Antonio Guterres
UN chief showers praise on Hasina, says Bangladesh a ‘development miracle’
Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres has highly praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the development in Bangladesh, calling it a ‘miracle’.
“The UN Secretary-General commended Bangladesh for its development in different sectors and humanity…. he thanked the Prime Minister for achieving a development of miracle,” said Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen.
The Foreign Minister was briefing reporters after a bilateral meeting held between Sheikh Hasina and António Guterres at the UN Secretariat Building in New York on Thursday.
Also read: PM’s presence in UNGA important for critical issues: Dr Momen
As the Bangladesh Prime Minister arrived at the meeting venue, the UN Secretary-General said, “Welcome to your home.”
He said both the UN and Bangladesh shared common priorities in different areas, including climate, financing and SDGs. “We share common priorities. Whether it’s climate, financing and SDGs. Those priorities in the UN are also the priorities of Bangladesh,” Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations Rabab Fatima, who was at the briefing, quoted António Guterres as saying.
Sheikh Hasina urged the Secretary-General to appoint more Bangladeshis to higher posts in the United Nations since Bangladesh plays a significant role in the United Nations. “We’re your major tools, but there’re a few Bangladeshis in your different higher posts,” she said.
In reply, the Secretary General said they would consider it.
In this regard, the Foreign Minister told reporters that Bangladesh and the UN are very closely linked. Bangladesh is the number-1 troops-contributing country to its peacekeeping mission. All the UNDP projects are fulfilled (implemented) in Bangladesh, he said.
“Bangladesh is a model (case) to the UN as it’s a vibrant economy coming out from a poor economy. This is why the UN always respects Bangladesh,” said Dr Momen, adding that the Bangladesh is a success story for the United Nations.
Bangladesh has been playing a very significant role in the UN since it became a member of the multilateral organisation in 1974, he said.
“Bangladeshi peacekeepers are creating a brand name wherever they work. So, we asked them to appoint Bangladeshis in other areas also,” Dr Momen added.
Also read: PM joins opening session of 76th UNGA general debate
More meetings
The Bangladesh Prime Minister also had a bilateral meeting with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands at the former’s place of residence.
Queen Maxima, also the UN Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, said they are thinking whether an insurance programme can be launched in Bangladesh to bring poor farmers who are affected by flood and storm under the insurance coverage.
Hasina also held two separate bilateral meetings with President of the Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and President of Vietnam Nguyễn Xuân Phúc at the UN Headquarters on the sidelines of the United Nations general assembly.
In the meeting with Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Bangladesh asked the Maldives to introduce a commercial shipping service between Chattogram port and Male port to transport goods and food items at cheap rates in order to boost trade and business between the two countries.
In response, the Maldives said they are working on it, but the operation of Male-Dhaka private airline services would begin soon.
Bangladesh also requested it to regularize undocumented Bangladeshis living in the Maldives, said Dr Momen.
The President of the Maldives was reminded about signing some proposed deals like the Promotion and Protection of Investment Agreement, remained pending with the court in the Maldives.
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih invited Sheikh Hasina to visit his country and the Bangladesh Prime Minister accepted the invitation.
In the meeting with the Vietnamese President, Vietnam was asked to help Bangladesh over the repatriation of forcibly-displaced Rohingyas as it has very good relations with Myanmar.
Sheikh Hasina asked Vietnam to explore investment scopes in different sectors in Bangladesh.
As Bangladesh has a large negative trade balance with Vietnam, Dhaka asked Hanoi to raise its import from Bangladesh.
Now the bilateral trade volume is some US$ 900 million. Of the money, Bangladesh imports goods of 600-650 million. “So, we asked them to raise the business of Bangladesh in their country,” said Dr Momen.
He said Vietnam is a rising star while Bangladesh is a rising giant. Both sides put emphasis on strengthening the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Since Vietnam is a member of ASEAN, Bangladesh also sought support from Vietnam to its application to become a sectoral dialogue partner of the association.
Foreign Senior Secretary Masud Bin Momen and PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim were present at the briefing.
