Global Citizenship Curriculum Project - Georgetown University

Mr. President of the General Assembly, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,

Our world is in big trouble.
Divides are growing deeper.
Inequalities are growing wider.
Challenges are spreading farther. [...]

We need hope …. and more. We need action.

To ease the global food crisis, we now must urgently address the global fertilizer market crunch. This year, the world has enough food; the problem is distribution. But if the fertilizer market is not stabilized, next year’s problem might be food supply itself. We already have reports of farmers in West Africa and beyond cultivating fewer crops because of the price or lack of availability of fertilizers. It is essential to continue removing all remaining obstacles to the export of Russian fertilizers and their ingredients, including ammonia. These products are not subject to sanctions – and we will keep up our efforts to eliminate indirect effects.

Another major concern is the impact of high gas prices on the production of nitrogen fertilizers. This must also be addressed seriously. Without action now, the global fertilizer shortage will quickly morph into a global food shortage.

Excellencies, We need action across the board. Let’s have no illusions. We are in rough seas. A winter of global discontent is on the horizon. A cost-of-living crisis is raging. Trust is crumbling. Inequalities are exploding. Our planet is burning. People are hurting – with the most vulnerable suffering the most.

The United Nations Charter and the ideals it represents are in jeopardy. We have a duty to act. And yet we are gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction. The international community is not ready or willing to tackle the big dramatic challenges of our age.

These crises threaten the very future of humanity and the fate of our planet. Crises like the war in Ukraine and the multiplication of conflicts around the globe. Crises like the climate emergency and biodiversity loss. Crises like the dire financial situation of developing countries and the fate of the Sustainable Development Goals. And crises like the lack of guardrails around promising new technologies to heal disease, connect people and expand opportunity.

In just the time since I became Secretary-General, a tool has been developed to edit genes. Neurotechnology – connecting technology with the human nervous system – has progressed from idea to proof of concept. Cryptocurrencies and other blockchain technologies are widespread.

But across a host of new technologies, there is a forest of red flags.

Social media platforms based on a business model that monetizes outrage, anger and negativity are causing untold damage to communities and societies. Hate speech, misinformation and abuse – targeted especially at women and vulnerable groups – are proliferating. Our data is being bought and sold to influence our behaviour – while spyware and surveillance are out of control – all, with no regard for privacy. Artificial intelligence can compromise the integrity of information systems, the media, and indeed democracy itself. Quantum computing could destroy cybersecurity and increase the risk of malfunctions to complex systems. We don’t have the beginnings of a global architecture to deal with any of this.[...]

Progress on all these issues and more is being held hostage by geopolitical tensions. Our world is in peril – and paralyzed.

Geopolitical divides are:
Undermining the work of the Security Council.
Undermining international law.
Undermining trust and people’s faith in democratic institutions.
Undermining all forms of international cooperation.

We cannot go on like this.

Even the various groupings set up outside the multilateral system by some members of the international community have fallen into the trap of geopolitical divides, like in the G-20. At one stage, international relations seemed to be moving toward a G-2 world; now we risk ending up with G-nothing. No cooperation. No dialogue. No collective problem solving.

But the reality is that we live in a world where the logic of cooperation and dialogue is the only path forward. No power or group alone can call the shots. No major global challenge can be solved by a coalition of the willing. We need a coalition of the world.[...]

Today, I want to outline three areas where the coalition of the world must urgently overcome divisions and act together. It starts with the core mission of the United Nations – achieving and sustaining peace.

Much of the world’s attention remains focused on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The war has unleashed widespread destruction with massive violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. The latest reports on burial sites in Izyum are extremely disturbing. The fighting has claimed thousands of lives. Millions have been displaced. Billions across the world are affected. We are seeing the threat of dangerous divisions between West and South. The risks to global peace and security are immense. We must keep working for peace in line with the United Nations Charter and international law.

At the same time, conflicts and humanitarian crises are spreading – often far from the spotlight. The funding gap for our Global Humanitarian Appeal stands at $32 billion – the widest ever. Upheaval abounds.

