UNITED NATIONS (TURKISH JOURNAL) – In the new world order, hope is still possible as current United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated UN priorities in his most recent New Year’s remarks to the UN General Assembly about crucial global issues that need to be urgently addressed.
While Guterres remains steadfast in his positive focus on moving forward on a number of fronts, he made it clear that the “international community is falling short” on many pressing global issues that must be more thoroughly examined and resolved.
Of immediate and specific concern, Guterres emphasized,“protected conflicts and climate change moving faster than we are.” But even more important, he stressed the need for “deeper international cooperation,” and his total commitment to assist in a solution to increasing tensions between South and North Korea as well as the ongoing Israeli and Palestinian stalemate.
But as Guterres reminded the assembly, in all conflicts, opposing sides must be willing to come together to engage in dialogue, no matter how difficult that may be. Of specific urgency right now, the secretary-general referred to the conflict in Syria as well as the very real possibility of a nuclear threat from North Korea.
Though Guterres told the UN General Assembly that he remains hopeful that solutions can be found, he sounded what he termed a “red alert,” to the international community to handle these matters a lot more seriously and with a sense of urgency that should not be neglected.
As part of specific, UN goals set out for 2018, Guterres made it clear that his upcoming February trip to participate in the African Union Summit in Addis, Abbaba, Ethiopia is of utmost importance. He echoed praise for the way in which Africa is heading. He praised its increased level of nation-state cooperation and Africa’s continuing path toward implementing more modern infrastructure in a variety of sectors.
The year 2018 has the potential to be a pivotal moment in history, Guterres said, but only if member states heed the call to deeply focus on being committed to the urgency to directly addressing pressing issues, head on.
As the secretary-general had emphasized in his January 2018 address to the press and member states, “I am sounding the alarm.” It’s clear that his comments reflect a definite focus and serious determination to lead the way toward a more compassionate global world order for renewed hope in 2018 and beyond.
