UN Chief Rues World Without Rules With Eye on Israel, Russia
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres lamented what he called a world without rules and leveled thinly veiled accusations at Israel and Russia for trampling international law.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres lamented what he called a world without rules and leveled thinly veiled accusations at Israel and Russia for trampling international law.
“The level of impunity in the world is politically indefensible and morally intolerable,” Guterres told the annual high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. “A growing number of governments and others feel entitled to a ‘get out of jail free’ card.”
Guterres cited rising violence in conflicts around the world, warning that Lebanon is “at the brink” and calling for an end to the conflict in the Gaza Strip. He also accused the world of failing to stop climate change and rising inequality.
It was a gloomy speech even for a diplomat who’s nurtured a reputation for speaking frankly to UN members, and sought to capture how the world body, once at the center of resolving global conflicts, has been sidelined.
He was followed by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil, which traditionally is the first speaker at the General Assembly. US President Joe Biden and Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, are scheduled to address the chamber later in the day.
The UN chief, who’s been very vocal in calling for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, didn’t spare words when addressing the conflict. He said “Gaza is a non-stop nightmare that threatens to take the entire region with it,” and noted that spillover effects are already materializing in Lebanon.
His remarks came after Israeli airstrikes Monday killed some 500 people in what was the deadliest day of attacks since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. Tensions between Israel and the Lebanese militia group have been on the rise in recent weeks, threatening to evolve into an all-out war.
“The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel and the people of the world cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza,” Guterres said.
In his speech, Guterres also called attention for the level of destruction caused by conflicts in places like Ukraine and Sudan, noting that civilians are paying the price “in rising death tolls and shattered lives and communities.”
He said that many of the conflicts seen around the world are the by-product of geopolitical divides and disrespect for international norms, noting that even “the Cold War had rules.”
“We are in a purgatory of polarity,” Guterres said. “In this purgatory, more and more countries are filling the spaces of geopolitical divides, doing whatever they want with no accountability.”
Economic Inequalities
Guterres also called out economic inequalities exacerbated by the pandemic, noting that a third of the world’s poorest countries are worse off today than they were five years ago.
He argued that poor nations now pay more in debt interest on average than they invest in education, health and infrastructure combined. He commended the the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank for carrying out reforms to address some of those shortfalls, but said more needs to be done to tackle those inequalities, including through long-term debt restructuring.
“Over the past eight decades, the global economy has grown and transformed. The Bretton Woods institutions have not kept pace,” he said, referring to the Washington-based IMF and World Bank. “They can no longer provide a global safety net – or offer developing countries the level of support they need.”
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
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First Published:25 Sep 2024, 01:35 AM IST
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