Tensions grow as US, allies deepen Indo-Pacific involvement
With increasingly strong talk in support of Taiwan, a new deal to supply Australia with nuclear submarines, and the launch of a European strategy for greater engagement in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. and its allies are becoming growingly assertive in their approach toward a rising China.
China has bristled at the moves, and the growing tensions between Beijing and Washington prompted U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the weekend to implore President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to repair their “completely dysfunctional” relationship, warning they risk dividing the world.
As the U.N. General Assembly opened Tuesday, both leaders chose calming language, with Biden insisting “we are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs,” and Xi telling the forum that “China has never, and will never invade or bully others or seek hegemony.”
But the underlying issues have not changed, with China building up its military outposts as it presses its maritime claims over critical sea lanes, and the U.S. and its allies growing louder in their support of Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory, and deepening military cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
Read: Nuclear submarine deal to reshape Indo-Pacific relations
On Friday, Biden hosts the leaders of Japan, India and Australia for an in-person Quadrilateral Security Dialogue for broad talks including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, but also how to keep the Indo-Pacific, a vast region spanning from India to Australia, “free and open,” according to the White House.
It comes a week after the dramatic announcement that Australia would be dropping a contract for conventional French submarines in favor of an Anglo-American offer for nuclear-powered vessels, a bombshell that overshadowed the unveiling of the European Union’s strategy to boost political and defense ties in the Indo-Pacific.
“One thing is certain, that everyone is pivoting toward the Indo-Pacific,” said Garima Mohan, an Asia program fellow with the German Marshall Fund think tank.
As partners pursue moves that play to their own strengths and needs, however, the past week has underscored the lack of coordination as a networked security strategy develops, she said.
“Not everyone has the same threat assessment of China,” she said in a telephone interview from Berlin.
The EU policy emphasizes the need for dialogue with Beijing, to encourage “China to play its part in a peaceful and thriving Indo-Pacific region,” while at the same time proposing an “enhanced naval presence” and expanded security cooperation with regional partners.
It also notes China’s increased military buildup, and that “the display of force and increasing tensions in regional hotspots such as in the South and East China Sea, and in the Taiwan Strait, may have a direct impact on European security and prosperity.”
Germany, which has close economic ties to China, got a wake-up call last week when China rejected its request for a port call for the frigate Bavaria, which is currently conducting maneuvers in the Indo-Pacific.
“China is telling them this inclusive approach is not going to work, so in a way it’s a rude awakening for Berlin,” Mohan said. “You have to take a position, you can’t have your cake and eat it too, and if you have an Indo-Pacific strategy ... you can’t make it neutral.”
Other EU countries, most notably France, have also sent naval assets for exercises in the Indo-Pacific, and Britain has had a whole carrier strike group conducting exercises for several months as London pursues the new tilt toward the region recommended by a recent British government review of defense and foreign policy.
Read: EU stepping up its strategic engagement with Indo-Pacific region, adopts cooperation strategy
China’s Foreign Ministry said after rejecting the Bavaria’s port call that it remained “willing to carry out friendly exchanges with Germany on the basis of mutual respect and mutual trust,” but made clear it was displeased with the increased naval presence in the region.
“Individual powers... have repeatedly dispatched military aircraft and warships to the South China Sea for some time in the name of exercising freedom of navigation to flex muscle, stir up trouble and deliberately provoke conflicts on maritime issues,” spokesman Zhao Lijian said. “China’s determination to safeguard national and territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests is unwavering, and will continue to properly handle differences with the countries concerned through consultations and negotiations.”
Beijing was less reserved in its reaction to the submarine deal with Australia, under which the U.S. and Britain will help Canberra construct nuclear-powered submarines, calling it “highly irresponsible” and saying it would “seriously damage regional peace and stability.”
In signing the pact with the U.S. and Britain, Australia canceled a $66 billion deal with France for diesel-powered submarines, infuriating Paris, which recalled its ambassadors to Washington and Canberra and suggested it calls into question the entire cooperative effort to blunt China’s growing influence.
