Posted by Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, has urged world leaders gathered in New York for the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to find answers to pressing international issues.
The United Nations General Assembly High Level Week begins on Monday, September 18 and Guterres made the call at a news conference on Wednesday in New York.
This is not the time for rhetorical flourishes.
“Action is what the world needs,” he declared.
The meeting, he said, was a “one of a kind moment” to take stock of global conditions and “act for the common good.”
This is not the time to be ambivalent or on the fence about what to do. Now is the moment to work together to find effective answers.
It’s time to work together for the sake of the future. Politics is the art of the possible compromise. A key element of diplomacy is the willingness to give in. Compromise is the key to successful leadership.
He thought of the tragic killings of thousands in Morocco and Libya.
The United Nations is rallying its resources to aid with the humanitarian effort. The secretary-general pledged that “we will work in any way we can with partners to help get emergency assistance to those who so desperately need it.”
Following recent international summits in Nairobi, Jakarta, and New Delhi, as well as a Thursday visit to Havana to meet with the leaders of the G77 group and China, he said that UNGA78 would be holding high-level discussions in the face of formidable obstacles.
Inequality is on the rise and the climate problem is becoming worse, he said.
In a time of crisis, people look to their leaders for guidance. However, despite all of this, our ability to respond is being hampered by geopolitical divisions.
The globe is changing into a multipolar one. “Multipolarity can be a stabilizing factor or it can lead to escalating tensions, fragmentation, and even worse,” Guterres said.
Institutions based on the UN Charter and international law need to be strengthened and modified in order to help consolidate this new and complex global order.
“I am well aware that reform is, at its core, a struggle for power, and that in today’s increasingly multipolar world, there are many competing interests and agendas.”
He set the stage for the upcoming week’s major summits, which will focus on climate change, international investment for development, health care difficulties, and regional crises.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were agreed upon in Paris eight years ago, and the road to their ambitious deadline of 2030 begins with a two-day meeting on how best to “rescue” them.
However, the UN chief made a second plea to the visiting heads of state and government in New York.
“Leaders have a unique obligation to reach compromise in shaping our common destiny for the common good if we desire a future of peace and prosperity based on equality and solidarity.
His recommendation? “Next week in New York is the place to start,” he remarked.
The 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly commenced on September 6 with the inauguration of Dennis Francis of Trinidad and Tobago as its new President for the next 12 months, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria will be addressing the meeting on September 19.