UN Secretary General António Guterres on Monday ruled out the possibility of Ukraine and Russia holding peace talks in the near future and ventured that it might be possible to end the conflict by 2023.
In what is his last press conference this year, Guterres has expressed that he is «not optimistic about the possibility of effective peace negotiations between the parties in the imminent future» and has pointed out that the military confrontation «will continue». «We are still going to have to wait for the time when serious peace talks become possible,» he said.
«I don’t see it on the near horizon, so we are focusing on other aspects, such as increasing the efficiency of the grain export agreement (…) We are also interested in accelerating the exchange of prisoners,» he said.
However, he has expressed that he hopes «that by 2023 they will be able to achieve peace in Ukraine». «By 2023 I am even more determined to achieve peace, to make it a year of action», he indicated before emphasizing that «we cannot accept things as they are».
«We owe people solutions, and we have to fight to achieve them. Sometimes discreetly, but always with determination. We have to fight,» he pointed out. «Human rights must be guaranteed for everyone on the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration,» he said.
Moreover, he has stated that the initiative to export grain across the Black Sea «has made a difference» even despite the «brutal war in Ukraine». Despite this we have seen «quiet diplomacy that has helped people cope with an unprecedented level of food insecurity.»
«Despite the challenges, the initiative has facilitated the export of food and fertilizer from Ukraine (…) Wheat exports from Russia have increased threefold,» he explained.
In this regard, he clarified that «most of the exported wheat was sent to developing countries,» including some 380,000 tons supplied by the World Food Program to support ongoing humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen.»
As he noted, the price index fell by 15 percent in the last eight months, which has prevented millions of people around the world from «falling into extreme poverty.» «But there is a lot of work to be done. Food prices are still too high, and access to fertilizer is still too limited,» he said.
CALLS FOR A «NO-NONSENSE» SUMMIT ON CLIMATE CHANGE
On the other hand, Guterres has again urged leaders from all spheres of society to take credible action to mitigate climate change because current plans are «insufficient» to address the existential threat posed by global warming. To this end, he will convene a new climate summit in September 2023.
«National climate plans are falling woefully short,» he lamented. All countries must make an extra effort to reduce their own carbon emissions in this decade and to support nations that cannot do so on their own.
«I call on all leaders to step up: governments, businesses, cities and regions, civil society and finance. They must come with new, tangible and credible climate action to accelerate the pace of change,» he added.
This is an open invitation, but it comes with a price of access «and that price is non-negotiable: credible, serious, new climate action and nature-based solutions that move the needle forward and respond to the urgency of the climate crisis must be delivered.»
«It will be a no-nonsense summit. No exceptions. No compromises. There will be no room for naysayers, greenwashers, or repackagers of old commitments,» he reiterated.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