While clearly irked by the surprise deal, many observers have suggested that the vociferous reaction from France may be more directed toward a domestic audience, where President Emmanuel Macron faces a reelection bid early next year.
But there was clear disappointment that the U.S. seemed to be ignoring France’s own engagement in the region by not informing them in advance, said Laurence Nardon, an expert at the French Institute for International Relations.
“There was a way to do this while keeping Europeans in the loop,” she said. “The Indo-Pacific is important for the EU too; it’s not one or the other.”
In a call with Macron late Wednesday, Biden reaffirmed “the strategic importance of French and European engagement in the Indo-Pacific region,” according to a joint statement.
More than just a decision to pursue nuclear submarines, the deal was a clear signal of Australia committing long term to being in the U.S. camp on China policy, said Euan Graham, an expert with the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore.
The submarine deal seems likely to exacerbate the ongoing trade war between China and Australia, and Australia is hoping to strike a free trade deal with Quad partner India to help offset the economic impact.
Read: China's foreign minister says Indo-Pacific strategy should be dumped
While the European strategy outline will take time, the plan provides clarity in how the EU is prepared to work with the U.S. and its allies in the region — something that has been lacking in the past.
“There’s a lack of understanding on the U.S. side of why Europe is interested in the Indo-Pacific and exactly what kind of role it wants to play,” Mohan said in a podcast on the issue. “There’s also a lack of understanding of the U.S. approach.”
In the outline of the strategy, the EU broadly looks to pool its resources for greater effect, and to work more closely with the Quad countries, the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and others.
It also envisions enhancing current operations, such as the Atalanta anti-piracy mission off the Horn of Africa and in the western Indian Ocean, and the expansion of the EU maritime security and safety mission in the wider Indian Ocean area, which has already been broadened to Southeast Asia.
“The European assessment is very realistic about what they can and cannot do in the region,” Mohan said. “It’s about making sure the resources, the spending, that’s done right and has an impact.”
Afghanistan’s Taliban want to address General Assembly: UN
Who should represent Afghanistan at the United Nations this month? It’s a complex question with plenty of political implications.
The Taliban, the country’s new rulers for a matter of weeks, are challenging the credentials of their country’s former U.N. ambassador and want to speak at the General Assembly’s high-level meeting of world leaders this week, the international body says.
The question now facing U.N. officials comes just over a month after the Taliban, ejected from Afghanistan by the United States and its allies after 9/11, swept back into power as U.S. forces prepared to withdraw from the country at the end of August. The Taliban stunned the world by taking territory with surprising speed and little resistance from the U.S.-trained Afghan military. The Western-backed government collapsed on Aug. 15.
Read:Taliban replace ministry for women with ‘virtue’ authorities
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres received a communication on Sept. 15 from the currently accredited Afghan Ambassador, Ghulam Isaczai, with the list of Afghanistan’s delegation for the assembly’s 76th annual session.
Five days later, Guterres received another communication with the letterhead “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” signed by “Ameer Khan Muttaqi” as “Minister of Foreign Affairs,” requesting to participate in the U.N. gathering of world leaders.
Muttaqi said in the letter that former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani was “ousted” as of Aug. 15 and that countries across the world “no longer recognize him as president,” and therefore Isaczai no longer represents Afghanistan, Dujarric said.
The Taliban said it was nominating a new U.N. permanent representative, Mohammad Suhail Shaheen, the U.N. spokesman said. He has been a spokesman for the Taliban during peace negotiations in Qatar.
Senior U.S. State Department officials said they were aware of the Taliban’s request — the United States is a member of the U.N. credentials committee — but they would not predict how that panel might rule. However, one of the officials said the committee “would take some time to deliberate,” suggesting the Taliban’s envoy would not be able to speak at the General Assembly at this session at least during the high-level leaders’ week.
