New York on September 20 (U.S.): In a disturbing assessment, the United Nations chief warned world leaders Tuesday that countries are “stuck in a massive global dysfunction” and are not ready or prepared to meet the challenges that threaten the future of humanity – and the planet. “Our world is in danger — and paralyzed,” he said.
Speaking at the opening of the General Assembly’s annual high-level meeting, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was keen to stress that hope remains, but his remarks reflected a tense and worrisome world, according to the Associated Press.
The UN Secretary-General also warned of what he called a “forest of red flags” about new technologies despite promising advances in treating diseases and connecting people.
Guterres said social media platforms are based on a model that “generates anger, anger and negativity” and buys and sells data to “influence our behaviour.”
Guterres said the world lacks even the beginning of a “global architecture” to deal with the ripples caused by these new technologies due to “geopolitical tensions”.
His opening remarks came as leaders from around the world gathered at the United Nations headquarters in New York after three years of pandemic interruptions, including an all-virtual meeting in 2020 and a mixed meeting last year.
There are nearly 150 heads of state and government on the recent list of speakers, a significant number that reflects that the United Nations remains the only place not just to give their views but to meet privately to discuss challenges on the global agenda – and hopefully some progress.
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