UN chief
Ukraine crisis: UN chief releases $20 million for humanitarian support
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has announced the allocation of 20 million US dollars as humanitarian support to Ukraine, with the rise of fatalities following the Russian invasion of the country.
The top UN official reminded that "people – everyday innocent people -- always pay the highest price" and said this is why the UN is scaling up its humanitarian operations in and around Ukraine.
“Today I am announcing that we will immediately allocate 20 million US dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund to meet urgent needs,” Guterres told reporters on Thursday.
Also read: UN chief urges Putin to ‘give peace a chance’ in Ukraine
He reiterated that the UN and its humanitarian partners are committed to staying and delivering, to support people in Ukraine in their time of need.
Russian military operations inside the sovereign territory of Ukraine “on a scale that Europe has not seen in decades, conflict directly with the United Nations Charter,” he said.
Despite a sustained UN-led and international diplomatic push to avert military action in Ukraine, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin did just that – triggering a barrage of reactions, beginning with the UN chief, condemning the move and appealing for peace.
“All nembers shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations,” he said, quoting the Charter.
Also read: UN chief vows to find peaceful solution to Ukraine's crisis
He underscored that the use of force by one country against another is “the repudiation of the principles that every country has committed to uphold”, which he stated, applies to the present military offensive.
"It is wrong. It is against the Charter. It is unacceptable. But it is not irreversible”, the UN chief said.
He went on to repeat the appeal he made to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday night. "Stop the military operation. Bring the troops back to Russia”, he reiterated.
Assisting both sides
He told journalists that UN staff are working on “both sides of the contact line”, providing lifesaving humanitarian relief to people in need, “regardless of who or where they are”.
“The protection of civilians must be priority number one," he stressed.
UN chief urges Putin to ‘give peace a chance’ in Ukraine
The head of the United Nations implored Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday night not to attack Ukraine and to “give peace a chance,” a plea made just minutes before Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine.
The televised announcement came as U.N. Security Council members were pressing Russia to reverse course. The council had hastily gathered for an emergency meeting hours after Russia said rebels in eastern Ukraine had asked Moscow for military assistance, an announcement that immediately fueled fears that Moscow was laying the groundwork for war.
“If indeed an operation is being prepared, I have only one thing to say from the bottom of my heart: President Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine. Give peace a chance. Too many people have already died,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the council.
Read:Russia evacuating embassy in Ukraine as crisis escalates
Less than a half hour later, while members called on Russia to halt its confrontational moves, Putin announced a military operation that he said was meant to protect civilians. He warned other countries that any effort to interfere with the Russian operation would lead to “consequences they have never seen.”
It wasn’t immediately clear whether council members were aware of the development.
The council, where Russia holds the rotating presidency this month, was meeting just two days after another emergency session where other members expressed no support for Moscow’s decision to recognize two rebel regions of Ukraine as independent and to order Russian troops there for “peacekeeping.”
Council diplomats are now finalizing a draft of a resolution that would declare that Russia is violating the U.N. Charter, international law, and a 2015 council resolution on Ukraine, a diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the discussions were private. The resolution would urge Russia to come back into compliance immediately, the diplomat said.
Read: Ukraine's economy is another victim of Russia's 'hybrid war'
Earlier Wednesday, diplomats from dozens of countries took the floor at the U.N. General Assembly to deplore Russia’s actions toward the country and plead for diplomacy.
Russia and ally Syria defended Moscow’s moves. But even China, which usually takes Russia’s side at the U.N., spoke up for the world body’s longstanding principle of respecting countries’ sovereignty and internationally recognized borders, while not mentioning Russia by name.
Echoing a narrative being broadcast to Russians at home, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia portrayed his country as responding to the plight of beleaguered people in the breakaway areas. Russia claims Ukraine is engaging in violence and oppression, which Ukraine denies.
“We urge you today to focus on reining in Kyiv,” Nebenzia said.
Syria accused the West of using the assembly to pressure Moscow.
“The Ukrainian crisis was created by the Western states, led by the United States, to divide people and to undermine Russian security,” Ambassador Bassam al-Sabbagh said.
