New Delhi (NVI): UN Chief Antonio Guterres has raised concern over four challenges the world is facing today, while also calling for 21st-century solutions to address them.
As 2020 also marks the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, Guterres while addressing the General Assembly on Wednesday said, “Commemorating the 75th anniversary with nice speeches won’t do. We must address these four 21st century challenges with four 21st century solutions.”
While speaking about his priorities for this year at the UNGA, Guterres described the four threats as “four horsemen” — epic geopolitical tensions, the climate crisis, global mistrust, and the downsides of technology. “These four horsemen can jeopardize every aspect of our shared future,” he said.
“The first horseman comes in the form of the highest global geostrategic tensions we have witnessed in years. Devastating conflicts, terrorist attacks, nuclear menace is growing,” he said.
“More people have been forced from their homes by war and persecution than at any time since the Second World War. Tensions over trade and technology remain unresolved. The risk of a Great Fracture is real,” Guterres added.
Talking about the second threat – the existential climate crisis, he said, “Rising temperatures continue to melt records. The past decade was the hottest on record. Scientists say that ocean temperatures are now rising at the equivalent of five Hiroshima bombs a second. One million species are in near-term danger of extinction. The planet is burning,” he added.
“The third horseman is deep and growing global mistrust. Disquiet and discontent are churning societies from north to south. Each situation is unique, but everywhere frustration is filling the streets. More and more people are convinced globalization is not working for them, he said while speaking on third issue.
“The fourth and the final threat is the dark side of the digital world,” he said, asserting that technological advances are moving faster than “our ability to respond to – or even comprehend – them”. He said that despite enormous benefits, new technologies are being abused to commit crimes, incite hate, fake information, oppress and exploit people and invade privacy.
He said the world is not prepared for the profound impact of the fourth industrial revolution on the labour market and the very structure of society.
“Artificial intelligence is generating breathtaking capacities and alarming possibilities. Lethal autonomous weapons — machines with the power to kill on their own, without human judgement and accountability — are bringing us into unacceptable moral and political territory,” he said while acknowledging the developing insecurity and side-effects of AI.