In cases of disputes over seats at the United Nations, the General Assembly’s nine-member credentials committee must meet to make a decision. Both letters have been sent to the committee after consultations with General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid’s office. The committee’s members are the United States, Russia, China, Bahama, Bhutan, Chile, Namibia, Sierra Leone and Sweden.
Read:Friction among Taliban pragmatists, hard-liners intensifies
Afghanistan is scheduled to give the last speech on the final day of the high-level meeting on Sept. 27. It wasn’t clear who would speak if the committee met and the Taliban were given Afghanistan’s seat.
When the Taliban last ruled from 1996 to 2001, the U.N. refused to recognize their government and instead gave Afghanistan’s seat to the previous, warlord-dominated government of President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who eventually was killed by a suicide bomber in 2011. It was Rabbani’s government that brought Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of 9/11, to Afghanistan from Sudan in 1996.
The Taliban have said they want international recognition and financial help to rebuild the war-battered country. But the makeup of the new Taliban government poses a dilemma for the United Nations. Several of the interim ministers are on the U.N.’s so-called blacklist of international terrorists and funders of terrorism.
Credentials committee members could also use Taliban recognition as leverage to press for a more inclusive government that guarantees human rights, especially for girls who were barred from going to school during their previous rule, and women who weren’t able to work.
Biden aims to enlist allies in tackling climate, COVID, more
President Joe Biden planned to use his first address before the U.N. General Assembly to reassure other nations of American leadership on the global stage and call on allies to move quickly and cooperatively to address the festering issues of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and human rights abuses.
Biden, who arrived in New York on Monday evening to meet with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ahead of Tuesday’s address, offered a full-throated endorsement of the body’s relevance and ambition at a difficult moment in history.
The president, in brief remarks at the start of his meeting with Guterres, returned to his mantra that “America is back” — a phrase that’s become presidential shorthand meant to encapsulate his promise to take a dramatically different tack with allies than predecessor Donald Trump.
“The vision of the United Nations has never been short on ambition, any more than our Constitution,” Biden said.
Read:US easing virus restrictions for foreign flights to America
But the president was facing a healthy measure of skepticism from allies during his week of high-level diplomacy. The opening months of his presidency have included a series of difficult moments with friendly nations that were expecting greater cooperation from Biden following four years of Trump’s “America first” approach to foreign policy.
Eight months into his presidency, Biden has been out of sync with allies on the chaotic ending to the U.S. war in Afghanistan. He has faced differences over how to go about sharing coronavirus vaccines with the developing world and over pandemic travel restrictions. And there are questions about the best way to respond to military and economic moves by China.
Biden also finds himself in the midst of a fresh diplomatic spat with France, the United States’ oldest ally, after announcing plans — along with Britain — to equip Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. The move is expected to give Australia improved capabilities to patrol the Pacific amid growing concern about the Chinese military’s increasingly aggressive tactics, but it upended a French defense contract worth at least $66 billion to sell diesel-powered submarines to Australia.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Monday there was a “crisis of trust” with the U.S. as a result of the episode.
Ahead of Biden’s arrival, EU Council President Charles Michel strongly criticized the Biden administration for leaving Europe “out of the game in the Indo-Pacific region” and ignoring the underlying elements of the trans-Atlantic alliance — transparency and loyalty — in the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the announcement of the U.S.-U.K.-Australia alliance.
Read: Out West, Biden points to wildfires to push for big rebuild
Despite such differences, Biden hoped to use his Tuesday address to the General Assembly as well as a series of one-on-one and larger meetings with world leaders this week to make the case for American leadership on the world stage.
“There are points of disagreement, including when we have disagreed with the decisions other countries are making, the decision points of when countries have disagreed with the decisions we’re making,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. “But the larger point here ... is that we are committed to those alliances, and that always requires work from every president, from every global leader.”
In an interview ahead of his meeting with Biden, Guterres told The Associated Press that he was concerned about the “completely dysfunctional” U.S.-China relationship and that it could lead to a new cold war. Psaki said the administration disagreed with the assessment, adding that the U.S.-China relationship was “one not of conflict but of competition.”
