NEW DELHI: United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivered a stark warning on Friday, cautioning that the world is currently facing heightened risks of conflict as divisions among nations continue to widen. His sobering remarks came just ahead of the G20 leaders summit in New Delhi.
Guterres expressed his concern, stating, “If we are indeed one global family — we today resemble a rather dysfunctional one.” He continued, “Divisions are growing, tensions are flaring up, and trust is eroding -– which together raise the spectre of fragmentation, and ultimately, confrontation.”
The Group of 20, which comprises 19 countries and the European Union, represents approximately 85 percent of the global GDP and two-thirds of the world’s population. However, deep-seated disagreements on issues such as Russia’s conflict in Ukraine and strategies for assisting developing nations in addressing climate change are expected to hinder agreements during the two-day gathering in New Delhi.
UN Chief Stresses Gravity of Situation
Guterres emphasized the gravity of the situation, saying, “This fracturing would be deeply concerning in the best of times, but in our times, it spells catastrophe.” He added, “Our world is in a difficult moment of transition. The future is multipolar, but our multilateral institutions reflect a bygone age. The global financial architecture is outdated, dysfunctional, and unfair. It requires deep, structural reform — and the same can be said of the United Nations Security Council.”
China’s President Xi Jinping will be notably absent from the G20 meeting, a development occurring amidst heightened trade and geopolitical tensions with both the United States and India, the latter of which shares a lengthy and disputed border with China.
Simultaneously, diplomatic censure and allegations of war crimes have deterred Russian leader Vladimir Putin from attending the summit, even as Moscow continues to seek support from allies in diluting international criticism of its invasion of Ukraine.
