By Edith M. Lederer — Associated Press, Wednesday 21 September 2022
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — He sounded a global alarm, warning leaders about the survival of humanity and the planet. In language that was sometimes downright undiplomatic, he called out those he blames for the perilous state of the world. It was Antonio Guterres’ strongest, most striking speech since he took the helm of the United Nations in 2017. “Our world is in peril — and paralysed,” he said. “We have a duty to act. And yet we are gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction.”
Guterres’ language was especially blunt when he lashed out at growing divides, saying “the international community is not ready or willing to tackle the big dramatic challenges of our age.” He ticked them off: the war in Ukraine, spreading conflicts, climate, money, ending extreme poverty, and achieving quality education for all children. He then took no-holds-barred aim at those he views as responsible: self-absorbed governments ignoring the UN Charter; social media platforms ruled by profits that misinform and cause “untold damage” to people and societies; artificial intelligence that “can compromise the integrity of information systems, the media and indeed democracy itself”; and the Group of 20 richest countries that emit 80% of greenhouse gas emissions. In a controversial proposal, he called on rich developed countries to tax the windfall profits of the fossil fuel industry and use the money to help countries suffering losses from the climate crisis. In perhaps his most dire warning: “Polluters must pay.” David Scheffer, a former US ambassador-at-large for war crimes, called it “the most consequential speech by a secretary-general in the history of The United Nations.”