UN chief fears slide to 'global catastrophe'

As Ukraine conflict anniversary nears, Guterres wants urgent course change

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations chief warned on Monday that the world is facing a convergence of challenges "unlike any in our lifetimes" and expressed fear of a deeper crisis as the anniversary of the Ukraine conflict approaches.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said experts who surveyed the state of the world in 2023 set the Doomsday Clock at 90 seconds to midnight — the closest ever to "total global catastrophe".

He pointed to the conflict in Ukraine, "runaway climate catastrophe, rising nuclear threats", the widening gulf between the world's haves and have-nots, and the "epic geopolitical divisions" undermining "global solidarity and trust".

In a wide-ranging address, Guterres urged the General Assembly's 193 member nations to change their mindset on decision-making from near-term thinking, which he called "irresponsible" and "immoral", to look "at what will happen to all of us tomorrow — and act".

He said this year's 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights should serve as a reminder that the foundation of the inalienable rights of all people is "freedom, justice and peace".

Guterres said the transformation needed today must start with peace, beginning in Ukraine — where, unfortunately, he said, peace prospects "keep diminishing" and "the chances of further escalation and bloodshed keep growing".

"I fear the world is not sleepwalking into a wider war. It is doing so with its eyes wide open," he said.

Envoy's appeal

At a Security Council briefing on the humanitarian issue of Ukraine, a Chinese envoy on Monday called on all parties to the Ukraine crisis to work toward an early end to the conflict.

"China once again calls on relevant parties to bear in mind the interest of the people, strive to promote peace, and try every possible way to push parties to the conflict to resume peace talks and end the war at an early date," said Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

"The international community deplores the humanitarian cost of the conflict. But the parties concerned lack the sincerity to promote peace talks and the determination to resolve the issue politically."

On the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, he said: "China calls for an immediate stop of shelling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, earnest implementation of the seven pillars for ensuring nuclear safety and security proposed by the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and maximum efforts to stop the conflict from escalating to a nuclear crisis."

The construction of protective structures for key facilities at the Zaporizhzhia plant in southeast Ukraine is nearing completion, Russia's state-owned TASS news agency reported on Tuesday, citing an adviser to the head of Russia's nuclear plants' operator.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe's largest, is now controlled by Russian troops.

It remains close to the front lines, and has repeatedly come under fire, raising fears of a nuclear disaster.

"The erection of engineering and construction structures, which are designed to provide additional protection for important infrastructure facilities of the nuclear power plant, including those related to the storage of radioactive materials, is at the completion stage," TASS quoted Renat Karchaa of Russia's nuclear plants operator Rosenergoatom as saying.

In the latest developments on the battlefield, Russia was pouring reinforcements into eastern Ukraine ahead of a possible new attack, said a Ukrainian governor, but British intelligence said on Tuesday it was unlikely that Russia would have enough forces to significantly affect the conflict within weeks.

Desperate for Western military aid to arrive, Ukraine anticipates a major attack could be launched by Russia for "symbolic" reasons around the Feb 24 anniversary of the conflict.

"We are seeing more and more (Russian) reserves being deployed in our direction; we are seeing more equipment being brought in," said Serhiy Haidai, Ukraine's governor of Lugansk.

Xinhua