In his address Tuesday, Biden planned to put a heavy emphasis on the need for world leaders to work together on the COVID-19 pandemic, meet past obligations to address climate change, head off emerging technology issues and firm up trade rules, White House officials said.
Biden was expected to release new plans to assist the global vaccination effort and to talk about the U.S. plan to meet its part of financial commitments that the U.S. and other developed nations made in 2009 to help poorer nations adopt clean energy technology, assistance that was due to kick in annually last year, according to a senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the president’s remarks.
Read: Biden’s vaccine rules ignite instant, hot GOP opposition
Ahead of his departure, the Biden administration announced plans to ease foreign travel restrictions to the U.S. beginning in November. The U.S. has largely restricted travel by non-U.S. citizens coming from Europe since the start of the pandemic, an issue that had become a point of contention in trans-Atlantic relations.
The new rules will allow foreigners in if they have proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test, the White House said Monday.
Biden planned to limit his time at the United Nations due to coronavirus concerns. He was to meet with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison while in New York before shifting the rest of the week’s diplomacy to virtual and Washington settings.
At a virtual COVID-19 summit Biden is hosting Wednesday, leaders will be urged to step up vaccine-sharing commitments, address oxygen shortages around the globe and deal with other critical pandemic-related issues.
The president is also scheduled to meet with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday at the White House, and invited the prime ministers of Australia, India and Japan — part of a Pacific alliance known as “the Quad” — to Washington on Friday. In addition to the gathering of Quad leaders, Biden will sit down for one-on-one meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
11 billion-plus doses needed to vaccinate 70% people: Guterres
More than 11 billion doses are needed to vaccinate 70% of the global population – a key threshold to ending the acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, the UN chief said Thursday.
This will take the largest public health effort in history, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said while addressing the first International Forum on Covid-19 Vaccine Cooperation in China through a video message.
The global pandemic has already claimed more than 4 million lives. Against this backdrop, Guterres underscored that the world needs a Global Vaccine Plan to at least double vaccine production and ensure equitable distribution, using COVAX as a platform.
"We also need an Emergency Task Force – at the G20 level – to coordinate its implementation," he said.
Read: Moderna says vaccine 93% effective but seeks 3rd-shot in fall
Although the remarkable and rapid development of Covid-19 vaccines offers "great hope" that the devastating pandemic can be overcome, everyone must be reached everywhere, "as quickly as possible," the UN chief said.
To double the manufacturing capacity, a much greater sharing of technology and know-how will be needed.
It will also require strengthening and building local production capacities around the world and addressing supply chain bottlenecks, according to the UN chief.
"This is a matter of fairness and justice – but it is also critical to avoid the emergence of further variants that can resist the current vaccines and undermine national vaccination efforts," he said.
Read: Bangladesh to procure 6 crore Sinopharm vaccine doses: Minister
The UN chief welcomed agreements signed last month with the UN-led equitable vaccine distribution initiative, COVAX, for the provision of Chinese-developed Sinopharm and Sinovac shots, saying the deal unlocked potential supplies of more than 500 million doses.
Also, the top UN official described the first meeting of the International Vaccine Forum as "a critical opportunity to bring together countries with vaccine production capacities, pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers to advance global cooperation on vaccines."
Human trafficking: UN to act responding to voices of victims
The United Nations says it is committed to listening and responding to the voices of victims and survivors of human trafficking ensuring their rights and dignity.
"The UN is committed to amplifying their stories and learning from them in the fight to prevent and put an end to this terrible crime," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The UN chief made the remarks in a message marking the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons “Victims’ Voices Lead the Way” that falls on July 30.
In the midst of a global pandemic, Guterres said, accompanied by rising inequalities and economic devastation, the voices of human trafficking survivors and victims risk being drowned out. But listening to their stories is more crucial than ever as the Covid-19 crisis increases fragilities and drives up desperation, he said.
Also read: All stakeholders must join hands for combating human trafficking: Webinar
As many as 124 million more people have been pushed into extreme poverty by the pandemic, leaving many millions vulnerable to trafficking.
