UNITED NATIONS --
As he begins his second time period as UN 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 all over the place -- however not like U.S. President Joe Biden he thinks Russia is not going to invade Ukraine.
Guterres mentioned in an interview with The Related Press that the enchantment for peace he issued on his first day within the UN's high job on Jan. 1, 2017 and his priorities in his first time period of attempting to stop conflicts and deal with world inequalities, the COVID-19 disaster and a warming planet have not modified.
"The secretary-general of the UN 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 UN 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 must do on daily basis."
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 scenario by which it would change into quickly doable to have a cessation of hostilities and that's the place I am 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 army leaders who just lately delayed elections scheduled for subsequent month to 2026 to cut back the timetable. He mentioned he spoke to Mali's army 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 army leaders will perceive that they should settle for "an inexpensive interval" earlier than elections. The secretary-general believes voting must be held in "a comparatively brief 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 UN Safety Council, which does have the ability to uphold worldwide peace and safety together with by imposing sanctions and ordering army 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 in opposition to 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 assume Russia will invade Ukraine, and I hope that my perception is appropriate."
What makes him assume Moscow will not invade when Biden and others consider Russian President Vladimir Putin will ship troops into Ukraine?
"As a result of I don't consider in a army resolution for the issues that exists, and I feel that probably the most rational method to clear up 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 have now been in touch, in fact" with high officers in Russia, although the UN shouldn't be immediately engaged within the Ukraine disaster.
Guterres is scheduled to ship a speech to the 193 UN member nations within the Normal Meeting on Friday on his priorities for 2022.
He singled out three instant priorities that "are worrying me enormously": the shortage of vaccinations in massive elements of the world, particularly in Africa; the necessity to scale back emissions by 45% on this decade to attempt to meet the worldwide aim of attempting to restrict future world warming to 1.5 levels Celsius (2.7 levels Fahrenheit); and the "extraordinarily unjust" monetary scenario on the earth that favours wealthy international locations.
Many creating international locations have only a few assets, excessive money owed which might be rising and so they pay a lot greater 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 with a purpose to make it possible for there may be extra justice in the way in which assets can be found to permit for the restoration (from COVID-19) to be doable all over the place," he mentioned.
On one other main problem, Guterres burdened that the Afghan individuals cannot be collectively punished for "mistaken issues which might be carried out by the Taliban," so it's completely important to massively enhance humanitarian help "as a result of the Afghans are in a determined scenario 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 help," he mentioned, and cash must be injected into the financial system to make sure Afghan banks function and docs, lecturers, engineers and different staff are paid to stop the nation's financial collapse.
The problem of recognition of the Taliban authorities is as much as member states, Guterres mentioned, however the UN 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 ladies's rights to work and ladies' training, and to make the federal government extra inclusive and reflective of Afghanistan's various inhabitants.
The secretary-general mentioned he will likely 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."
United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres speaks throughout interview on the UN headquarters on Jan. 20, 2022, in New York. (AP Photograph/Robert Bumsted)
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