(VOVWORLD) - UN Secretary-General António Guterres presented the organization’s priorities for 2025 to the General Assembly on Wednesday, highlighting runaway conflicts, widening inequalities, the intensifying climate crisis, and the rapid rise of technology as pressing global challenges.
 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to the press outside the Security Council Chamber at the UN headquarters in New York, on December 5, 2024. (Xinhua/VNA) |
He said the Los Angeles fires in the US are a stark reminder of the impacts of climate change and extreme weather conditions.
"Ten years on from the Paris Agreements, 90% of the world is now committed to NetZero. But we must work much harder. We need to shift our collective effort into overdrive and deliver on the goal of the Paris Agreement,” Guterres said.
“And the math is clear: Global emissions must peak this year and rapidly decline thereafter if we are to have a sliver of hope of limiting long term global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees. This year, every country has pledged to submit a new economy-wide national action plan that aligns with the 1.5-degree goal."
About technology advances expected in 2025, the Secretary-General said that technological revolution offers unprecedented opportunities, but it also demands careful stewardship.
“We have a historic responsibility to make sure this revolution benefits humanity, not just the privileged few. The global digital compact provides a roadmap for translating aspiration into actions, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence. The UN must act rapidly and decisively. Everyone must have equal access to the latest AI knowledge and insights."
"We must never lose sight of hope," Guterres said, expressing cautious optimism for the year ahead. With the United Nations embracing its 80th anniversary this year, he added, "Let's build the more peaceful, just, and prosperous world that we know, despite everything, is within reach."