UN chief Guterres warns world is on edge of abyss

United Nations, Sep 21 (EFE).- The world is on the edge of an abyss and and has never been so threatened or divided, United Nations secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, warned Tuesday.

“The world must wake up. We are on the edge of an abyss and headed in the wrong direction,” Guterres told world leaders at the UN General Assembly in New York.

“We face the greatest cascade of crises in our lifetimes,” he added.

The secretary general opened the assembly with a gloomy analysis of the current era, marked by a lack of unity in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, little progress in the fight against climate change, growing inequalities and crises in countries such as Afghanistan, Yemen and Ethiopia.

Regarding the pandemic, Guetteres denounced the “obscenity” of the vaccine inequality across the globe.

While the majority of the wealthier world is vaccinated, over 90% of Africans are still waiting for their first dose.

“This is a moral indictment of the state of our world, it is an obscenity. We passed the science test, but we are getting an F in ethics,” he said.

“The world has never been more threatened or divided (…) Solidarity is missing in action just when we need it most,” he added.

Meanwhile, the secretary general warned of the growing impact of global warming and urged countries to act swiftly.

“We see the warning signs in every continent and region, scorching temperatures, shocking biodiversity loss, polluted air water and natural spaces and climate-related disasters at every turn,” he said.

With the UN climate conference in Glasgow just weeks away, Guterres said countries were still years away from the targets.

“We must get serious, and we must act fast,” Guterres warned. EFE

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