Reuters and AFP
The newspaper La Jornada
Monday, September 23, 2024, p. 27
New York, June 27 (Xinhua) — The global goals for sustainable development are on the way to becoming a collective failure, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said yesterday, citing the slow pace at which countries are implementing each measure.
In his speech at the Future Summit at the headquarters of the United Nations (UN), Lula also called for a reform of multilateral organizations, arguing that the General Assembly has lost its vitalitythe Security Council ignores atrocities and the Global South is not represented in a manner commensurate with its political and economic weight.
The president said it was unacceptable for the world to go backwards on issues such as gender equality, the fight against racism and other forms of discrimination, or to normalise people going hungry. He argued that countries should not backtrack on the multilateral commitments they have signed.
The Sustainable Development Goals were the biggest diplomatic effort of recent years and are on track to become our biggest failure. At the current pace of implementation, only 17 percent of the 2030 agenda’s goals will be achieved on time.he said.
For Lula, current levels of greenhouse gas emissions reduction and climate financing are insufficient to keep the planet safe.
In a world beset by growing existential catastrophic risks such as wars, climate change and poverty, the leaders of the 193 countries of the UN adopted a pact for the future of humanity.
The challenges of the 21st century must be solved with 21st century solutionssaid the secretary general of the organization, Antonio Guterres, after the adoption of this text that contains 56 actions to address the greatest challenges of our time.
Guterres launched the idea of the Future Summit in 2021, but in recent days he had not hidden his frustration at the difficulties in reaching an ambitious consensus text, for which he asked the states to show their commitment. vision, courage and ambition.
The text, although not binding, was opposed by countries such as Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, North Korea and Belarus.
This summit is the prelude to the General Assembly of the world body.
