The world is in “great danger and paralyzed”, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday in his opening remarks at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, in the presence of more than 150 world leaders.
Guterres added that the world is in danger and geopolitical differences are undermining international law, trust in democratic institutions and all forms of international cooperation.
“We cannot continue like this,” Guterres said. “We have a duty to act. And yet we are mired in colossal global dysfunction. The nations of the world were not ready or willing to face the great challenges that threaten the future of humanity and the fate of the planet,” he noted.
“Trust is collapsing, inequalities are spreading, our planet is burning. People are hurting, with the most vulnerable suffering the most,” Guterres said.
He also pointed out that there is hope and that cooperation and dialogue is the only way forward. At the same time, he warned that “no force or group alone can fire”.
“Let us work as one, as a coalition of the world, as united nations,” he urged the leaders in the General Assembly hall.
Source: Cyprus News Agency