Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
- General Assembly
- Secretary-General/Annual Prayer Service
- Pakistan
- Ukraine
- Afghanistan
- Mali
- Uzbekistan
- Ethiopia
- Sri Lanka
- Modern Slavery
- Hybrid Briefings Tomorrow
- Guests Tomorrow
- Financial Contributions
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The Secretary-General spoke this morning at the closing session of the 76th session of the General Assembly, saying that the session was marked by a series of deepening challenges, from rising prices, growing food insecurity and the gathering shadows of a global recession to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic to deadly heatwaves, storms, floods and other natural disasters.
He said he had just come back from Pakistan, telling the delegates that it is unimaginable to see a flooded area that is three times the size of his own country – Portugal – and the suffering of the people that is taking place there.
He thanked the outgoing President, Abdulla Shahid of the Maldives, for his strong leadership over the last year and said he looks forward to working with the new President, Csaba Kőrösi, to carry forward the Assembly’s spirit of cooperation and hope.
Mr. Guterres told the Assembly that we can pave the way to a better and more peaceful future for all people. And we can renew the faith in the United Nations and the multilateral system, which remain humanity’s best hope.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/ANNUAL PRAYER SERVICE
The Secretary-General has a pre-recorded video to the annual prayer service that takes place before the start of every General Assembly.
In it, he said that this session will test us like few others before. The crises we face are complex and many, from war and conflict, to hate and discord, to hunger and poverty, and to the nuclear threat and a burning planet.
He stressed that we must stay true to the essential values common to all religions and central to the United Nations: compassion; solidarity; respect for the human person; and the Golden Rule “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
PAKISTAN
Over the weekend, the Secretary-General wrapped up his visit to Pakistan. He landed back in New York on Sunday.
On Saturday in Pakistan, he met men, women and children in the areas most-impacted by the floods.
Accompanied by the Prime Minister of Pakistan as well as the Foreign Minister. The Secretary-General travelled to Balochistan, where he met families at a camp for displaced people. He also went to Larkana and Sukkur, in Sindh province.
The Secretary-General said that the most emotional moment during this visit was listening to a group of women and men who abandoned everything to help their neighbours reach safety as their houses flooded.
He paid tribute to the efforts deployed by Pakistan to respond to this disaster but added that the needs are enormous, and he called for massive support from the international community. It’s not a question of solidarity, he said, it’s a question of justice.
And in the press conference at the end of the day, he said he had never seen climate carnage on this scale.
He told journalists that wealthier countries are morally responsible for helping developing countries like Pakistan recover from disasters like this one, but they also need to help them adapt and build resilience to climate impacts.
Full Highlights: [ Ссылка ]
