World
The United Nations logo seen inside the United Nations headquarters in New York City on September 20, 2022. Photo: Ludovic Marin/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The need to combat and reduce climate change is of utmost priority and needs to be seriously assessed as the world continues to heat up with unexpected weather patterns presenting serious challenges to many countries, officials attending the United Nations summit told Rudaw on Wednesday.
The 77th edition of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City sees world leaders and officials come together to address the UN on global issues. This year’s assembly is largely overshadowed by the war in Ukraine which after nearly seven months seems to be taking a concerning route following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s move to mobilize reservists in the fight with Ukraine embarking on a brazen, swift offensive to take back territory.
A worsening climate is also on the agenda as alarming, unprecedented weather patterns wreak havoc on countries unable to adapt to changing weather conditions. During the UNGA, officials urgently stressed the need to combat climate change and promote a planet less reliant on fossil fuels to downsize carbon emissions.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on developed countries to assist developing countries to reduce emissions and lessen their dependence on fossil fuels, with the latter largely relying on traditional methods to produce energy.
“We need cooperation between … coalitions for developed countries to support emerging countries to be able to accelerate their own reduction of emissions,” Guterres said in response to Rudaw’s Majeed Gly, explaining the UN’s mission in pushing developed countries to assist the transition away from traditional fossil fuels.
Guterres also highlighted the UN’s role in ensuring that developed countries comply with such initiatives, saying “we have been working hard to create the conditions for the adaptations to be taken seriously by developed countries.”
The agricultural minister of Eswatini in Southern Africa also highlighted the urgent need to address climate change.
“It is affecting us as countries right now because it is ravaging the whole world,” Moses Vilakati told Rudaw’s Roj Eli Zalla, stressing that countries need to come together as a “united nation” to explore solutions for changing and unpredictable weather patterns.
David Francis, the foreign minister of Sierra Leone, reiterated calls from previous officials to combat a changing climate but also discussed Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine as it verges close to its seventh month.
Putin’s decision to send hundreds of thousands of reservists to war in Ukraine has triggered extremely concerning remarks from world leaders and instilled fear in Russian youth, with one-way flights out of the country sold out as citizens scramble to escape being thrust onto the battlefield.
The decision comes as Russian forces face their biggest challenge in their invasion of neighboring Ukraine since the war began. In recent weeks, a sweeping counter-offensive by Ukrainian military forces has resulted in the recapture of hundreds of towns and villages in the country’s northeastern Kharkiv region and in the east.
Per Putin’s order, more than 300,000 military reservists will be mobilized to take the fight to Ukraine.
“It’s not very simple to train the conscripts, you can’t really send conscripts immediately to the battlefield because they will be eliminated immediately,” Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya said, confident that the European Union will express “very strong replies” to Russia’s aggression.
"The territory of Ukraine will be liberated and whoever stays there, any foreign soldier, will either be taken hostage or will be alienated,” Kyslytsya confidently added.
EU Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarcic called Moscow’s move to mobilize an “extremely regrettable development,” saying it is “worth the harshest condemnation by the international community.”
“We will continue to stand with Ukraine as long as necessary and will support her in her ability to defend herself,” he assured.
Russia launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine on February 24, resulting in crippling economic effects as global food, oil, and petrol prices surged. The prospect of nuclear escalation has also drastically impacted global morale.
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