"The action or inaction of the G20 will determine whether each member of our human family has the opportunity to live sustainably and peacefully on a healthy planet," the president said Monday. General secretary of the United Nations referring to the role of this group of countries in the face of climate change and support for the development of less developed nations and burdened by their high level of indebtedness.
António Guterres is in Bali, Indonesia, where he will speak tomorrow at the G20 Summit.
In this scenario, Guterres gave a press conference in which he maintained that the meeting comes in the most precarious moment the world has gone through in generations, with climate change and the cost of living “squeezing” people, especially the poorest, and with geopolitical divisions that have triggered new conflicts and complicated existing ones.
"The G20 is ground zero to bridge the divisions and find answers to these crises and more”, he asserted.
Secretary General António Guterres speaks to the media in Bali, Indonesia, where this year's G20 summit is taking place.
Climate crisis
Addressing the climate crisis, the UN chief called it the "defining challenge of our age" and alluded to his proposal for a Climate Solidarity Pact under which developed economies and international financial institutions would make additional efforts to limit the increase in global temperatures to 1,5ºC, providing financial and technical assistance to emerging economies to accelerate their transition to renewable energy.
"The G20 leaders can make or break the Climate Solidarity Pact," he said, recalling that this group produces 80% of global emissions.
Guterres assured that this Pact can save lives, livelihoods and the planet as a whole. “It can help end dependence on fossil fuels while providing universal, affordable and sustainable energy for all"He said.
On this point, he reiterated his conviction that break the dramatic geopolitical divides and insisted that the climate challenge cannot be faced without the cooperation of all G20 members "and, in particular, without the cooperation of the two largest economies, the United States and China." “I am very happy that these countries have come together today,” he said during the question and answer session.
Support for development and debt restructuring
Secondly, the Secretary General spoke about the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the inability of low- and middle-income countries to access finance that would allow them to reduce poverty and hunger, and invest in sustainable development.
“I urge the G20 economies to adopt a stimulus package from the Sustainable Development Goals that provides governments of the Global South with investment and liquidity, and offers debt relief and restructuring,” he said.
It considered that such a package would lead to investments in health care, education, gender equality and renewable energy.
According to Guterres, this stimulus is the minimum and necessary measure to alleviate the food and energy crises and avoid further suffering and hardship in the future.
“The G20 countries are the most powerful economies in the world, and they have the majority on the boards of directors of the Multilateral Development Banks, so they can and should do it"He stressed.
Avoid famine and starvation
He announced that in his speech tomorrow before the leaders of the 20 largest economies in the world, he will also urge to prevent famine and hunger in a growing number of places.
In that context, he indicated that the Black Sea Grain Initiative and efforts to ensure that Russian food and fertilizer can reach world markets are essential for global food security and added that it has already had an impact in curbing inflation. For this reason, he added, the UN is working to renew it.
Free and secure internet for everyone
On the other hand, the Secretary General reflected on the digital transformation in the world, noting that the most powerful tech companies trample on human rights and personal privacy, as well as providing platforms for profit-seeking and sometimes deadly misinformation.
"Let's be clear: misinformation kills. Undermining public health kills and these are life and death issues,” she emphasized.
considered it imperative design safeguards in this field and announced that it will suggest a path to follow based on a Global Digital Pact "for an open, free, secure and inclusive internet".
Guterres explained that this Agreement would seek to offer universal connectivity in a human-centered digital space that protects freedom of expression and privacy, and that ensures the safe and responsible use of data.