Davos

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged leaders to tackle the existential threats posed by climate change, the unchecked development of artificial intelligence (AI) and international governance reforms.

Despite climate chane and AI garnering significant attention, we have no effective global strategy to deal with either, geopolitical divides are preventing us from coming together around global solutions he said. In a special address at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024, Guterres sounded the alarm that 2023 was the hottest year on record, with droughts, storms, fires and floods wreaking havoc on countries and communities, and that the planet is heading for a scorching 3°C increase in global temperatures.

Let me be very clear, he stressed, the phase-out of fossil fuels is essential and inevitable. We must act now to ensure a just and equitable transition to renewable energy. Guterres also went on to mention the Israel-Hamas crisis and reiterated his call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

He said, The world is standing by as civilians, mostly women and children, are killed, maimed, bombarded, forced from their homes and denied access to humanitarian aid.

He added, I repeat my call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, and a process that leads to sustained peace for Israelis and Palestinians, based on a two-state solution.

The Secretary-General noted that in addition to climate change posing risks to humans and the environment, many countries battered by climate chaos are also experiencing financial hardship. He said that more than half the world’s poorest 75 countries face debt distress, and after decades of reductions in poverty and hunger, progress has slowed and, in some countries, gone into reverse.