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UNITED NATIONS (AP) — As he begins his second time period as U.N. secretary-general, Antonio Guterres mentioned 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 U.S. President Joe Biden he thinks Russia won't invade Ukraine.
Guterres mentioned in an interview with The Related Press that the enchantment for peace he issued on his first day within the U.N.’s high job on Jan. 1, 2017 and his priorities in his first time period of attempting to forestall conflicts and sort out international inequalities, the COVID-19 disaster and a warming planet haven’t modified.
“The secretary-general of the U.N. has no energy,” Guterres mentioned. “We are able to have affect. I can persuade. I can mediate, however I've no energy.”
Earlier than he turned U.N. chief, Guterres mentioned he envisioned the publish as being “a convener, a mediator, a bridge-builder and an sincere dealer to assist discover options that profit everybody concerned.”
He mentioned Thursday these are issues “I have to do every single day.”
For instance, the secretary-general mentioned 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 and get a cessation of hostilities in Ethiopia between the federal government and forces within the embattled Tigray area.
“I hope that we're in a state of affairs through which it would grow to be quickly attainable to have a cessation of hostilities and that's the place I’m concentrating most of my efforts,” Guterres mentioned.
As one other instance, Guterres mentioned he has additionally been on the telephone to attempt to get Mali’s navy leaders who just lately delayed elections scheduled for subsequent month to 2026 to cut back the timetable. He mentioned 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 “the right way to make it possible for in Mali, there may be a suitable calendar for the transition to a civilian authorities.”
Guterres mentioned he hopes Mali’s navy leaders will perceive that they should settle for “an inexpensive interval” earlier than elections. The secretary-general believes voting ought to be held in “a comparatively quick period of time,” and mentioned: “All my efforts have been in creating situations for bridging this divide and for permitting ECOWAS and the federal government of Mali to return to an answer with a suitable delay for the elections.”
Guterres mentioned the U.N. Safety Council, which does have the facility 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 U.S., Britain and France on key points, together with Thursday on new sanctions towards 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 mentioned, “I don't suppose Russia will invade Ukraine, and I hope that my perception is appropriate.”
What makes him suppose Moscow received’t invade when Biden and others imagine Russian President Vladimir Putin will ship troops into Ukraine?
“As a result of I don't imagine in a navy resolution for the issues that exists, and I believe that essentially the most rational solution to resolve these issues is thru diplomacy and thru engagement in critical dialogue,” Guterres mentioned, stressing that an invasion would have “horrible penalties.”
The secretary-general mentioned “we now have been involved, after all” with high officers in Russia, although the U.N. isn't instantly engaged within the Ukraine disaster.
Guterres is scheduled to ship a speech to the 193 U.N. member nations within the Common Meeting on Friday on his priorities for 2022.
He singled out three quick priorities that “are worrying me enormously”: the shortage of vaccinations in giant elements of the world, particularly in Africa; the necessity to cut back emissions by 45% on this decade to attempt to meet the worldwide aim of attempting to restrict future international warming to 1.5 levels Celsius (2.7 levels Fahrenheit); and the “extraordinarily unjust” monetary state of affairs on this planet that favors wealthy international locations.
Many growing international locations have only a few sources, excessive money owed which might be rising and so they pay a lot larger rates of interest than in Europe or North America, don't have any vaccines, and disproportionately “endure the impacts of local weather change,“ Guterres mentioned.
“We want a deep reform in our worldwide monetary system as a way to make it possible for there may be extra justice in the way in which sources can be found to permit for the restoration (from COVID-19) to be attainable in all places,” he mentioned.
On one other main problem, Guterres careworn that the Afghan individuals can’t be collectively punished for “unsuitable issues which might be completed by the Taliban,” so it's completely important to massively enhance humanitarian assist “as a result of the Afghans are in a determined state of affairs with the dangers of deaths by starvation” and illness in a frigid winter with COVID-19.
“Greater than half the inhabitants is in determined want of humanitarian assist,” he mentioned, and cash must be injected into the economic system to make sure Afghan banks function and medical doctors, academics, engineers and different staff are paid to forestall the nation’s financial collapse.
The difficulty of recognition of the Taliban authorities is as much as member states, Guterres mentioned, however the U.N. has been urgent the Taliban, which took energy in August as U.S.-led NATO forces had been departing after 20 years, to make sure human rights, particularly girls’s rights to work and women’ schooling, and to make the federal government extra inclusive and reflective of Afghanistan’s various inhabitants.
The secretary-general mentioned he shall be attending the Beijing Olympics in February “which isn't a political act“ however “to be current when all of the world comes collectively for good — for a peaceable message.”