UN chief warns impunity has reached ‘politically indefensible and morally intolerable’ level

NEW YORK: The United Nations chief Tuesday warned that impunity in the world has reached a 'politically indefensible and morally intolerable' level. 'The level of impunity in the world is politically indefensible and morally intolerable,' United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said during the opening of the general debate of the seventy-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. 'Today, a growing number of governments and others feel entitled to a 'get out of jail free' card. They can trample international law. They can violate the United Nations Charter. They can turn a blind eye to international human rights conventions or the decisions of international courts,' he added. He cited deepening geopolitical divisions, wars with no end in sight, climate change and nuclear and emerging weapons. 'Our world is in a whirlwind. We are in an era of epic transformation - facing challenges unlike any we have ever seen - challenges that demand global solutions. Yet geo-politic al divisions keep deepening. The planet keeps heating. Wars rage with no clue how they will end. And nuclear posturing and new weapons cast a dark shadow. We are edging towards the unimaginable - a powder keg that risks engulfing the world,' he said. He underscored two facts, namely that 'the state of our world is unsustainable' and 'the challenges we face are solvable,' as he stressed the need for ensuring that 'the mechanisms of international problem-solving actually solve problems.' He identified impunity, inequality and uncertainty as the three major drivers of unsustainability, while stressing the need to confront 'a world of impunity - where violations and abuses threaten the very foundation of international law and the UN Charter', 'a world of inequality - where injustices and grievances threaten to undermine countries or even push them over the edge', and 'a world of uncertainty - where unmanaged global risks threaten our future in unknowable ways.' Highlighting the repercussions of impunity, inclu ding Israel's, he said: 'We see this age of impunity everywhere -- in the Middle East, in the heart of Europe, in the Horn of Africa, and beyond', while stressing that 'It is time for a just peace based on the UN Charter, on international law and on UN resolutions.' Referring to Israel's ongoing genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, that resulted in the killing of 41,467 Palestinians and injuring 95,921 others, along with its recent onslaught on Lebanon, Guterres said: 'Gaza is a non-stop nightmare that threatens to take the entire region with it. Look no further than Lebanon. We should all be alarmed by the escalation. Lebanon is at the brink.' 'The speed and scale of the killing and destruction in Gaza are unlike anything in my years as Secretary-General,' he added. He referred to the killing of over 200 UN staff, many with their families, by the Israeli occupation army in Gaza, while urging the international community to 'mobilize for an immediate ceasefire and the beginning of an irreversible process toward s a two-State solution.' Addressing all state and non-state actors that continue to undermine the realization of the two-state solution, he said: 'What is the alternative? How could the world accept a one-state future in which a large a large number of Palestinians would be included without any freedom, rights or dignity?' He touched upon the 'existential' threats arising from climate change and the rapid advance of technology, particularly AI, he said: 'every country must produce an ambitious new national climate action plan - or Nationally Determined Contributions. These must bring national energy strategies, sustainable development priorities, and climate ambitions together. They must align with the 1.5 degree limit, cover the whole economy, and contribute to every one of the COP28 energy transition targets.' Source: Palestine news & Information Agency - WAFA