Children are at great and growing risk as they represent one-third of victims globally, a share that has tripled in the last 15 years.
"Half of victims in low-income countries are children, most of whom are trafficked for forced labour. Criminals everywhere are using technology to identify, control and exploit vulnerable people. Children are increasingly targeted through online platforms for sexual exploitation, forced marriage and other forms of abuse," said the UN chief.
Trafficking in women and girls for the purpose of sexual exploitation continues to be one of the most widespread and abhorrent forms of human trafficking, he said. "Migrants account for more than half of those trafficked in most regions."
The UN chief said governments must take urgent steps to strengthen prevention, support victims and bring perpetrators to justice.
Also read: Bangladeshi returnee from Mauritius files human trafficking case against recruiting agency
This includes implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons.
"Our efforts must be guided by survivors of trafficking," he said, adding that their contribution is essential to address risk factors and patterns, and to identify and protect victims and ensure their access to justice and recovery, while holding their exploiters accountable.
Pope to UN forum: Hunger is 'crime' violating basic rights
Pope Francis on Monday decried as criminal the existence of hunger in a world which can produce enough food for all, building on a warning from the chief of the United Nations that climate change and conflict are both a consequence and a driver of poverty and income inequality.
Earlier in the day, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a meeting in Rome via video message that the world’s food system generates a third of all greenhouse gas emissions. That same system is responsible for as much as 80% of biodiversity loss, he lamented in a video message.
The gathering was called to help prepare for a U.N. food systems summit to be held in September in New York.
In a written message that was read to meeting participants, Francis said the coronavirus ppandemic has “confronted us with the systemic injustices that undermine our unity as a human family.”
He said the the world’s poorest people and the planet are crying out because of “the damage we inflict on it through irresponsible use and abuse of the goods God has placed in it.”
READ: Pope decries shame of racism, like ‘virus’ lurking in wait
The pontiff added that while new technologies are developed to increase the capacity to produce food on Earth, people continue to “exploit nature to the point of sterilization, thus expanding not only external deserts but also internal spiritual deserts.“
Francis called the “scandal” of hunger a ”crime that violates basic human rights.”
Earlier this month, a U.N. report noted that up to 161 million more people faced hunger last year compared to 2019, with much of that widened suffering likely linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Poverty, income inequality and the high cost of food continue to keep healthy diets out of the reach of some 3 billion people,″ Guterres said. ”Climate change and conflict are both consequences and drivers of this catastrophe.”
The summit idea was launched in 2019 months before the coronavirus emerged, but Italian Premier Mario Draghi said the pandemic made existing threats to food security more urgent.
Draghi noted in his remarks Monday that the Agricultural Commodity Price Index had jumped by 30% compared to January 2020.
The International Fund for Agricultural Development called on decision-makers “to address the failures in food systems” that leave hundreds of millions of people poor and hungry. IFAD is a U.N. agency which aims to help small-scale farming.
IFAD appealed for food production which “protects the environment and biodiversity, and where people who produce our food are paid decently for their labor.”
In 2020, as many as 811 million people faced hunger, according to the U.N. report earlier this month.
READ: Pope visits Iraq's war-ravaged north on last day of tour
The chief economist of the Rome-based U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has said that removing 100 million people from chronic undernourishment would need an additional $14 billion (nearly 12 billion euros) every year until 2030 and nearly triple that amount to achieve the U.N. goal of zero hunger by 2030.
No pathway to reach the Paris Agreement’s 1.5˚C goal without the G20: UN chief
“The world urgently needs a clear and unambiguous commitment to the 1.5 degree goal of the Paris Agreement from all G20 nations”, António Guterres has said after the Group failed to agree on the wording of key climate change commitments during their recent Ministerial Meeting on Environment, Climate and Energy.
“There is no pathway to this goal without the leadership of the G20. This signal is desperately needed by the billions of people already on the frontlines of the climate crisis and by markets, investors and industry who require certainty that a net zero climate resilient future is inevitable”, the UN Secretary General urged in a statement.