Meeting a day after Western powers and some other countries imposed new sanctions on Russia, the 193-member General Assembly didn’t take any collective action. But the comments from nearly 70 nations, with more scheduled for Monday, represented the broadest forum of global sentiment since the crisis dramatically escalated this week.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba implored countries to use tough economic sanctions, strong messages and “active diplomacy” to get Russia to back off. A lackluster response would jeopardize not only Ukraine but the concept of international law and global security, he warned.
“We need to use this last chance for action and stop Russia where it is,” Kuleba said.
Russia seized Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula in 2014, and pro-Russia rebels have since been fighting Ukrainian forces in the eastern areas of Donetsk and Luhansk. More than 14,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
After weeks of rising tension as Moscow massed over 150,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday recognized the two regions’ independence and ordered Russian forces there as what he called “peacekeepers.”
Guterres disputed that, saying they are troops entering another country without its consent.
UN chief vows to find peaceful solution to Ukraine's crisis
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres vowed on Tuesday that the world body will never give up on finding a peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis.
"We must rally and meet this challenge together for peace, and to save the people of Ukraine and beyond from the scourge of war," the UN chief told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York.
"It is high time to return to the path of dialogue and negotiations," he said, adding that he is "fully committed to" all efforts to resolve this crisis "without further bloodshed."
The UN chief said that he is "deeply troubled" by the latest developments regarding Ukraine -- including reports of increased ceasefire violations across the contact line and the real risk of further escalation on the ground.
Security threat seems higher than during Cold War: UN chief
With East-West tensions at their highest point since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday the world is probably a more dangerous place now than during the Cold War.
Guterres warned that a small mistake or miscommunication between major powers could have catastrophic consequences.
Read: Allies watch for Kremlin attempt to justify Ukraine invasion
“I am often asked whether we are in a new Cold War,” Guterres said in his opening speech at an annual security conference in Munich. “My answer is that the threat to global security now is more complex and probably higher than at that time.”
During the decades-long standoff between the Soviet Union and the United States in the 20th century, “there were mechanisms that enabled the protagonists to calculate risks and use back-channels to prevent crises,” Guterres said. “Today, many of those systems no longer exist and most of the people trained to use them are no longer here with us.”
But he said he still believes the buildup of Russian troops around Ukraine won’t result in a military conflict.
“I urge all parties to be extremely careful with their rhetoric. Public statements should aim to reduce tensions, not inflame them,” Guterres said.
Read: NATO: Russia misleads world on troop movements near Ukraine
While U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were attending the Munich Security Conference, there was no senior official present from Russia.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the Russians missed an opportunity.
“Particularly in the current, extremely threatening situation it would have been important to also meet Russian representatives in Munich,” she said in a statement ahead of the conference. Even tiny steps toward peace would be “better than a big step toward war.”
Meeting UN chief, Xi stresses unity, cooperation to tackle global challenges
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday stressed strengthening unity and cooperation to tackle various pressing global challenges, while meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Beijing.
Xi said China will continue to firmly support the United Nations' work, and make new contributions to safeguarding world peace and development and building a community with a shared future for humanity.
Read: French, German leaders to visit Russia, Ukraine amid tension
Guterres came to China for the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
Xi said hosting a streamlined, safe and splendid Olympics will inject confidence and strength into the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
UN chief says global warming goal on 'life support'
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 F) is “on life support” with climate talks in Glasgow so far not reaching any of the U.N.’s three goals, but he added that “until the last moment, hope should be maintained.”
In an exclusive interview Thursday with The Associated Press, Guterres said the U.N. climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland “are in a crucial moment” and need to accomplish more than securing a weak deal that participating nations agree to support.
Read: Climate talks draft agreement expresses ‘alarm and concern’
“The worst thing would be to reach an agreement at all costs by a minimum common denominator that would not respond to the huge challenges we face,” Guterres said.
That’s because the overarching goal of limiting warming since pre-industrial times to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 F) by the end of the century “is still on reach but on life support,” Guterres said. The world has already warmed 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit), leaving less than a degree before the threshold is hit.
Read: US envoy calls for joint action to tackle climate crisis right now
“It is the moment to reach agreement by increasing ambition in all areas: mitigation, adaptation and finance in a balanced way,” Guterres said in the 25-minute AP interview.
A U.S.-China agreement announced Wednesday provided some hope of the negotiations yielding significant progress.
UN chief showers praise on Hasina, says Bangladesh a ‘development miracle’
Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres has highly praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the development in Bangladesh, calling it a ‘miracle’.
