Latest news with #Antonio Guterres
News24
4 hours ago
- Politics
- News24
UN chief blasts 'lack of compassion' for Palestinians in Gaza
Guterres criticises the global community for ignoring Gaza's humanitarian crisis, calling it a 'moral crisis'. Aid blockades and controlled distributions severely impact malnourished children and desperate Palestinians in Gaza. Guterres emphasises immediate ceasefire, hostages' release, and unhindered humanitarian access as critical actions. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday slammed the international community for turning a blind eye to the suffering of Palestinians starving in the Gaza Strip, calling it a 'moral crisis that challenges the global conscience'. 'I cannot explain the level of indifference and inaction we see by too many in the international community - the lack of compassion, the lack of truth, the lack of humanity,' Guterres told Amnesty International's global assembly via videolink. 'This is not just a humanitarian crisis. It is a moral crisis that challenges the global conscience. We will continue to speak out at every opportunity.' Aid groups have warned of surging numbers of malnourished children in war-ravaged Gaza, which Israel placed under an aid blockade in March amid its ongoing war with Hamas. That blockade was partially eased two months later. The trickle of aid since then has been controlled by the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), replacing the longstanding UN-led distribution system. Aid groups and the United Nations have refused to work with the GHF, accusing it of aiding Israeli military goals. AFP Guterres said while he had repeatedly condemned the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas on southern Israel, which triggered the war in the Palestinian territory, 'nothing can justify the explosion of death and destruction since.' 'The scale and scope is beyond anything we have seen in recent times,' he said. 'Children speak of wanting to go to heaven, because at least, they say, there is food there. We hold video calls with our own humanitarians who are starving before our eyes. (...) But words don't feed hungry children.' Guterres also condemned the killing of more than 1 000 Palestinians trying to access food aid supplies since 27 May, when the GHF began operations. 'We need action: an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access,' Guterres said. He added that the United Nations was ready to 'dramatically scale up humanitarian operations' in Gaza should Israel and Hamas reach a ceasefire deal.
Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
World's top court paves way for climate reparations
THE HAGUE: The world's highest court Wednesday declared that states are obliged under international law to tackle climate change and warned that failing to do so could open the door to reparations. In a historic statement, the International Court of Justice said climate change was an 'urgent and existential threat' and countries had a legal duty to prevent harm from their planet-warming pollution. Countries breaching their climate obligations were committing a 'wrongful act,' the court said in its advisory opinion, which is not legally binding but carries political and legal weight. 'The legal consequences resulting from the commission of an internationally wrongful act may include... full reparations to injured states in the form of restitution, compensation and satisfaction,' said ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa on behalf of the 15-judge panel. This would be on a case-by-case basis where a 'sufficient direct and certain causal nexus' had been shown 'between the wrongful act and the injury,' the court added. Campaigners and countries on the climate frontlines hailed a milestone moment in the fight for accountability from big polluters most responsible for global warming. 'This is a victory for our planet, for climate justice and for the power of young people to make a difference,' said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Ralph Regenvanu, the climate change minister for Vanuatu, the Pacific island nation that spearheaded the case at The Hague, was jubilant. Speaking to AFP outside the court, Regenvanu said it was 'a very strong opinion at the end' and better than hoped. 'We can use these arguments when we talk with our partners, some of the high-emitting states. We can say you have a legal obligation to help us,' he said. 'This helps us in our arguments. It's going to give us a lot more leverage... in all negotiations.' This was the biggest case in ICJ history, and seen as the most consequential in a recent string of landmark climate moves. The United Nations had tasked the 15 judges at the ICJ, a UN court in The Hague that adjudicates disputes between nations, to answer two fundamental questions. First: what must states do under international law to protect the environment from greenhouse gas emissions for the future? Second: what are the consequences for states whose emissions have caused environmental harm, especially to vulnerable low-lying island states? In a detailed summary of the opinion, Iwasawa said the climate 'must be protected for present and future generations.' The adverse effect of a warming planet 'may significantly impair the enjoyment of certain human rights, including the right to life,' he added. Legal and climate experts said the opinion, while not legally binding, could have far-reaching consequences for national courts, legislation and public debate. 'The court's clear and detailed articulation of state obligations will be a catalyst for accelerated climate action and unprecedented accountability,' David Boyd, a former UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment, told AFP. Johan Rockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said the ruling bound all nations by international law to prevent harm from emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases. The court was 'pointing the direction for the entire world and making clear that every nation is legally obliged to solve the climate crisis,' he told AFP. 'Perfect ending' Courts have become a key battleground for climate action as frustration has grown over sluggish progress toward curbing planet-warming pollution from fossil fuels. The Paris Agreement, struck through the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has rallied a global response to the crisis, but not at the speed necessary to protect the world from dangerous overheating. The journey to The Hague began six years ago with students from the climate-imperilled Pacific region fed up with the lack of accountability for the damage afflicting their homelands. 