This year’s General Assembly will be unlike any other - UN Chief's press conference

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The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres held his annual press conference at the opening of the 75th Session of the General Assembly. He noted that the COVID-19 virus is the number one global security threat in our world today, stressing the need for the global ceasefire that he called for in March to become a reality by the end of the year. The Secretary-General also underlined the need for the international community needs to come together to defeat the virus, calling for the massive expansion of new and existing tools that can respond to new cases and provide vital treatment to suppress transmission and save lives, especially over the next 12 months. A vaccine, he said, must be seen as a global public good, because COVID-19 respects no borders. Full remarks: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/press-encounter/2020-09-16/secretary-generals-press-conference-the-opening-of-the-75th-session-of-the-general-assembly ——- Speaking to reporters on Wednesday (16 Sep) in New York, on the eve of the 75th General Debate scheduled to start the next week, Guterres said “the COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis unlike any in our lifetimes, and so this year’s General Assembly session will be unlike any other, too. “ “We have a full programme and the stakes could not be higher,” the Secretary-General said. “Our world is nearing the grimmest of milestones: one million lives lost to the virus. Meanwhile, the outbreak remains out of control.” Calling the coronavirus “the number one global security threat in our world today,” Guterres said was why in March this year he called for a global ceasefire. “My appeal resonated with Member States, civil society and a number of armed groups across the world,” he said. “And today, from Afghanistan to Sudan, we see hopeful new steps toward peace. In Syria, Libya, Ukraine and elsewhere, ceasefires or standstills in the fighting can create space for diplomacy. In Yemen, we are pressing for a ceasefire, confidence building measures and resumption of the political process.” The Secretary-General called for the international community to come together to defeat the virus by “massively expand new and existing tools that can respond to new cases and provide vital treatment to suppress transmission and save lives, especially over the next 12 months.” He said “many pin their hopes on a vaccine – but let’s be clear: there is no panacea in a pandemic. A vaccine alone cannot solve this crisis; certainly not in the near term.” Guterres also called for a vaccine to be seen “as a global public good, because COVID-19 respects no borders. We need a vaccine to be affordable and available to all – a people’s vaccine.” The Secretary-General warned against what he called a proliferation of misinformation about a future vaccine. “Mistrust in vaccines is on the rise around the world. We have seen alarming reports of large segments of the population in some countries indicating their reluctance or even refusal to take a future COVID-19 vaccine. In the face of this lethal disease, we must do our utmost to halt deadly misinformation,” he said. Economic recovery in the aftermath of the pandemic, is the world’s chance to put itself back on track in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, according to Guterres. “Even before the pandemic, the world was veering far off course in efforts to eradicate poverty, achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and we were losing the battle against climate change,” Guterres said. “Greenhouse gas concentrations reached new record highs in 2020. The Northern Hemisphere has just experienced its hottest summer on record. The world is burning, and recovery is our chance to get on track and tame the flames.” “Recovery must be aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Recovery must be green. Subsidizing fossil fuels and bailing out polluting industries means locking in bad patterns for decades to come. Recovery must advance gender equality. And recovery requires effective multilateralism,” he said.

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00:11:31

UN Chief: We need to end senseless wars, unleash renewable energy revolution, invest in people - now

