Inequality and climate crisis threaten development, Guterres alert

Git was considered that inequalities should not only be seen as an economic problem, but as a matter of power related to access to opportunities, resources and participation in decisions.

At the opening of the annual debate of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which started today in New York, Guterres stressed that humanity has never had so much wealth, knowledge and technological capacity, but that for millions of people progress remains out of reach.

According to the Secretary-General, while some populations benefit from prosperity and globalisation, others face exclusion and fear that technological advancement threatens their livelihoods.

The former Portuguese Prime Minister also warned that billions of people remain deprived of basic needs.

It particularly highlighted the inequalities in the international financial system, arguing that no country should be deprived of a sustainable future because it is on the most disadvantaged side.

In this context, it advocated a reform of the international financial architecture, including faster, more effective and fair debt relief, multilateral development banks with greater funding capacity and the use of special drawing rights for the benefit of the most needy countries.

Guterres also highlighted the inequality between men and women as “the most universal” of forms of inequality, warning that women and girls continue to face discrimination, violence, exclusion and abuse.

According to the Secretary-General, women's rights are retreating in various parts of the world, while their voices are silenced, their bodies are used as battlefields and their freedoms are transformed into exchange currency.

Guterres has associated gender equality with more stable societies and more effective institutions, highlighting in this context the path of the United Nations.

“ I am proud to inform you today that the United Nations has reached gender parity for the first time in history at all levels of high management, at all offices and among professional staff”, he announced.

“ Equality is not a dream. It is a decision,” he added, arguing that this change should also cover governments, parliaments, businesses, peace processes and the General Assembly itself.

On another front, Guterres presented the climate crisis as “the deepest intergenerational power imbalance of all,” arguing that one generation is consuming the future of the next.

The Secretary-General, who had the climate crisis as one of the priorities of his mandate, warned that the impacts of the climate crisis are coming sooner, more intensively and reaching wider areas than many anticipated.

Guterres argued that renewable energy is currently the cheapest source of new electricity in much of the world and is the most viable way to ensure energy security and independence and sustainable growth.

In this sense, he called on governments to adopt national transition plans to abandon fossil fuels, aligned with the objective of limiting heating to 1.5 degrees, with clear timetables and protection for the affected workers and communities.

It also criticised the influence of the fossil fuel industry, arguing that polluters should pay more for the damage caused and called on governments, cities, civil society and citizens to continue demanding responsibilities.