Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Our world is in a whirlwind.
We are in an era of epic transformation - facing challenges unlike any we have ever seen - challenges that demand global solutions.
Yet geo-political divisions keep deepening. The planet keeps heating. Wars rage with no clue how they will end.
And nuclear posturing and new weapons cast a dark shadow.
We are edging towards the unimaginable – a powder keg that risks engulfing the world.
Meanwhile, 2024 is the year that half of humanity goes to the polls – and all of humanity will be affected.
I stand before you in this whirlwind convinced of two overriding truths.
First, the state of our world is unsustainable.
We can’t go on like this.
And second, the challenges we face are solvable.
But that requires us to make sure the mechanisms of international problem-solving actually solve problems.
The Summit of the Future is a first step, but we have along way to go.
Getting there requires confronting three major
drivers of unsustainability.
A world of impunity – where violations and abuses threaten the very foundation of international law and the UN Charter.
And a world of inequality – where injustices and grievances threaten to undermine countries or even push them over the edge.
And a world of uncertainty – where unmanaged global risks threaten our future in unknowable ways.
These worlds of impunity, inequality and uncertainty are connected and colliding.
Excellencies,
The level of impunity in the world is politically indefensible and morally intolerable.
Today, a growing number of governments and others feel entitled to a “get out of jail free” card.
They can trample international law.
They can violate the United Nations Charter.
They can turn a blind eye to international human rights conventions or the decisions of international courts.
They can thumb their nose at international humanitarian law.
They can invade another country, lay waste to whole societies, or utterly disregard the welfare of their own people.
And nothing will happen.
We see this age of impunity everywhere - in the Middle East, in the heart of Europe, in the Horn of Africa, and beyond.
The war in Ukraine is spreading with no signs of letting up.
Civilians are paying the price – in rising death tolls and shattered lives and communities.
It is time for a just peace based on the UN Charter, international law and UN resolutions.
Meanwhile, Gaza is a non-stop nightmare that threatens to take the entire region with it.
Look no further than Lebanon.
We should all be alarmed by the escalation. Lebanon is at the brink.