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,Remarks by António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, at the opening of the 2022 High-level Segment of ECOSOC, Ministerial Segment of High-Level Political Forum. Remarks as delivered: Our world is in deep trouble – and so too are the Sustainable Development Goals. Time is running out. But there is still hope. Because we know what we need to do: End the senseless, disastrous wars – now. Unleash a renewable energy revolution – now. Invest in people and build a new social contract – now. And deliver a New Global Deal to rebalance power and financial resources and enable all developing countries to invest in the SDGs. Let’s come together, starting today, with ambition, resolve and solidarity, to rescue the SDGs before it is too late. Excellencies, We meet at a time of great uncertainty. The world faces cascading crises that are causing profound suffering today, and carry the seeds of dangerous inequality, instability and climate chaos tomorrow. The ripple effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have hit amid a fragile and uneven recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, while the climate emergency is gathering pace. Some countries are investing in recovery through a transition to renewable energy and sustainable development. But others are unable to do so, because of deep-rooted structural challenges and inequalities, at global and national levels. Some 94 countries, home to 1.6 billion people, face a perfect storm: dramatic increases in the price of food and energy, and a lack of access to finance. And so there is a real risk of multiple famines this year. Next year could be even worse, if fertilizer shortages affect the harvests of staple crops, including rice. The United Nations Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance has warned of the impacts of the current cost of living crisis and the future risks for next year : Sixty per cent of workers today have lower real incomes than before the pandemic; Developing countries are missing $1.2 trillion per year, just to fill the social protection gap; And sixty percent of developing economies are currently in, or at high risk of, debt distress. Meanwhile, the number of people forced from their homes has risen to 100 million -- the highest number since the creation of the United Nations. The planet’s largest ecosystems – oceans and forests - are in danger. Biodiversity is declining at unprecedented rates. Discrimination against women and girls continues in all sectors and all societies, while gender-based violence is at emergency levels. Attacks on women’s reproductive rights are reverberating around the world. Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals will require $4.3 trillion USD per year -- more money than ever before -- because the international community is simply not keeping pace with the commitments it made; Excellencies, In the face of these cascading crises, we are far from powerless. There is much we can do, and many concrete steps we can take, to turn things around. I see four areas for immediate action. First, recovery from the pandemic in every country. We must ensure equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines, therapies and tests. And now it is very important to have a serious effort to increase the number of countries that can produce vaccines, diagnostics, and other else technologies thinking about the future. Governments must work together with the pharmaceutical industry and other stakeholders to share licenses and to provide technical and financial support to allow many other countries to produce vaccines and other medical important products. Then we must redouble our efforts to make sure future outbreaks of disease are better managed by strengthening health systems and ensuring Universal Health Coverage. Second, we need to tackle the food, energy and finance crisis. Ukraine's food production, and the food and fertilizer produced by Russia, must be brought back to world markets -- despite the war. We have been working hard on a plan to allow for the safe and secure exports of Ukrainian produced foods through the Black Sea and Russian foods and fertilizers to global markets. I thank the governments involved for your continued cooperation. But there can be no solution to today’s crises without a solution to the crisis of economic inequality in the developing world. We need to make resources and fiscal space available to countries and communities, including Middle Income Countries, that have an even more limited financial toolbox than three years ago. This requires global financial institutions to use all the instruments at their disposal, with flexibility and understanding. Full remarks: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2022-07-13/secretary-generals-remarks-the-opening-of-the-2022-high-level-segment-of-ecosoc-ministerial-segment-of-high-level-political-forum-delivered

00:00:33

UN chief apologizes to young people on behalf of his generation for not protecting the oceans

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00:01:10

International Romani Union 2022 - UN Chief Message | United Nations

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00:06:30

"War in Ukraine is one of the greatest challenges ever to the international order" - UN Chief

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,Briefing by António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, on Ukraine. "(...) The war in Ukraine is one of the greatest challenges ever to the international order and the global peace architecture, founded on the United Nations Charter. Because of its nature, intensity, and consequences. We are dealing with the full-fledged invasion, on several fronts, of one Member State of the United Nations, Ukraine, by another, the Russian Federation – a Permanent Member of the Security Council – in violation of the United Nations Charter, and with several aims, including redrawing the internationally-recognized borders between the two countries. The war has led to senseless loss of life, massive devastation in urban centres, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. I will never forget the horrifying images of civilians killed in Bucha. I immediately called for an independent investigation to guarantee effective accountability. I am also deeply shocked by the personal testimony of rapes and sexual violence that are now emerging. The High Commissioner for Human Rights has spoken of possible war crimes, grave breaches of international humanitarian law and serious violations of international human rights law. The war has displaced more than ten million people in just one month – the fastest forced population movement since the Second World War. Far beyond Ukraine’s borders, the war has led to massive increases in the prices of food, energy and fertilizers, because Russia and Ukraine are lynchpins of these markets. It has disrupted supply chains, and increased the cost of transportation, putting even more pressure on the developing world. Many developing countries were already on the verge of debt collapse, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and a lack of adequate liquidity and debt relief, stemming ultimately from the unfair nature of our global economic and financial system. For all these reasons, it is more urgent by the day to silence the guns. That is why I asked the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, to travel to Russia and Ukraine to press for an urgent humanitarian ceasefire. Under-Secretary-General Griffiths will update you on the humanitarian situation and the results of his contacts so far. Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo will also brief you on the poitical dimensions. But as Secretary-General of the United Nations, it is my duty to call the attention of the Council to the serious damage being done to the global economy, and particularly to vulnerable people and developing countries. Madame President, Our analysis indicates that 74 developing countries, with a total population of 1.2 billion people, are particularly vulnerable to spiking food, energy and fertilizer costs. Debt obligations take up some 16 percent of developing countries’ export earnings. In small island developing states, the figure is 34 percent and rising, because of increased interest rates and the need to pay for expensive imports. In the past month alone, wheat prices have increased by 22 percent, maize by 21 percent and barley by 31 percent. Brent oil prices on 1 April were more than 60 percent higher than at the same time last year. A series of events have led to that not only the present situation. Natural gas and fertilizer prices more than doubled over the same period. We are already seeing some countries move from vulnerability into crisis, and signs of serious social unrest. The flames of conflict are fueled by inequality, deprivation and underfunding. With all the warning signals flashing red, we have a duty to act. Madame President, The Global Crisis Response Group on food, energy and finance that I set up last month has formulated some initial recommendations for the consideration of Member States, International Financial Institutions and others. On food, we are urging all countries to keep markets open, resist unjustified and unnecessary export restrictions, and make reserves available to countries at risk of hunger and famine. This is not the time for protectionism. Humanitarian appeals must be fully funded. People caught up in crisis around the world cannot pay the price for this war. On energy: the use of strategic stockpiles and additional reserves could help to ease this energy crisis in the short term. But the only medium- and long-term solution is to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy, which is not impacted by market fluctuations (...)". [Excerpt] Full remarks [as delivered]: https://www.un.org/sg/en/node/262883

