He claims that “a handful of billionaires control as much wealth as the poorest half of the world.”
November 12 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has warned that millions of people are fighting against hunger and famine in a world that is increasingly conflictive and unequal as the world population approaches 8,000 million people, a milestone that it will be officially passed next week.
Despite advances in health and food, divisions are widening globally, leading to record numbers of people displaced in search of “opportunity” by wars, conflicts and climate disasters.
“Unless we reduce the huge gap between the haves and the have-nots, we will be facing a world of 8 billion people full of tensions and mistrust, crises and conflict,” Guterres said in a forum published this Saturday. by Europa Press.
Thus, he has lamented that “a handful of billionaires control as much wealth as the poorest half of the world” and has pointed out that “the richest 1 percent of the world’s population receives a fifth of the world’s income.”
Meanwhile, the population of richer countries have a life expectancy “up to thirty years longer than those of the poorest countries.” “As the world has become wealthier and healthier in recent decades, inequalities have also increased,” she has warned.
In this sense, he stated that “the acceleration of the climate crisis and the uneven recovery from the coronavirus pandemic are exacerbating inequalities”. “We are heading straight for climate catastrophe as emissions and temperatures continue to rise. Floods, storms and droughts are devastating countries that have contributed almost nothing to global warming,” she said.
“The war in Ukraine adds to the ongoing food, energy and financial crises, hitting developing economies the hardest. These inequalities hit women and girls hardest, and marginalized groups who already suffer discrimination,” he said. .
In addition, he stressed that the countries of the southern hemisphere face “huge debts” and the increase in “poverty and hunger”, as well as the growing impacts of the climate crisis, for which reason “they have little chance of investing in the recovery from the pandemic, the transition to renewable energies or education focused on the digital age”.
“Anger and resentment against developed countries are reaching breaking points,” he said before indicating that “toxic divisions and a lack of trust are causing delays and deadlocks on a number of issues, from nuclear disarmament to terrorism and health”, he stressed.
COMMON STRATEGY
Guterres stressed that the first step is to “recognize rampant inequality”, which is a “choice”, and recalled that “developed countries have the responsibility to reverse it, starting with the 27th United Nations Conference on Change Climate in Egypt and the G20 summit in Bali.
“I hope that COP27 will witness a historic Climate Solidarity Pact whereby developed and emerging economies unite around a common strategy and combine their capabilities and resources for the benefit of humanity,” he said.
He has also urged COP27 leaders to “agree on a roadmap and institutional framework to compensate southern countries for climate-related loss and damage, which already causes enormous suffering.”
He has also indicated that the G20 summit will be an opportunity to “address the difficult situation of developing countries.” “I have urged the G20 economies to adopt a stimulus package that will provide southern governments with investment and liquidity,” he added.
For him, the initiative to export grains through the Black Sea is “fundamental” to carry out these measures since “it helps to stabilize markets and lower food prices.” “Every fraction of a percentage has the potential to alleviate hunger and save lives,” he explained.
Guterres has insisted that the large global meetings this month should serve as an “opportunity to begin to close gaps and restore trust based on the equal rights and freedoms of each member of the 8,000 million people that make up humanity.” .
