Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to the press. UN chief: “We are on the verge of a big war” Peace and Security
The Middle East crisis has entered its second month, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warning of a growing “scale of destruction”. According to him, the world is on the verge of a major war that could engulf the entire region and lead to catastrophic consequences at the global level.
“This conflict is already being felt everywhere. Just look at the consequences of the erosion of freedom of navigation… We see this in the daily lives of people who are faced with rising food and fuel prices – in the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Mozambique, and far beyond their borders,” said the UN chief.Speaking to reporters at UN headquarters in New York on Thursday, Guterres recalled diplomatic efforts aimed at “finding a peaceful way out of the crisis.”
“I am in close contact with all parties and am sending my personal envoy Jean Arnault to the region to facilitate this work,” he stressed.
The Secretary-General reiterated his call The United States and Israel will stop the war, and Iran will stop attacks on neighboring countries.
“Conflicts do not subside on their own. They only end when leaders choose dialogue over destruction. This choice is still possible. And it needs to be done immediately,” he concluded.
The crisis could cause famine throughout the world
The UN World Food Program (WFP) has warned that supply disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz have caused food prices to soar around the world.
If the crisis drags on, the number of people facing acute food insecurity could rise by 45 million this year to 363 million, according to WFP experts. people.
In addition, the WFP states that it cannot carry out humanitarian operations in full due to disruptions in aid supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. About 70 thousand tons of food are on ships that are currently unable to leave ports. African finance ministers in Morocco.
“In addition to unilateral tariffs, governments are trying to navigate between geopolitical tensions…, the climate crisis and rapid changes in technology. And all this happened before the war in Iran destabilized trade in energy, fertilizers and chemicals,” Okonjo-Iweala said.
Despite the fact that “open” trade has helped lift 1.5 billion people out of extreme poverty in recent decades, “the African continent has not received the necessary benefits from it,” the WTO head emphasized at a conference in Tangier.
The WTO is not part of the UN system, but cooperates with it within the framework of common interests in promoting a rules-based world order.
WHO warns of public health threats in the Middle East
Amid war again across the region Diseases that could previously be effectively prevented break out. This warning was issued by the World Health Organization (WHO). epidemics. WHO operational reports note a “colossal burden” on medical facilities in Iran and Lebanon.