As of: 09/20/2022 6:39 p.m
Secretary General Guterres opened the UN general debate with a passionate appeal for solidarity. He warned of a “winter of global resentment” and called for a “world coalition” for peace.
At the start of the UN general debate, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of an intensification of international crises and a “winter of global resentment”. “Our world is in great trouble,” Guterres said at the UN General Assembly in New York. He referred to wars and conflicts, the climate crisis and skyrocketing prices.
“The rifts are getting deeper. Inequality is getting bigger. The challenges are growing,” says Guterres. And the most vulnerable suffered the most. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine claimed thousands of lives and triggered widespread destruction with massive violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. Millions of people are fleeing.
The general debate of the 77th UN General Assembly lasts one week and will be held entirely as a face-to-face event for the first time since 2019.
Image: AFP
An image of hope
But one picture gives him hope, Guterres said: a grain freighter sailing under the UN flag with Ukrainian wheat towards the Horn of Africa. With the opening of Ukrainian ports for grain exports, the United Nations have demonstrated their ability to act.
Guterres called on industrialized countries to tax unexpected additional profits, for example from oil companies. The proceeds should be used to fight the climate crisis and benefit people suffering from rising food and energy prices.
Bolsonaro defends rainforest use
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro once again defended the economic use of the Amazon region before the UN General Assembly. “More than 20 million people live in the Amazon region, including indigenous peoples, whose livelihood depends in some way on the economic use of the forest,” he said at the general debate. “It is essential that we take care of the environment, but we must not overlook people.”
In his speech, Bolsonaro called for a ceasefire in Ukraine. At the same time, he also criticized the economic sanctions imposed on Russia. “The effects of the conflict are already being felt in world prices for food, fuel and other commodities. All of these effects take us away from the Sustainable Development Goals.”
The UN General Assembly and the General Debate
The General Assembly is the central advisory body of the United Nations – a kind of UN Parliament. All 193 member states are represented in it. Among other things, the body elects the non-permanent members of the Security Council and, on his recommendation, appoints the UN Secretary-General.
Each member state has one vote. The General Assembly can also take action if the Security Council is blocked by a permanent member’s veto, but unlike the Council it cannot impose sanctions. Except on budgetary issues, General Assembly resolutions are not binding under international law.
The session of the General Assembly begins every year in September – and shortly thereafter comes the climax: the general debate. For a week, all states – often represented by their heads of state or government – present their ideas on how to solve the world’s most important problems.
In the further course of the general debate, speeches by France’s Head of State Emmanuel Macron and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz are expected. Speakers on Wednesday include US President Joe Biden, Iranian leader Ebrahim Raisi and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who will deliver a video address.
With information from Antje Passenheim, ARD Studio New York
“Our planet is burning!” – Guterres urges action before UN General Assembly
Antje Passenheim, ARD New York, September 20, 2022 6:02 p.m