NEW YORK (RIA Novosti): UN Secretary General António Guterres, speaking to world leaders at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, said that the world is on the brink of an abyss and has never been more threatened.
“I am here to sound the alarm: the world must awaken. We are on the edge of the abyss – and we are moving in the wrong direction. Our world has never been more threatened or more fragmented,” Guterres said.
As the Secretary General of the World Organization noted, the world community is faced with a whole “cascade of crises”, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, climate problems, civil upheavals in Afghanistan and African countries.
Separately, Guterres noted the “blatant inequality” between developed and undeveloped countries, as well as the lack of solidarity among them at a time “when we need it most.”
“On the one hand, we see vaccines being developed in record time, which heralds the triumph of science and human ingenuity. On the other, we see how this triumph is canceled out by a tragic lack of political will, selfishness and mistrust. Surplus in some countries. Empty shelves in others. Most of the wealthy world is vaccinated. At the same time, over 90% of Africans are still waiting for the opportunity to receive the first dose, “said the UN Secretary General, addressing world leaders.
The high-level week of the 76th session of the UNGA kicks off at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday. It will run until September 27.