• In Afghanistan, the economy is in ruins, over half of all Afghans face extreme levels of hunger, while human rights – particularly the rights of women and girls -- are being trampled.​– In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, armed groups in the east are terrorizing civilians and inflaming regional tensions.
• In Ethiopia, fighting has resumed underscoring the need for the parties to immediately cease hostilities and return to the peace table, under the auspices of the African Union.
• In Haiti, gangs are destroying the very building blocks of society. In the Horn of Africa, an unprecedented drought is threatening the lives and livelihoods of 22 million people.
• In Libya, divisions continue to jeopardize the country.
• In Iraq, ongoing tensions threaten stability.
• In Israel and Palestine, cycles of violence under the occupation continue as prospects for peace based on a two-state solution grow ever more distant.
• In Myanmar, the appalling humanitarian, human rights and security situation is deteriorating by the day.
• In the Sahel, alarming levels of insecurity and terrorist activity amidst rising humanitarian needs continues to grow.
• In Syria, violence and hardship still prevail.

The list goes on.

Meanwhile nuclear saber-rattling and threats to the safety of nuclear plants are adding to global instability. The review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty failed to reach consensus and a nuclear deal with Iran remains elusive.

But there are some glimmers of hope. In Yemen, the nationwide truce is fragile but holding. In Colombia, the peace process is taking root.

We need much more concerted action everywhere anchored in respect for international law and the protection of human rights. In a splintering world, we need to create mechanisms of dialogue and mediation to heal divides.[...]

There is another battle we must end – our suicidal war against nature. The climate crisis is the defining issue of our time. It must be the first priority of every government and multilateral organization. And yet climate action is being put on the back burner – despite overwhelming public support around the world. Global greenhouse gas emissions need to be slashed by 45 percent by 2030 to have any hope of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. And yet emissions are going up at record levels – on course to a 14 percent increase this decade. We have a rendezvous with climate disaster. [...]

The climate crisis is a case study in moral and economic injustice. The G20 emits 80 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. But the poorest and most vulnerable – those who contributed least to this crisis – are bearing its most brutal impacts. Meanwhile, the fossil fuel industry is feasting on hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies and windfall profits while household budgets shrink and our planet burns. [...]

The climate crisis is coming on top of other heavy weather.

A once-in-a-generation global cost-of-living crisis is unfolding, turbocharged by the war in Ukraine. Some 94 countries – home to 1.6 billion people – many in Africa – face a perfect storm: economic and social fallout from the pandemic, soaring food and energy prices, crushing debt burdens, spiraling inflation, and a lack of access to finance.

These cascading crises are feeding on each other, compounding inequalities, creating devastating hardship, delaying the energy transition, and threatening global financial meltdown. Social unrest is inevitable – with conflict not far behind.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

A world without extreme poverty, want or hunger is not an impossible dream. It is within reach. That is the world envisaged by the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

But it is not the world we seem to have chosen. Because of our decisions, sustainable development everywhere is at risk. The SDGs are issuing an SOS. Even the most fundamental goals – on poverty, hunger and education – are going into reverse. More people are poor. More people are hungry. More people are being denied health care and education. Gender equality is going backwards and women’s lives are getting worse, from poverty, to choices around sexual and reproductive health, to their personal security. [...]

The divergence between developed and developing countries – between North and South – between the privileged and the rest – is becoming more dangerous by the day. It is at the root of the geopolitical tensions and lack of trust that poison every area of global cooperation, from vaccines to sanctions to trade.

But by acting as one, we can nurture fragile shoots of hope.

• The hope found in climate and peace activists around the world calling out for change and demanding better of their leaders.​- The hope found in young people, working every day for a better, more peaceful future.
• The hope found in the women and girls, leading and fighting for those still being denied their basic human rights.
• The hope found throughout civil society seeking ways to build more just and equal communities and countries.
• The hope found in science and academia, racing to stay ahead of deadly diseases and end the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The hope found in humanitarian heroes rushing to deliver lifesaving aid around the world.

The United Nations stands with them all. We know lofty ideals must be made real in people’s lives. So let’s develop common solutions to common problems — grounded in goodwill, trust, and the rights shared by every human being.

Let’s work as one, a coalition of the world, as united nations.