António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, opens the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 19, 2023. [Picture: UNGA/screenshot].
The secretary general of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, on Tuesday raised the alarm on the deteriorating state of the world. He warned the global humanitarian system was “on the verge of collapse” and that rising conflict meant peace remained “remote”.
At the annual meeting of the leaders of 193 member states in New York, USA, the head honcho of the UN painted a bleak picture. He took the opportunity to reiterate concerns of rising instability, conflict and hunger.
“Natural disasters are worsening the man-made disasters of conflict. In the face of these mounting crises, the global humanitarian system is on the verge of collapse,” he warned, “Needs are rising and funding is drying up.”
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Guterres on humanitarian aid and conflict
A number of wars and conflicts have ravaged countries, like Syria, Yemen and Palestine, for many years. In recent years, though, new conflicts have emerged at different flashpoints across the globe.
Armed conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia, Congo – to name a few – have torn apart families, destroyed livelihoods and razed homes to the ground. All the while, they have caused humanitarian disasters. Worsening the situation, Guterres said, was humanitarian cuts at a time of great peril.
“Our humanitarian operations are being forced to make massive cuts, but if we don’t feed the hungry, we are feeding conflict,” he told heads of state and representatives present in the chamber. “I urge all countries to step up and fund, fully, our global humanitarian appeal.”
In 2023 there will be “more hunger, more displacement, more people in crisis” – all of this at a record-breaking price tag of $51.5 billion (R974.9 trillion), reports The New Humanitarian. It is estimated that 339 million people currently require humanitarian aid. Funding is scarce.