00:01:00

UN Secretary General: "Enough is Enough" | United Nations #Shorts

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This year’s General Assembly will be unlike any other - UN Chief's press conference

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,The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres held his annual press conference at the opening of the 75th Session of the General Assembly. He noted that the COVID-19 virus is the number one global security threat in our world today, stressing the need for the global ceasefire that he called for in March to become a reality by the end of the year. The Secretary-General also underlined the need for the international community needs to come together to defeat the virus, calling for the massive expansion of new and existing tools that can respond to new cases and provide vital treatment to suppress transmission and save lives, especially over the next 12 months. A vaccine, he said, must be seen as a global public good, because COVID-19 respects no borders. Full remarks: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/press-encounter/2020-09-16/secretary-generals-press-conference-the-opening-of-the-75th-session-of-the-general-assembly ——- Speaking to reporters on Wednesday (16 Sep) in New York, on the eve of the 75th General Debate scheduled to start the next week, Guterres said “the COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis unlike any in our lifetimes, and so this year’s General Assembly session will be unlike any other, too. “ “We have a full programme and the stakes could not be higher,” the Secretary-General said. “Our world is nearing the grimmest of milestones: one million lives lost to the virus. Meanwhile, the outbreak remains out of control.” Calling the coronavirus “the number one global security threat in our world today,” Guterres said was why in March this year he called for a global ceasefire. “My appeal resonated with Member States, civil society and a number of armed groups across the world,” he said. “And today, from Afghanistan to Sudan, we see hopeful new steps toward peace. In Syria, Libya, Ukraine and elsewhere, ceasefires or standstills in the fighting can create space for diplomacy. In Yemen, we are pressing for a ceasefire, confidence building measures and resumption of the political process.” The Secretary-General called for the international community to come together to defeat the virus by “massively expand new and existing tools that can respond to new cases and provide vital treatment to suppress transmission and save lives, especially over the next 12 months.” He said “many pin their hopes on a vaccine – but let’s be clear: there is no panacea in a pandemic. A vaccine alone cannot solve this crisis; certainly not in the near term.” Guterres also called for a vaccine to be seen “as a global public good, because COVID-19 respects no borders. We need a vaccine to be affordable and available to all – a people’s vaccine.” The Secretary-General warned against what he called a proliferation of misinformation about a future vaccine. “Mistrust in vaccines is on the rise around the world. We have seen alarming reports of large segments of the population in some countries indicating their reluctance or even refusal to take a future COVID-19 vaccine. In the face of this lethal disease, we must do our utmost to halt deadly misinformation,” he said. Economic recovery in the aftermath of the pandemic, is the world’s chance to put itself back on track in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, according to Guterres. “Even before the pandemic, the world was veering far off course in efforts to eradicate poverty, achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and we were losing the battle against climate change,” Guterres said. “Greenhouse gas concentrations reached new record highs in 2020. The Northern Hemisphere has just experienced its hottest summer on record. The world is burning, and recovery is our chance to get on track and tame the flames.” “Recovery must be aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Recovery must be green. Subsidizing fossil fuels and bailing out polluting industries means locking in bad patterns for decades to come. Recovery must advance gender equality. And recovery requires effective multilateralism,” he said.