“Combined efforts are needed to accomplish our shared values and common goals amid this conflict-raging and virus-hit world,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday (Sept 21).
The UN chief urged the international community to come back to the track of multilateralism as he made his opening remarks at the high-level meeting of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
“COVID-19 pandemic has made the world even more chaotic after two world wars, and international organizations are crucial during this time to tackle issues of climate change, disease, human rights, poverty and inequality,” Guterres said.
Navigating a polarized world as it faces a pandemic, regional conflicts, a shrinking economy and growing inequality, he called for strong support to bring not only nations but people of all ages from all walks of life, ethnicities and religions together to discuss critical issues like climate change.
Guterres stressed that the COVID-19 pandemic “has laid bare the world’s fragilities. We can only address them together.” He said that no one “wants a world government, but we must work together to improve world governance.”
The UN secretary-general urged world leaders to work together at a time when there is a surplus of multilateral challenges and a deficit of solutions.
“The future we want, the United Nations we need, is reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism is under way,” he said.
Guterres zeroed in on the environment as an urgent priority, warning that if no concrete action is taken, the world risks facing runaway climate change.❏
