At UNGA, UN Secy-General says 'we are on edge of abyss', warns 'world is more divided'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the 'world has never been more threatened or more divided' and is facing the "greatest cascade of crisis". Guterres, in his address at the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, sounded the alarm over the COVID pandemic, climate crisis that has affected the planet, disturbance in Afghanistan and many other countries. 

UN Chief addresses global leaders

In his speech at the UNGA, Guterres urged the world must wake up as they were facing the "greatest cascade of crisis in our lifetimes". He added that mistrust and misinformation polarised society. In his address at the 76th session of the UNGA, UN Chief said, "human rights are under fire, science is under assault and economic lifelines for the most vulnerable are coming too little and too late, if they come at all, and solidarity is missing in action just when the world need it the most".

"The world must wake up. We are on the edge of an abyss and moving in the wrong direction. Our world has never been more threatened or more divided. We face the greatest cascade of crises in our lifetimes", Guterres said in his address.

The UN chief pointed out the inequalities in the global distribution of vaccines, with the wealthier world vaccinated while 90% of Africans were still waiting to get vaccinated. He noted that on one hand, vaccines have been developed in a record time, while on the other hand triumph was undone by the "tragedy of a lack of political will, selfishness and mistrust". Guterres underscored the need for a global vaccination plan to at least double vaccine production. He called for ensuring that the vaccines must reach 70% of the global population in the first half of 2022. 

Guterres raised concern over the climate crisis and warned that the window to keep alive the 1.5-degree goal of the Paris Climate Agreement is rapidly closing. He noted that if all coal power stations planned around the world become operational, the temperature will rise by over 2 degrees. He added that they need a 45% cut in emissions by 2030 but with present national climate commitments, emissions will go up by 16% in 2030. 

"We need a 45 per cent cut in emissions by 2030.  Yet a recent UN report made clear that with present national climate commitments, emissions will go up by 16% by 2030", Guterres said in the statement.

(Image: AP/PTI)