DM Monitoring
NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his New Year Message, has called for the world peace in 2023, underscoring the need for conflicts to be resolved through dialogue.
“From Ukraine to Afghanistan to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and beyond, people left the ruins of their homes and lives in search of something better,” he said in his video message on Thursday.
“Every New Year is a moment of rebirth,” he said, adding, “In 2023, we need peace, now more than ever.”
The impact on civilians, meant that over 100 million people found themselves fleeing violence, wildfires, droughts, poverty and hunger, the UN chief said.
“In 2023, we need peace, now more than ever. Peace with one another, through dialogue to end conflict. Peace with nature and our climate, to build a more sustainable world.”
Peace was also needed inside families and homes, “so women and girls can live in dignity and safety”, added Guterres, as well as peace on streets that too often have seen violent reprisals from security forces in response to peaceful protest.
Demonstrators and whole communities, need “the full protection of human rights”, he said, and for those with religious belief, there needs to be peace in places of worship, together with greater tolerance of other faiths.
There also needs to be peace online, he added, so instead of disinformation, and conspiracy theories, all societies can enjoy the Internet “free from hate speech and abuse.”
“In 2023, let’s put peace at the heart of our words and actions”, the Secretary-General said. “Together, let’s make 2023 a year when peace is restored to our lives, our homes, and our world.”
Meanwhile, “The costs have been catastrophic”, Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement marking the day. Since the pandemic struck, he pointed out that millions of lives have been lost, as hundreds of millions fallen ill.
And economies have been shattered, health systems stretched, and trillions of dollars lost. Moreover, progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been “thrown off track”, the top UN official argued.
“Developing countries were often left to fend for themselves, shamefully denied the vaccines, tests or treatments they needed to protect their people”, he lamented.
COVID-19 will not be the last epidemic or pandemic humanity faces, he warned. “As a global community, we must heed the harsh lessons of COVID-19 and make bold investments in pandemic preparedness, prevention and response”, spelled out the UN chief.
He underscored the need for better surveillance “to detect and monitor viruses with epidemic potential”; resilient health systems supported by universal health coverage; and a “well-trained, well-equipped and well-paid” health workforces.
“We also need equitable access to vaccines, treatments, diagnostics and life-saving technology for all countries”, Mr. Guterres added. He highlighted the need to “fight the scourge” of misinformation and pseudoscience with “science and fact-based information”, reminding that a pandemic cannot be fought country by country.
“The world must come together. COVID-19 was a wake-up call”, the Secretary-General stated. “On this International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, I urge all countries to stand with our efforts to ensure the world is equipped and ready to take on the health challenges to come”.
