Guterres: The world faces three pressing challenges: the misallocation of vaccines, the devastation of the financial system, and climate change

On the 17th local time, UN Secretary-General António Guterres attended the 2022 World Economic Forum video conference and delivered a special speech. Guterres said the world emerged from the ongoing economic and health crisis and ensured that the UN Sustainable Development Goals were met in three areas of urgent need.

Guterres noted that "the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to issues such as a crisis in the labor market, disruptions in supply chains, rising inflation and triggering an imminent debt trap. The post-PANDEMIC recovery remains fragile and uneven. ”

Guterres said the first area that requires immediate attention is a fair and equitable response to COVID-19. Guterres noted that the world is far from meeting the World Health Organization's global target of vaccinating 40 percent of all countries against COVID-19 by the end of 2021 and 70 percent by mid-2022.

The second issue is the need to reform the global financial system, especially in low-income countries. "Record inflation, shrinking fiscal space, high interest rates and soaring energy and food prices are hitting every corner of the world, hindering recovery, especially in these low- and middle-income countries," Guterres said. ”

Guterres urged business leaders to work to shape a global financial system that suits all countries, work to restructure long-term debt structures, address corruption and illicit financial flows, and ensure fair tax systems.

Supporting climate action in developing countries is the third area that requires immediate attention. "We need to reduce global emissions by 45 percent in this decade." Guterres stressed that climate change, including extreme weather events, has forced 30 million people to flee their homes in 2020 alone, three times the total number displaced by war and violence.

Guterres concluded by pointing out that many countries around the world need the support, ideas and funding of the business community. "If we don't provide debt relief and financing to developing countries, there will be a one-sided recovery, which could throw the interconnected global economy into chaos," Guterres concluded. (Reporter Xue Jingmeng)

Source: CCTV News Client