for 80 percent of global emissions, must become leaders in this process, Guterres noted.
Universal access to technology
One of the final points of the UN chief’s speech was ensuring universal access to new technologies. The Secretary-General noted the adoption of the Global Digital Deal, which includes the first universal agreements on the governance of artificial intelligence (AI).
Guterres stressed the need to establish an independent international scientific panel on AI and to develop funding mechanisms to enable developing countries to build their technological capabilities.
Leadership in Challenging Times
The world faces many challenges, but solutions exist, the UN chief said. According to him, the G20 must lead by example and restore trust in the international system.
“We must seize every opportunity for transformative action for a safe, peaceful and sustainable world,” he concluded.