NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday expressed hope that talks underway between authorities in Saudi Arabia and Iran will help to ease tensions in the Gulf region.
\n\u201cI hope that the dialogue that started between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and other forms of dialogue in the region, will produce results and will allow a reduction of the tension in the Gulf,\u201d he told Arab News.
\nIt came as he reflected on the role the Kingdom, the UAE other Gulf nations can play in tackling global crises \u2014 including food insecurity, climate-related emergencies and energy shortages \u2014 and regional conflicts such as those in Syria, Yemen, Libya and between the Israelis and Palestinians.
\n\u201cI am sure that (Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the entire Gulf Cooperation Council) will be quite active in relation to the promotion of peaceful solutions in their neighborhood: In Syria, Libya, Yemen or in any other country that is close to them,\u201d said Guterres.
\n\u201cI think the people of Syria, the people of Libya, the people of Yemen have already suffered too much. And my appeal is for everybody to come together to solve those problems.\u201d
\nThe UN chief also said he hopes that \u201cGCC countries, which have a huge capacity for production, will contribute to (resolving) the energy crisis in the world.\u201d
\nTurning to the latest developments in Libya, Guterres said that the supposed ceasefire there \u201cis not in sight.\u201d
\nHe added: \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to know what is the biggest challenge that requires action. We must preserve peace between (the rival authorities in the) east and west but that also means preserving peace in relation to the recent confrontations that happened in Tripoli.
\n\u201cWith the militias supporting either (Government of National Unity Prime Minister Abdul Hamid) Dbeibah or (Government of National Stability leader Fathi) Bashaga, we need hostilities (to stop.) That is fundamental.\u201d
\nGuterres said that legitimacy remains a problem in Libya and he called for a quick agreement between the House of Representatives in the east of the country and the High Council of State that would allow the implementation of legal changes required for national elections to take place.
\nHe urged external actors involved in Libya to \u201cfully support the process of reconciliation\u201d and back the political process that could lead to the election of a \u201clegitimate government that everybody accepts.\u201d
\nSpeaking on Wednesday during a news conference to mark the start of the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly the previous day, Guterres, who had just returned from a visit to flood-ravaged Pakistan, prefaced his remarks with a striking message denouncing the \u201csheer inadequacy of the global response to the climate crisis\u201d and urging the international community to take more-aggressive action to mitigate its effects.
\nDescribing the ongoing \u201cclimate carnage\u201d in Pakistan, which has so far resulted in the deaths of more than 1,300 people and caused damages estimated at more than $30 billion, Guterres said his trip to the stricken country was a \u201cwindow into the future.\u201d
\nHe added: \u201cA future of permanent and ubiquitous climate chaos on an unimaginable scale: Devastating loss of life, enormous human suffering, and massive damage to infrastructure and livelihoods.
\n\u201cWhat is happening in Pakistan demonstrates the sheer inadequacy of the global response to the climate crisis, and the betrayal and injustice at the heart of it. It is simply heartbreaking.
\n\u201cNo picture can convey the scope of this catastrophe. The flooded area is three times the size of my entire country, Portugal.\u201d
\nGuterres once again pointed out that although the greenhouse-gas emissions that cause the planet to heat up and its glaciers to melt are overwhelmingly produced by the world\u2019s richest nations, it is poorer countries such as Pakistan that bear the brunt of resultant extreme-weather events and the death and destruction they bring.
\n\u201cWhether it\u2019s Pakistan, the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, small islands or the least-developed countries, the world\u2019s most vulnerable \u2014 who did nothing to cause this crisis \u2014 are paying a horrific price for decades of intransigence by big emitters,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cG20 countries are responsible for 80 percent of emissions. If one-third of G20 countries was underwater today, as it could be tomorrow, perhaps they would find it easier to agree on drastic cuts to emissions.\u201d
\nHe warned that continued inaction now will cause occurrences of devastating weather events to multiply in the future. The repercussions, including instability and global mass migration, will be felt \u201cfor years to come,\u201d he added
\n\u201cMy message to world leaders gathering here is clear: Lower the temperature \u2014 now. Don\u2019t flood the world today; don\u2019t drown it tomorrow,\u201d said Guterres.
\nGeopolitical divides have never been so extreme, he added, and are paralyzing efforts to address global challenges.
\n\u201cOur world is blighted by war, battered by climate chaos, scarred by hate and shamed by poverty, hunger and inequality,\u201d Guterres said.
\nThe human solidarity enshrined in the words of the UN charter is \u201cbeing devoured by the acids of nationalism and self-interest, shocking disregard for the poorest and most vulnerable in our world, (and) by politicians who play to people\u2019s worst instincts, for partisan gain.\u201d
\nHe concluded by reiterating the importance of offering hope to people.
\n\u201cThis year\u2019s general debate must be about providing hope and overcoming the divisions that are dramatically impacting the world,\u201d Guterres said.
\n\u201cThat hope can only come through the dialogue and debate that are the beating heart of the United Nations and that must prevail \u2026 against all divisions.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday expressed hope that talks underway between authorities in Saudi Arabia and Iran will help to ease tensions in the Gulf region. \u201cI hope that the dialogue that started between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and other forms of dialogue in the region, will produce results and will allow […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":283600,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-283591","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n