“In Our Hands: Collective Action or Collective Suicide”

UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered this message to Ministers at a high-level political forum in New York last July 14, 2022. (https://press.un.org/en/2022/sgsm21375.doc.htm)

Because his message is urgent for everyone, for all people, governments locally/ nationally/globally, allow us to share these highlights:

“Our world is in deep trouble — and so too are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Time is running out.

But there is still hope because we know what we need to do:  end the senseless, disastrous wars now; unleash a renewable energy revolution now; invest in people and build a new social contract now; and deliver a New Global Deal to rebalance power/financial resources and enable all developing countries to invest in the SDGs.

Let’s come together, starting today, with ambition, resolve and solidarity, to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals before it is too late.”

Guterres emphasized

“We meet at a time of great uncertainty,” with the world experiencing the following “cascading crises that are causing profound suffering today and carry the seeds of dangerous inequality/instability/climate chaos tomorrow:

Some 94 countries, home to 1.6 billion people, face a perfect storm: dramatic increases in the price of food/energy lack of access to finance real risk of multiple famines this year and even worse next year if fertilizer shortages affect the harvests of staple crops, including rice.”

Some “impacts of the current cost of living crisis and the future risks for next year:  60 per cent of workers today have lower real incomes than before the pandemic; developing countries are missing $1.2 trillion per year, just to fill the social protection gap; and 60 per cent of developing economies are currently in, or at high risk of, debt distress.”

“People forced from their homes has risen to 100 million — the highest since the creation of the United Nations.

The planet’s largest ecosystems — oceans and forests — are in danger.  Biodiversity is declining at unprecedented rates.

Discrimination against women/girls continues in all sectors/all societies, while gender-based violence is at emergency levels and attacks on women’s reproductive rights around the world.”

Despite these cascading crises, Guterres shared:

“We are far from powerless.  There is much we can do, and many concrete steps we can take, to turn things around.

First, recovery from the pandemic in every country:  we must ensure equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines, therapies and tests and exert serious effort to increase the number of countries that can produce vaccines/diagnostics/other health technologies.

Then we must make sure future outbreaks of disease are better managed by strengthening health systems/ensuring universal health coverage.

Second, tackle the food/energy/finance crisis.  Ukraine's food production, and the food and fertilizer produced by the Russian Federation, must be brought back to world markets, despite the war. “

And this valuable point:  Today’s crises cannot be solved without a solution to the crisis of economic inequality in the developing world “We need a New Global Deal, we need reform, a system that works for the vulnerable, not just the powerful.

Third, we need to invest in people.  The pandemic has shown the devastating impacts of inequality within and between countries (and among) the most vulnerable and marginalized who suffer most when crises hit.

Guterres called on “world leaders to recommit to education as a global public good, especially in developing countries.”

And this imperative non-negotiable Fourth:  Climate action! Win and “reach the 1.5°C goal this decade.”

“Ending the global addiction to fossil fuels (no to new coal plants!) through a renewable energy revolution is priority number one.”

Losing to global warming “is collective suicide.”

Guterres stressed:  “We must do everything in our power to change course, build solid progress, come together for solutions for sustainable development/SDGs, for rebuilding differently and better.”