UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, on Tuesday, urged the world leader to take a more sustainable path to achieve peace and development, noting that the world is on an unsustainable course.

Mr Guterres made the call in his address to the general debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York.

The UN chief said that growing impunity, inequality and chaos could be replaced by more accountability, justice and opportunity and a future of solutions, not endless conflict.

“First, the state of our world is unsustainable. We can’t go on like this. And second, the challenges we face are solvable. But that requires us to make sure the mechanisms of international problem-solving actually solve problems,’’ he said.

The UN chief said the Summit of the Future was a first step, but we have a long way to go, noting that getting there required confronting three major drivers of unsustainability.

“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. These worlds of impunity, inequality and uncertainty are connected and colliding,’’ he said.

According to him, the level of impunity in the world is politically indefensible and morally intolerable.

Mr Guterres said that a growing number of governments and others feel they are entitled to a “get out of jail free” card today, saying 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. They can thumb their nose at international humanitarian law. They can invade another country, lay waste to whole societies,’’ he said.

He delivered his 2024 report on the UN’s work and called for solutions to address increasing global conflicts.

Mr Guterres said world leaders were gathering in the shadow of raging conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and elsewhere, rising uncertainty over climate change, ending poverty, and reigning in AI.

“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,” the UN chief said.

He warned that geo-political divisions are deepening, temperatures around the world are rising, wars are raging – without any end in sight, and nuclear posturing and new weapons are “casting a dark shadow.”

“We are edging towards the unimaginable – a powder keg that risks engulfing the world,” he said. 

(NAN)