Read: Ensure reproductive health rights of all: UN chief
The UN chief reminded that science indicates that to meet that ‘ambitious, yet achievable goal’, the world must achieve carbon neutrality before 2050 and cut dangerous greenhouse gas emissions by 45 % by 2030 from 2010 levels. “But we are way off track”, he warned.
The world needs the G20 to deliver
With less than 100 days left before the 2021 United Nations Climate Conference COP 26, a pivotal meeting that will be held in Glasgow at the end of October, António Guterres urged all G20 and other leaders to commit to net zero by mid-century, present more ambitious 2030 national climate plans and deliver on concrete policies and actions aligned with a net zero future, according to UN News.
Read: Next 10 years final chance to avert climate catastrophe: UN chief
These include no new coal after 2021, phasing out fossil fuel subsidies and agreeing to a minimum international carbon pricing floor as proposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“The G7 and other developed countries must also deliver on a credible solidarity package of support for developing countries including meeting the US$100 billion goal, increasing adaptation and resilience support to at least 50% of total climate finance and getting public and multilateral development banks to significantly align their climate portfolios to meet the needs of developing countries”, he highlighted.
Read:Global hunger levels rise as conflict, climate shocks and Covid collide
The UN Chief informed that he intends to use the opportunity of the upcoming UN General Assembly high-level session to bring leaders together to reach a political understanding on these critical elements of the ‘package’ needed for Glasgow.
A setback for Glasgow
The G20 ministers, which met in Naples, Italy on July 23-25, couldn’t agree to a common language on two disputed issues related to phasing out coal and the 1.5-degree goal, which now will have to be discussed at the G20 summit in Rome in October, just one day before the COP 26 starts.
Emerging Drug Threats: UN seeks greater int'l support for low-income countries
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said greater international cooperation and support are needed to help low-income countries to take advantage of the advanced capabilities to predict emerging drug threats.
"Better data is also helping to identify trends and enable real-time monitoring of rapidly shifting trafficking routes. Science-driven early warning systems are helping to predict emerging drug threats," he said.
The UN Secretary-General made the remarks in a message marking the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking that falls on June 26.
The theme of this year’s observance of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, “Share facts on drugs. Save lives” is a call for solidarity.
"I urge all member states to listen to the science and take action, building on agreed international frameworks and drawing on United Nations support for health and justice," said the UN chief.
READ: UN seeks its Special Envoy’s access to Myanmar to assess situation
Science and trust in science are the ‘hero and lesson’ of the pandemic; the world needs both to win against the virus, Guterres said.
"Scientists delivered safe and effective vaccines in a record time. Access to reliable and verifiable information is making the difference between life and death," he said, adding that action based on evidence is crucial for their responses to drugs, too.
The UN chief said the world drug problem remains an urgent challenge that threatens to exacerbate pandemic impacts and hinder a healthy and inclusive recovery.
The forthcoming World Drug Report 2021 from the United Office on Drugs and Crime shows that deaths attributed to disorders related to drug use have nearly doubled over the past decade.
New HIV infections among adults worldwide have declined in recent years, but not among people who inject drugs, who accounted for 10 per cent of new infections in 2019, he said.
Guterres said international cooperation has helped limit the proliferation of new psychoactive substances, but the problem is shifting to poorer regions where control systems are weaker. "Dark web drug sales continue to rise, and non-medical use of pharmaceuticals, including opioids, is expanding."
Drug trafficking and organized crime fuel and perpetuate cycles of violence and conflict, Guterres said.
He said armed groups and terrorists make profits from the illicit drug trade, and the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic has left millions of people even more vulnerable to drug crime and illicit crop cultivation.
Disparities in access to essential controlled medicines in low- and middle-income countries have been further heightened in the pandemic, he said.
"For example, medical professionals in West and Central Africa in 2019 had four doses of pain medication every day for one million inhabitants; in North America, the number of doses was nearly 32,000."
