Who will bridge the divide?

As the 76th UN General Assembly got underway on Tuesday and world leaders took to the podium to address heads of government and delegates, it was evident that humanity is under threat from the big ‘C’s that is climate change, Covid-19, and conflict. 

By the end of the session, no speaker had returned to their seat without mentioning the impact of the three ‘C’s, and how their governments intend to address them in the short and long term. 

 From the outset, the speeches to watch were those of the president of the United States; XI Jinping of China; the head of the French delegation and the UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres. 

And not necessarily because of their value and content, but because USA and China are the world’s largest economies and wield significant leverage on matters that affect the rest of the world. 

For the case of France, it’s because of the standoff with her traditional allies USA and Britain over their recent behind-the-scenes deal to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, when France was originally the one to provide this technology to the former British colony. And Antonio Guterres is the world’s top diplomat. 

Enter Joe Biden. He speaks with memories of recent US military withdrawal from Afghanistan that paved the way for the Taliban takeover on August 15, much to the chagrin of his NATO allies. 

Mr Biden talks about the present challengesthat face humanity such as extreme weather, floods, heatwaves and rising sea levels and reminds delegates that the world is approaching a point of no return if urgent measures are not taken to tackle climate change.

According to president Biden, America intends to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52 per cent by 2030. America is also committed to delivering lifesaving vaccines to the poor countries, financing health security and that to this end, $15billion has been put aside for covid-19 response.

As for conflicts, Mr Biden said that America would continue to “deter new threats” but engage in a “new era of relentless diplomacy” following the withdrawal from Afghanistan. 

President Xi Jinping of China, via video link, spoke of a China that will live at peace with other countries and talked of “international relations based on mutual respect” and that China does not believe in military interventions. 

He informed delegates that China is to deliver 100 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to developing countries in the course of this year. That China is also committed to fighting global warming and promoting investments in green energy and food security.

However, it’s Guterres’s speech that will continue to resonate worldwide long after the 76th General Assembly. Unlike Joe Biden and Xi Jinping who represent the individual interests of their countries, Guterres represents the wider international community, and is regarded as the voice of the poorer nations. 

The secretary general appeared to be very genuine in his passionate appeal to the wealthy nations to bridge the divide between themselves and the poorer countries. 

According to Guterres, the industrialised countries must lead the way in tackling climate change since they are the major emitters of greenhouse gases. He talked of vaccine inequality and the need to undertake a global vaccination programme for everybody.

The secretary general also had genuine concerns about the conflicts in the Sahel, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Yemen Israel and Palestine and that military coups are back.

To sum up, the thrust of his speech was a need to bridge the six divides that afflict humanity today. The poorer nations are waiting to see to what extent the new commitments toaddress the global challenges will be achieved as promised by world leaders.                 

Hamu Karamira, [email protected]