“The UN Secretary-General commended Bangladesh for its development in different sectors and humanity…. he thanked the Prime Minister for achieving a development of miracle,” said Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen.
The Foreign Minister was briefing reporters after a bilateral meeting held between Sheikh Hasina and António Guterres at the UN Secretariat Building in New York on Thursday.
Also read: PM’s presence in UNGA important for critical issues: Dr Momen
As the Bangladesh Prime Minister arrived at the meeting venue, the UN Secretary-General said, “Welcome to your home.”
He said both the UN and Bangladesh shared common priorities in different areas, including climate, financing and SDGs. “We share common priorities. Whether it’s climate, financing and SDGs. Those priorities in the UN are also the priorities of Bangladesh,” Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations Rabab Fatima, who was at the briefing, quoted António Guterres as saying.
Sheikh Hasina urged the Secretary-General to appoint more Bangladeshis to higher posts in the United Nations since Bangladesh plays a significant role in the United Nations. “We’re your major tools, but there’re a few Bangladeshis in your different higher posts,” she said.
In reply, the Secretary General said they would consider it.
In this regard, the Foreign Minister told reporters that Bangladesh and the UN are very closely linked. Bangladesh is the number-1 troops-contributing country to its peacekeeping mission. All the UNDP projects are fulfilled (implemented) in Bangladesh, he said.
“Bangladesh is a model (case) to the UN as it’s a vibrant economy coming out from a poor economy. This is why the UN always respects Bangladesh,” said Dr Momen, adding that the Bangladesh is a success story for the United Nations.
Bangladesh has been playing a very significant role in the UN since it became a member of the multilateral organisation in 1974, he said.
“Bangladeshi peacekeepers are creating a brand name wherever they work. So, we asked them to appoint Bangladeshis in other areas also,” Dr Momen added.
Also read: PM joins opening session of 76th UNGA general debate
More meetings
The Bangladesh Prime Minister also had a bilateral meeting with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands at the former’s place of residence.
Queen Maxima, also the UN Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, said they are thinking whether an insurance programme can be launched in Bangladesh to bring poor farmers who are affected by flood and storm under the insurance coverage.
Hasina also held two separate bilateral meetings with President of the Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and President of Vietnam Nguyễn Xuân Phúc at the UN Headquarters on the sidelines of the United Nations general assembly.
In the meeting with Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Bangladesh asked the Maldives to introduce a commercial shipping service between Chattogram port and Male port to transport goods and food items at cheap rates in order to boost trade and business between the two countries.
In response, the Maldives said they are working on it, but the operation of Male-Dhaka private airline services would begin soon.
Bangladesh also requested it to regularize undocumented Bangladeshis living in the Maldives, said Dr Momen.
The President of the Maldives was reminded about signing some proposed deals like the Promotion and Protection of Investment Agreement, remained pending with the court in the Maldives.
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih invited Sheikh Hasina to visit his country and the Bangladesh Prime Minister accepted the invitation.
In the meeting with the Vietnamese President, Vietnam was asked to help Bangladesh over the repatriation of forcibly-displaced Rohingyas as it has very good relations with Myanmar.
Sheikh Hasina asked Vietnam to explore investment scopes in different sectors in Bangladesh.
As Bangladesh has a large negative trade balance with Vietnam, Dhaka asked Hanoi to raise its import from Bangladesh.
Now the bilateral trade volume is some US$ 900 million. Of the money, Bangladesh imports goods of 600-650 million. “So, we asked them to raise the business of Bangladesh in their country,” said Dr Momen.
He said Vietnam is a rising star while Bangladesh is a rising giant. Both sides put emphasis on strengthening the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Since Vietnam is a member of ASEAN, Bangladesh also sought support from Vietnam to its application to become a sectoral dialogue partner of the association.
Foreign Senior Secretary Masud Bin Momen and PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim were present at the briefing.
UN chief for ending gender pay gap
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for dismantling the discrimination and harmful gender stereotypes that contribute to the gender pay gap.
"Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic offers a generational opportunity to write a new social contract that upholds women’s human rights, including the right to equal pay," he said in a message on Saturday.
This is a matter of justice and a responsibility for all, said the UN Secretary General marking the International Equal Pay Day.
