Secretary-General addresses UN General Assembly political debate. Impunity, inequality and uncertainty: UN chief identifies key threats to humanity and suggests ways to eliminate them UN
In his address to the UN General Assembly, Secretary-General António Guterres said that the current state of affairs in the world is characterized by instability, which stems from three key factors – impunity, inequality and uncertainty. The UN Secretary-General is convinced that by joining forces, these challenges can be overcome.
An era of epic transformation
Humanity is experiencing an era of “epic transformation,” facing new challenges that require global solutions, according to António Guterres. But geopolitical divisions are only deepening, the planet is warming, and wars continue, exacerbating uncertainty. Nuclear threats and new types of weapons cast a shadow over the planet, the UN chief said.
“I stand before you in this maelstrom convinced of two fundamental truths. First, the state of our world is unstable. It cannot continue as it is. And second, the problems we face are solvable,” the Secretary-General stressed.
But to do this, he continued, it is necessary to make sure that the international mechanisms conceived to solve pressing problems are indeed effective in their task.
The Future Summit, held on September 22-23, is the first step, but there is still a long way to go, he noted. The instability of the state of affairs in the world is connected, in his opinion, with three factors: impunity, inequality and uncertainty.
Violations of international law and the UN Charter are committed with impunity; inequality causes discontent, which can undermine stability within countries; uncertainty gives rise to unmanageable global risks. These factors, as the Secretary-General emphasized, are interrelated.
Impunity
Today, more and more governments believe they have a “blank cheque” to violate international law and the UN Charter and to disregard decisions of international courts, António Guterres noted.
“They can invade another country, devastate entire communities or completely disregard the well-being of their own people. And they will get away with it,” the UN chief continued.
Impunity reigns everywhere – in the Middle East, in the heart of Europe, in the Horn of Africa and beyond.
In this context, he recalled the war against Ukraine, calling for a just peace based on the UN Charter, international law and UN resolutions.
Guterres called the situation in Gaza “an ongoing nightmare that threatens to engulf the entire region.”
He drew attention to the situation in Lebanon, which is on the brink of war. “The people of Lebanon, Israel and the world cannot allow Lebanon to become another Gaza,” the UN chief stressed.
According to him, the heinous acts of terror committed by Hamas on October 7 and the hostage-taking cannot be justified. Collective punishment of the Palestinian people is also unacceptable, he stressed.
“The international community must mobilize to achieve an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and the beginning of an irreversible process towards a two-State solution,” he said.
He also recalled the situations in Sudan, the Sahel, Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti and Yemen.
“Despite all the dangers, the Cold War had rules. There were hot lines, red lines and barriers. And today it feels like there is none of that. There is no unipolar world either. We are moving towards a multipolar world, but we are not there yet,” the Secretary-General warned, calling for a focus on the UN Charter and international law.
Inequality
Growing inequality is another “factor of instability” and “a stain on the collective conscience of humanity.” The UN Secretary-General cited some clear statistics.
Of the 75 poorest countries in the world, one-third are worse off today than they were five years ago. Over the same period, the five richest people in the world have more than doubled their assets. The richest one percent of people on earth own 43 percent of all the world’s financial assets.
He stressed that the world has not yet recovered from the surge in inequality caused by the pandemic. At the same time, at the national level, some governments are only exacerbating inequality by providing huge tax breaks to corporations and the super-rich, while cutting investments in health, education and social protection, the Secretary-General noted.
He also recalled gender inequality, reporting that women make up less than 10 percent of speakers who will speak during the political debates at the UN General Assembly.
“In some countries, laws are being used to threaten reproductive health and rights. And in Afghanistan, laws are being used to perpetuate the systematic oppression of women and girls,” the Secretary-General said.
The fight against inequality around the world, he continued, requires accelerating the reform of the international financial architecture and global institutions. In particular, he recalled the need to reform the UN Security Council.
“The UN Security Council was created by the victors of World War II. Most of Africa was still under colonial rule. To this day, Africa does not have a permanent seat on the world’s most important peace council. This must change,” Guterres said.
Uncertainty
Uncertainty, as the UN chief said, is exacerbated by two existential threats – the climate crisis and the rapid development of technology, in particular artificial intelligence.
He noted that these challenges can be addressed and that solutions exist: “Renewable energy prices are falling rapidly, their deployment is accelerating, and people’s lives are being transformed by affordable and accessible clean energy.”
By 2035, advanced economies should reduce their energy emissions by an average of 80 percent, and emerging market countries by 65 percent, he said.
The rapid development of new technologies poses another unpredictable existential risk, Guterres noted. Artificial intelligence will change almost everything – from work, education and communication to culture and politics. The question is what this new life will be like, the head of the UN said.
Without a global approach to managing artificial intelligence, this tool could lead to artificial division in all directions – a great schism with two internets, two markets, two economies. Each country will have to choose who it will be with.
“The United Nations is a universal platform for dialogue and consensus,” Guterres is convinced. – It is uniquely positioned to advance cooperation on artificial intelligence based on the values of the Charter and international law.”
“Let us move our world in a direction of less impunity and greater accountability… with fewer inequalities and more justice; with less uncertainty and more opportunity,” the Secretary-General concluded. He warned that the eyes of the world are on the UN today, and today’s leaders have a responsibility to future generations.