UNITED NATIONS, Feb 12 (IPS) – The United Nations and its Member States are up towards what the Secretary-General António Guterres calls existential challenges for the world, they usually have to be organized in taking a united method to addressing these points through bold plans and widespread reform.
In his assertion to the General Assembly on February 7, 2024, Guterres laid out his priorities for the approaching 12 months, consisting of assorted ongoing points that decision for pressing motion. He has known as for member states to meet their obligations to the UN Charter, beneath which each particular person’s proper to life and dignity must be assured. But at current, governments are undermining the tenets of multilateralism with no accountability, he mentioned.
The mechanisms in a multipolar world that may preserve relations in examine are usually not current, he added. “We are seeing the results: a dangerous and unpredictable free-for-all with total impunity,” he mentioned. “…As conflicts proliferate, global humanitarian needs are at an all-time high, but funding is not keeping pace.”
When he spoke to reporters on February 8, 2024, he added: “When the world is divided and the geopolitical divides today are enormous, when we see that we are no longer in a bipolar or unipolar world, we are kind of on the way to a multipolar world, but in a very chaotic situation. Power relations became unclear. And what we see today in the world is political actors doing whatever they want and with total impunity.”
Since the earlier 12 months’s SDG Summit, calls have been made for main reforms, notably within the Security Council and in worldwide monetary structure. Much has been mentioned in regards to the divisions inside the Council which have prevented selections from being made. In the context of the present battle between Israel and Hamas, resolutions that may have known as for a humanitarian ceasefire haven’t been handed as a result of these member states that didn’t vote in favor.
To that finish, Guterres has mentioned that the Council’s working strategies have to be up to date as a way to make and implement selections, even the place there may be division. He added that the Council should additionally take steps to turn out to be extra consultant, noting that it was unacceptable that the African continent didn’t have a everlasting seat within the Council.
In the context of worldwide financing, Guterres remarked that the structure was failing to supply all nations with the inexpensive finance wanted to realize shared objectives. They don’t present the “basic function of providing a financial safety net for all developing countries,” he mentioned. This has come as a strategy to tackle the ripple impact of disruptions in growth and the worldwide provide chain which have been attributable to the compounding crises of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate-induced disasters, and conflicts.
The nations that may profit most from stronger monetary help within the present structure are receiving the least of its advantages. Developing nations particularly have been hit hardest by the disruptions within the international economic system, which Guterres famous shall be addressed within the upcoming conferences for Small Island Developing States and Landlocked Developing Countries.
The Summit of the Future, which is scheduled to happen this September, is the hope that the worldwide group won’t solely speed up its efforts to satisfy its current commitments however implement concrete measures to reply to current and rising challenges. Guterres expressed that among the many outcomes of the summit, what ought to emerge is a path ahead “for various necessary transformations,” understanding that the institutions are outdated and that what is needed is multilateralism that is more inclusive and reflects present realities.
In addition to proposing institutional reform, some of the intended outcomes from the Summit include accepting ANew Agenda for Peace, which outlines the Secretary-General’s vision for multilateral measures in peace and security. A Global Digital Compact was also proposed as a document that would, according to Guterres, “maximize the benefits of new technologies and minimize the risks”. This is pertinent when considering the public interest in artificial intelligence in recent years, and efforts that have been made within the tech sector and even in the UN through its AI Advisory Board to determine how to regulate it.
When it comes to climate change, Guterres stated that he would be “mobilizing the entire UN system to assist” to support member states to take action in addressing climate change through financing, among other plans of action. He called for expanding the channels for climate finance through innovative sources and for all countries to agree on their goals at COP29 this year. This must be of service to the countries “at the frontline of climate chaos”.
What the Secretary-General is asking—and has been asking for some time now—is ambitious reform while seeking urgent action. The Summit of the Future is one of the answers to the concerns raised in the previous year, when it was made clear that we were far off track in achieving the SDGs. What should have been markers of progress stand now as reminders of the work left to be done, and even regression in some cases.
As long as these issues persist, and as long as the international community is reminded of how they impact everyone, they are interconnected. “In one form or another, every element connects to the most essential of all human endeavours: the pursuit of peace,” Guterres said.
“In right now’s troubled world, constructing peace is a aware, daring, and even radical act. It is humanity’s biggest accountability. That accountability belongs to us all, individually and collectively.”
IPS UN Bureau Report
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