World worse now as a result of Covid, local weather, battle, says UN chief

As he begins his second time period as UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres stated Thursday the world is worse in some ways than it was 5 years in the past due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the local weather disaster and geopolitical tensions which have sparked conflicts in all places — however not like US President Joe Biden he thinks Russia is not going to invade Ukraine.
Guterres stated in an interview with The Associated Press that the attraction for peace he issued on his first day within the UN’s prime job on Jan 1, 2017 and his priorities in his first time period of making an attempt to forestall conflicts and deal with international inequalities, the Covid-19 disaster and a warming planet haven’t modified.
“The secretary-general of the UN has no power,” Guterres stated. “We can have influence. I can persuade. I can mediate, but I have no power.”

Before he grew to become UN chief, Guterres stated he envisioned the submit as being “a convener, a mediator, a bridge-builder and an honest broker to help find solutions that benefit everyone involved.” He stated Thursday these are issues”I have to do on daily basis.”
As an instance, the secretary-general stated this week he spoke to the African Union’s envoy Olusegun Obasanjo, twice with Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta, and as soon as with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in his try to get a cessation of hostilities in Ethiopia between the federal government and forces within the embattled Tigray area.
“I hope that we are in a situation in which it might become soon possible to have a cessation of hostilities and that is where I’m concentrating most of my efforts,” Guterres stated.

As one other instance, Guterres stated he has additionally been on the telephone to attempt to get Mali’s navy leaders who not too long ago delayed elections scheduled for subsequent month to 2026 to cut back the timetable. He stated he spoke to Mali’s navy ruler, President Assimi Goita, three presidents from the 15-nation West African regional group ECOWAS, Algeria’s prime minister and the African Union’s chief about “how to make sure that in Mali, there is an acceptable calendar for the transition to a civilian government.”
Guterres stated he hopes Mali’s navy leaders will perceive that they should settle for “a reasonable period” earlier than elections. The secretary-general believes voting needs to be held in “a relatively short amount of time,” and stated: “All my efforts have been in creating conditions for bridging this divide and for allowing ECOWAS and the government of Mali to come to a solution with an acceptable delay for the elections.”
Guterres stated the UN Security Council, which does have the ability to uphold worldwide peace and safety together with by imposing sanctions and ordering navy motion, is split, particularly its 5 veto-wielding everlasting members. Russia and China are sometimes at odds with the US, Britain and France on key points, together with Thursday on new sanctions in opposition to North Korea.

On the problem on each nation’s entrance burner now — whether or not Russia, which has massed 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s border, will invade the previous Soviet republic — Guterres stated, “I do not think Russia will invade Ukraine, and I hope that my belief is correct.”
What makes him assume Moscow gained’t invade when Biden and others consider Russian President Vladimir Putin will ship troops into Ukraine?
“Because I do not believe in a military solution for the problems that exists, and I think that the most rational way to solve those problems is through diplomacy and through engagement in serious dialogue,” Guterres stated, stressing that an invasion would have “terrible consequences.”
The secretary-general stated “we have been in contact, of course” with prime officers in Russia, although the UN will not be instantly engaged within the Ukraine disaster.

Guterres is scheduled to ship a speech to the 193 UN member nations within the General Assembly on Friday on his priorities for 2022.
He singled out three instant priorities that “are worrying me enormously”: the shortage of vaccinations in giant components of the world, particularly in Africa; the necessity to scale back emissions by 45% on this decade to attempt to meet the worldwide objective of making an attempt to restrict future international warming to 1.5 levels Celsius (2.7 levels Fahrenheit); and the “extremely unjust” monetary scenario on the earth that favours wealthy nations.
Many growing nations have only a few assets, excessive money owed which are rising they usually pay a lot increased rates of interest than in Europe or North America, haven’t any vaccines, and disproportionately “suffer the impacts of climate change,” Guterres stated.
“We need a deep reform in our international financial system in order to make sure that there is more justice in the way resources are available to allow for the recovery (from Covid-19) to be possible everywhere,” he stated.
A mom outlets together with her kids on the market in Kabul, Afghanistan on Oct 29, 2021. (Reuters)
On one other main subject, Guterres burdened that the Afghan folks can’t be collectively punished for “wrong things that are done by the Taliban,” so it’s completely important to massively enhance humanitarian help “because the Afghans are in a desperate situation with the risks of deaths by hunger” and illness in a frigid winter with Covid-19.
“More than half the population is in desperate need of humanitarian aid,” he stated, and cash must be injected into the financial system to make sure Afghan banks function and medical doctors, lecturers, engineers and different employees are paid to forestall the nation’s financial collapse.

The subject of recognition of the Taliban authorities is as much as member states, Guterres stated, however the UN has been urgent the Taliban, which took energy in August as US-led NATO forces have been departing after 20 years, to make sure human rights, particularly ladies’s rights to work and ladies’ schooling, and to make the federal government extra inclusive and reflective of Afghanistan’s various inhabitants.
The secretary-general stated he might be attending the Beijing Olympics in February “which is not a political act” however “to be present when all the world comes together for good ” for a peaceable message.”