'Young Pacific Islanders initiated this call for humanity to the world. And the world must respond,' said UN chief Guterres, praising Vanuatu's leadership. The fight pitted major wealthy economies against the smaller, less developed states which are most at the mercy of a warming planet. More than 100 nations and groups made submissions, many from the Pacific who gave impassioned appeals in colorful traditional dress. 'It's such a perfect ending to a campaign that started in a classroom,' said Vishal Prasad, director of the student-led campaign that kicked off the case. 'We have now a very, very strong tool to hold power accountable, and we must do that now. The ICJ has given everything possible,' he told AFP. The United States, which has embraced a fossil fuel agenda under President Donald Trump, had a muted response to the ruling. A US State Department spokesperson said it 'will be reviewing the Court's advisory opinion in the coming days and weeks.' French Ecological Transition Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher hailed the advisory opinion as a 'victory for the most vulnerable states, a victory for France and a victory for the climate.' John Kerry, the former US special envoy for climate change, said 'it should not take the stamp of international law to motivate countries to do what is already profoundly in their economic interests.' 'We shouldn't need another reason to act and accelerate action,' he told AFP.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
UN urges peaceful settlement of disputes as UN chief points to 'the horror show in Gaza'
The U.N. Security Council urged the 193 United Nations member nations on Tuesday to use all possible means to settle disputes peacefully. The U.N. chief said that is needed now more than ever as he pointed to 'the horror show in Gaza' and conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, Haiti and Myanmar. The vote was unanimous on a Pakistan-drafted resolution in the 15-member council. In urging greater efforts to pursue global peace, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the council: 'Around the world, we see an utter disregard for — if not outright violations of — international law' as well as the U.N. Charter. It is happening at a time of widening geopolitical divides and numerous conflicts, starting with Gaza, where 'starvation is knocking on every door' as Israel denies the United Nations the space and safety to deliver aid and save Palestinian lives, Guterres said. Israel denies deliberately targeting civilians and aid staff as part of its war with Hamas and blames U.N. agencies for failing to deliver food it has allowed in. In conflicts worldwide, 'hunger and displacement are at record levels' and security is pushed further out of reach by terrorism, violent extremism and transnational crime, the secretary-general said. 'Diplomacy may not have always succeeded in preventing conflicts, violence and instability,' Guterres said. 'But it still holds the power to stop them.' The resolution urges all countries to use the methods in the U.N. Charter to peacefully settle disputes, including negotiation, inquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, referral to regional arrangements or other peaceful means. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who chaired the meeting, cited 'the ongoing tragedies' in Gaza and between Pakistan and India over Kashmir, one of the oldest disputes on the U.N. agenda, that need to be resolved peacefully. 'At the heart of almost all the conflicts across the globe is a crisis of multilateralism; a failure, not of principles but of will; a paralysis, not of institutions but of political courage,' he said. The Pakistani diplomat called for revitalizing trust in the U.N. system and ensuring 'equal treatment of all conflicts based on international law, not geopolitical expediency.' Acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea said the Trump administration supports the United Nations' founding principles of saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war and working with parties to resolve disputes peacefully. Under President Donald Trump's leadership, she said, the U.S. has delivered 'deescalation' between Israel and Iran, India and Pakistan, and Congo and Rwanda. The U.S. calls on countries involved in conflicts to follow these examples, Shea said, singling out the war in Ukraine and China's 'unlawful claims' in the South China Sea. The war in Ukraine must end, she said, and Russia must stop attacking civilians and fulfill its obligations under the U.N. Charter, which requires all member nations to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every other country. 'We call on other U.N. member states to stop providing Russia with the means to continue its aggression,' Shea said. ___
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
UN urges peaceful settlement of disputes as UN chief points to 'the horror show in Gaza'
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council urged the 193 United Nations member nations on Tuesday to use all possible means to settle disputes peacefully. The U.N. chief said that is needed now more than ever as he pointed to 'the horror show in Gaza' and conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, Haiti and Myanmar. The vote was unanimous on a Pakistan-drafted resolution in the 15-member council. In urging greater efforts to pursue global peace, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the council: 'Around the world, we see an utter disregard for — if not outright violations of — international law' as well as the U.N. Charter. It is happening at a time of widening geopolitical divides and numerous conflicts, starting with Gaza, where 'starvation is knocking on every door' as Israel denies the United Nations the space and safety to deliver aid and save Palestinian lives, Guterres said. Israel denies deliberately targeting civilians and aid staff as part of its war with Hamas and blames U.N. agencies for failing to deliver food it has allowed in. In conflicts worldwide, 'hunger and displacement are at record levels' and security is pushed further out of reach by terrorism, violent extremism and transnational crime, the secretary-general said. 'Diplomacy may not have always succeeded in preventing conflicts, violence and instability,' Guterres said. 'But it still holds the power to stop them.' The resolution urges all countries to use the methods in the U.N. Charter to peacefully settle disputes, including negotiation, inquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, referral to regional arrangements or other peaceful means. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who chaired the meeting, cited 'the ongoing tragedies' in Gaza and between Pakistan and India over Kashmir, one of the oldest disputes on the U.N. agenda, that need to be resolved peacefully. 'At the heart of almost all the conflicts across the globe is a crisis of multilateralism; a failure, not of principles but of will; a paralysis, not of institutions but of political courage,' he said. The Pakistani diplomat called for revitalizing trust in the U.N. system and ensuring 'equal treatment of all conflicts based on international law, not geopolitical expediency.' Acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea said the Trump administration supports the United Nations' founding principles of saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war and working with parties to resolve disputes peacefully. Under President Donald Trump's leadership, she said, the U.S. has delivered 'deescalation' between Israel and Iran, India and Pakistan, and Congo and Rwanda. The U.S. calls on countries involved in conflicts to follow these examples, Shea said, singling out the war in Ukraine and China's 'unlawful claims' in the South China Sea. The war in Ukraine must end, she said, and Russia must stop attacking civilians and fulfill its obligations under the U.N. Charter, which requires all member nations to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every other country. 'We call on other U.N. member states to stop providing Russia with the means to continue its aggression,' Shea said. ___
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
UN says booming solar, wind and other green energy hits global tipping point for ever lower costs
The global switch to renewable energy has passed a 'positive tipping point' where solar and wind power will become even cheaper and more widespread, according to two United Nations reports released Tuesday, describing a bright spot amid otherwise gloomy progress to curb climate change. Last year, 74% of the growth in electricity generated worldwide was from wind, solar and other green sources, according to the U.N.'s multiagency report, called Seizing the Moment of Opportunity. It found that 92.5% of all new electricity capacity added to the grid worldwide in that time period came from renewables. Meanwhile, sales of electric vehicles are up from 500,000 in 2015 to more than 17 million in 2024. The three cheapest electricity sources globally last year were onshore wind, solar panels and new hydropower, according to an energy cost report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Solar power now is 41% cheaper and wind power is 53% cheaper globally than the lowest-cost fossil fuel, the reports said. Fossil fuels, which are the chief cause of climate change, include coal, oil and natural gas. 'The fossil fuel age is flailing and failing,' United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in Tuesday morning speech unveiling the reports. 'We are in the dawn of a new energy era. An era where cheap, clean, abundant energy powers a world rich in economic opportunity.' 'Just follow the money,' Guterres said, quoting the reports that showed last year there was $2 trillion in investment in green energy, which is about $800 billion more than in fossil fuels. UN officials say switch to renewables needs to speed up Still, United Nations officials said the switch to renewable energy, while remarkable compared to 10 years ago, is not happening fast enough. The global renewables growth has been mostly in developed countries such as China — where one-tenth of the economy is tied up in green energy — as well as countries such as India and Brazil. Yet Africa represented less than 2% of the new green energy capacity installed last year despite having great electrification needs, the reports said. United Nations officials blamed the high cost of capital for the Global South. 'The Global South must be empowered to generate its own electricity without adding to already unsustainable level of debts,' said Bahamian climate scientist Adelle Thomas of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Thomas, who did not work on the reports, added that they debunk the myth that clean energy cannot compete with fossil fuels, instead showing a clean energy future is not just possible but likely inevitable. The U.N. reports are 'right on the money," said University of Michigan environment dean Jonathan Overpeck, who also wasn't part of the studies. He said the economic tipping point leads to a cycle that keeps driving renewable costs down and makes fossil fuel power less and less desirable. Renewables grow despite high subsidies for fossil fuels And renewables are booming despite fossil fuels getting nearly nine times the government consumption subsidies as they do, Guterres and the reports said. In 2023, global fossil fuel subsidies amounted to $620 billion, compared to $70 billion for renewables, the U.N. report said. But just as renewables are booming, fossil fuel production globally is still increasing, instead of going down in response. United Nations officials said that's because power demand is increasing overall, spurred by developing countries, artificial intelligence data centers and the need for cooling in an ever warmer world. 'A typical AI data center eats up as much electricity as 100,000 homes,' Guterres said. 'By 2030 data centers could consume as much electricity as all of Japan does today.' So Guterres called on the world's major tech firms to power data centers completely with renewables by 2030. Solar and wind power face US cuts to renewable energy programs In the United States, solar and wind power had been growing at a rate of 12.3% per year from 2018 to 2023, the IRENA report said. But since President Donald Trump took office earlier this year, his administration has withdrawn the nation from the landmark Paris climate accord and cut many federal renewable energy programs, with a renewed emphasis on fossil fuels. Guterres warned nations hanging on to fossil fuels that they were heading down a dangerous path that would make them poorer not richer, without naming the United States specifically. 'Countries that cling to fossil fuels are not protecting their economies, they sabotaging them. Driving up costs. Undermining competitiveness. Locking in stranded assets,' Guterres said. Renewables are the smart way to go for energy security, Guterres said. With renewables, he said, 'there are no price spikes for sunlight. No embargoes on wind.' ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
