UN chief calls for practical solutions to world's problems

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at an end-of-year press conference at the UN headquarters in New York, on Dec. 19, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie E)

"I am more determined than ever to make 2023 a year for peace, a year for action. We can't accept things as they are. We owe it to people to find solutions, to fight back and to act," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for practical solutions to the world's problems despite many reasons for despair.

"Our world faced many trials and tests in 2022 -- some familiar, others we might not have imagined just one year ago. There may be plenty of reasons for despair," he told an end-of-year press conference at UN Headquarters in New York.

Geopolitical divides have made global problem-solving ever more difficult -- sometimes impossible. The cost-of-living crisis is hitting hard and inequalities are growing, affecting the world's women and girls the most. Most of the world's poorest countries find themselves on what one could call "debt row" -- staring down the abyss of insolvency and default. This year alone their debt service payments skyrocketed 35 percent -- the largest increase in decades, he noted.

"These and so many other challenges make some want to throw up their hands and give up on international problem-solving and diplomacy. But I end this year with one overriding conviction: this is not a time to sit on the sidelines, it is a time for resolve, determination, and -- yes -- even hope, because despite the limitations and long odds, we are working to push back against despair, to fight back against disillusion and to find real solutions," said Guterres. "Not perfect solutions -- not even always pretty solutions -- but practical solutions that are making a meaningful difference to people's lives. Solutions that must put us on a pathway to a better, more peaceful future."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at an end-of-year press conference at the UN headquarters in New York, on Dec. 19, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie E)

He highlighted some progress, such as the agreement on a new Global Biodiversity Framework at the UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, Canada, and improvement in some of the world's festering conflicts.

In Ethiopia, a cessation of hostilities and implementation agreements are in place. A pathway to assistance in the northern part of the country is emerging. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, diplomatic efforts led by Angola and the East African Community have created a framework for political dialogue to resolve the crisis in the eastern part of the country. The truce in Yemen has delivered real dividends for people. Civilian flights have resumed from Sanaa. Vital supplies are finally getting through the port of Hodeidah, he noted.

Despite ongoing challenges, the Black Sea Grain Initiative to facilitate exports of food and fertilizers from Ukraine -- and a memorandum of understanding for unimpeded exports of Russian food and fertilizers to global markets -- are making a difference. Over 14 million metric tons of grain and other foodstuffs have been shipped from Black Sea ports in Ukraine. Russian wheat exports have also multiplied three-fold, he said.

The Food and Agriculture Organization's Food Price Index declined for eight months in a row -- by around 15 percent -- keeping millions of people across the globe from falling into extreme poverty. But much work remains to be done as food prices are still too high and access to fertilizers still too limited, he added.

"I am more determined than ever to make 2023 a year for peace, a year for action. We can't accept things as they are. We owe it to people to find solutions, to fight back and to act," said Guterres. "At times, discreetly but always with determination -- we will fight back -- to promote peace and security, to advance the Sustainable Development Goals and address inequalities, to reform a morally bankrupt international financial system, to ensure human rights for all as we mark next year's 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and to deliver a livable planet to our children and grandchildren."