Politics

UN opens General Assembly with call to ‘rescue’ SDGs

United Nations, Sep 19 (EFE).- The United Nations opened Monday the 77th session of its General Assembly with a call to “rescue” the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“This is a definitive moment, (…) the world has a long ‘to do’ list,” the UN’s secretary-general Antonio Guterres said in an opening speech.

“All of you here today, and those tuning in from around the world, give me immense hope that we can put our hands on the wheel of progress and steer a new course.

“That we can rescue the Sustainable Development Goals and get back on track to building a better world that leaves no one behind,” the Portuguese diplomat added.

The UN chief warned that the SDGs were getting “further out of reach” amid a global crisis driven by the pandemic, conflicts, climate change and rising food and energy prices.

“In the face of such perils, it is tempting to put our long-term development priorities to one side,” Guterres said.

“But development cannot wait,” he warned, adding the world needed a “reformed financial architecture that benefits developing countries.”

According to the UN, progress in achieving the SDGs has halted in recent years mainly due to the economic crisis generated by the coronavirus pandemic.

The war in Ukraine and the aggravated food crisis is expected to dominate this year’s General Assembly which officially starts Tuesday and runs through to next Monday. EFE

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