Guterres said investing in balanced prevention as well as control of drug use and drug use disorders produces solid returns -- saved lives, healthier populations, improved workforce participation and productivity, and reduced criminal justice costs.
Many of the risk factors associated with crime and violent behaviour are also drivers of drug use, and targeted efforts focusing on these overlapping dynamics -- including childhood maltreatment and lack of social support -- can help strengthen prevention, he said.
READ: UN seeks continuous collaborative effort to end AIDS epidemic
Besides, research suggests that law enforcement and policing need to go after the criminals at the upper levels of the drug trafficking chain, who reap the highest profits and wreak the greatest violence.
"Public-private partnerships - with tech companies, postal and courier services, and shipping companies - represent an essential frontline response in the new fight against drug traffickers, who are increasingly exploiting the legal cargo trade and postal services to move their illicit product," Guterres said.
Guterres gets second term to lead UN
António Guterres was on Friday re-appointed to a second term as UN Secretary-General, pledging as his priority, to continue helping the world chart a course out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Taking the oath of office in the General Assembly Hall, Guterres said he was aware of the immense responsibilities bestowed on him at this critical moment in history.
“We are truly at a crossroads, with consequential choices before us. Paradigms are shifting. Old orthodoxies are being flipped,” he told ambassadors.
“We are writing our own history with the choices we make right now. It can go either way: breakdown and perpetual crisis or breakthrough and prospect of a greener, safer and better future for all. There are reasons to be hopeful.”
Guterres was the sole candidate from the UN’s 193 Member States to vie for its top job. His first five-year term began in January 2017.
He was nominated by his homeland, Portugal, and appointed by acclamation by the General Assembly, following prior endorsement by the UN Security Council, for a second term that runs from January 2022 to December 2026, said the UN News.
Speaking in a mix of English, French and Spanish – three of the UN’s six official languages – Guterres detailed how the pandemic has taken lives and livelihoods, while exposing inequalities.
At the same time, countries are confronting challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss.
He stated it was crucial that the way out of the pandemic, as well as socio-economic recovery, should occur on a much more equitable basis, going forward.
“Our greatest challenge - which is at the same time our greatest opportunity - is to use this crisis to turn the tide, pivot towards a world that learns lessons, promotes a just, green and sustainable recovery and shows the way via increased and effective international cooperation to address global issues”, he said in French.
Also read: FM greets UN chief Guterres on re-appointment
Momentum for transformation
With the way forward filled with colossal tasks, the Secretary-General expressed confidence that they can be completed successfully, partly due to the incredible commitment of UN staff across the world, though underlining the need for continuous improvement, including through better data and analysis, and a reduction in “unnecessary bureaucracy”.
Although the world has changed a lot, the UN’s promises remain constant, but countries have to work together in entirely new ways to keep them alive.
He called for seizing momentum for transformation, while also stressing the need to bring other voices to the table, including civil society, the private sector and youth.
Vaccine equity now
“Ultimately, this transformation has to do with solidarity and equality”, Mr Guterres said, this time speaking in Spanish.
“But equity needs to start now: vaccines need to be available for everyone everywhere and we must create the conditions for sustainable and inclusive recovery both in the developed and developing world. And there is still a long way to go.”
Guterres warned that the countries must overcome the current “trust deficit” if this is to be achieved.
“In particular, we need to do everything we can to overcome current geostrategic divides and dysfunctional power relations. There are too many asymmetries and paradoxes. They need to be addressed head-on,” he advised.
“We also need to be aware of how power plays out in today’s world when it comes to the distribution of resources and technology.”
Fostering trust, inspiring hope
Mr Guterres vowed to use his second term to work towards ensuring “the blossoming of trust between and among nations” and to engage in confidence building.
He will also seek to inspire hope things can be turned around, or that the impossible might be possible.
“The attitude is never to give up,” he said. “This is not idealistic or utopian but grounded in knowledge of history when big transformations occurred and guided by the fundamental belief in the inherent goodness of people. That breakthroughs are possible when we expect it the least and against all odds. That is my unwavering commitment.”