UN Secretary General: Situation in world is “very unfair”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Saturday that the world situation was “very unfair” when he called on the world to do its part in helping countries that have not contributed to global emissions.
He relayed these comments after visiting several flood ravaged parts of Pakistan as he completed a two-day trip to raise awareness of the disaster.
A video released by the Prime Minister’s Office showed Guterres sitting next to Sharif watching the floodplains from an airplane window. “Incredible,” Guterres said, assessing the damage. According to the daily update of the situation of the NDMA, the call to action of the secretary general was triggered when Pakistan recorded another five victims, including three children, in the past 24 hours. Since mid-June there has been a cumulative number of 1,396 deaths, including 499 children.
In a speech today, he stated that humanity was at war with nature and that nature is now taking its revenge. “And nature is striking again in Sindh, but Sindh has not taken care of the greenhouse gas emissions that have exacerbated climate change.”
So, he continued, there was a “very unfair situation in relation to the level of destruction we are seeing in Sindh”. “And it is essential that the international community understand that Pakistan, including Sindh, needs massive financial support today to overcome this crisis,” underlined the secretary general, saying it is not a question of generosity, but of justice.
UN Secretary General: Situation in world is “very unfair”
He went on to say that the world must stop “this madness with which we treat nature”, “According to the scientific community, we must now reduce emissions by 25%.” The UN chief called on the world to provide massive support for adaptation work to build resilient infrastructure, support resilient communities and create conditions for those who have found themselves in climate change hotspots, including Pakistan.
“And that requires a huge investment. This is why we are calling for a big increase in funding for resilience and adaptation infrastructure,” he said. Furthermore, António Guterres expressed his full solidarity with the people of Pakistan. “We will do everything we can to raise awareness and call on those who are in a position to support Pakistan to demand that they do it, they are doing it now, they are doing it massively and they are doing it in terms of preparing for the challenges future.
“You can count on our commitment, our strong and emotional solidarity,” he added. Earlier in the day, the UN chief visited several areas of the country affected by the floods. He was also briefed on the situation in Sindh by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
"The people & @GovtofPakistan of 🇵🇰 can count on @UNDP’s full support to the recovery & reconstruction prog. Our work will be part of the overall @UN response to the crisis."
—@knutostby speaking w/ @antonioguterres, @UNinPak & partners during the Secretary General's visit. pic.twitter.com/g8rYiQHDaf
— UNDP Pakistan (@UNDP_Pakistan) September 9, 2022