READ: FM greets UN chief Guterres on re-appointment
He said COVID-19 pulled back the curtain on a gross injustice: the lack of compensation for the work of raising children and caring for people who cannot look after themselves, which is largely done by women.
By pushing care work out of the formal economy and into the home, Guterres said, the pandemic has exacerbated the gender pay gap.
Many women are struggling to hold down paid jobs while raising children, dealing with online school, and caring for sick or vulnerable family members without material compensation, he said.
"Investing in the care economy helps bridge the pay gap by creating new, sustainable jobs while freeing women up to participate in the paid workforce," said the UN chief.
At the same time, he said, most frontline health workers battling the virus are women.
They often earn less than men, lack decision-making power, and suffer greater exposure to violence and harassment, said Guterres.
"I was vividly reminded of women’s dual roles when I spoke with a health worker in Ghana, Scholastica Dery.
“As frontline workers, we are the majority,” Guterres quoted Dery as saying. “Combining this with our household duties is not easy, but we are determined to do it.”
READ: Next 10 years final chance to avert climate catastrophe: UN chief
Despite equal pay laws, women earn an average of just 80 cents for every dollar men earn for work of equal value, said the UN chief.
"That figure is even less for women of colour and those with children," he said.
No pathway to reach the Paris Agreement’s 1.5˚C goal without the G20: UN chief
“The world urgently needs a clear and unambiguous commitment to the 1.5 degree goal of the Paris Agreement from all G20 nations”, António Guterres has said after the Group failed to agree on the wording of key climate change commitments during their recent Ministerial Meeting on Environment, Climate and Energy.
“There is no pathway to this goal without the leadership of the G20. This signal is desperately needed by the billions of people already on the frontlines of the climate crisis and by markets, investors and industry who require certainty that a net zero climate resilient future is inevitable”, the UN Secretary General urged in a statement.
Read: Ensure reproductive health rights of all: UN chief
The UN chief reminded that science indicates that to meet that ‘ambitious, yet achievable goal’, the world must achieve carbon neutrality before 2050 and cut dangerous greenhouse gas emissions by 45 % by 2030 from 2010 levels. “But we are way off track”, he warned.
The world needs the G20 to deliver
With less than 100 days left before the 2021 United Nations Climate Conference COP 26, a pivotal meeting that will be held in Glasgow at the end of October, António Guterres urged all G20 and other leaders to commit to net zero by mid-century, present more ambitious 2030 national climate plans and deliver on concrete policies and actions aligned with a net zero future, according to UN News.
Read: Next 10 years final chance to avert climate catastrophe: UN chief
These include no new coal after 2021, phasing out fossil fuel subsidies and agreeing to a minimum international carbon pricing floor as proposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“The G7 and other developed countries must also deliver on a credible solidarity package of support for developing countries including meeting the US$100 billion goal, increasing adaptation and resilience support to at least 50% of total climate finance and getting public and multilateral development banks to significantly align their climate portfolios to meet the needs of developing countries”, he highlighted.
Read:Global hunger levels rise as conflict, climate shocks and Covid collide
The UN Chief informed that he intends to use the opportunity of the upcoming UN General Assembly high-level session to bring leaders together to reach a political understanding on these critical elements of the ‘package’ needed for Glasgow.
A setback for Glasgow
The G20 ministers, which met in Naples, Italy on July 23-25, couldn’t agree to a common language on two disputed issues related to phasing out coal and the 1.5-degree goal, which now will have to be discussed at the G20 summit in Rome in October, just one day before the COP 26 starts.
FM greets UN chief Guterres on re-appointment
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has congratulated António Guterres on his re-appointment as the secretary-general of the United Nations.
He commended Guterres' leadership in the UN during his first term as secretary-general.
Dr Momen also thanked him for his continued attention to the Rohingya issue.
Also read: Guterres gets second term to lead UN
The foreign minister said, "Although Bangladesh is on track towards implementing SDGs, there are concerns about the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially in securing financing for the SDGs."
Dr Momen also called for continued support measures for graduating countries.
The UN has special relations with Bangladesh, said Guterres.
He praised Bangladesh's strong leadership in all areas of the UN's activities, especially in peacekeeping, climate change and women empowerment.
Dr Momen met with the UN secretary-general at the UN Headquarters Thursday.