UN chief says ocean faces climate crisis, admonishes world to "change track"

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called on the world to unite and solve shared problems as the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) convened the first system-wide meeting on global cooperation.

"The well-being of people around the world, the health of our planet, and the survival of future generations depend on our willingness to come together around a commitment to collective problem-solving and action," the UN chief told the meeting on the ground-breaking blueprint, known as Our Common Agenda, launched last year by the Secretary-General.

He urged those attending the first of five thematic consultations at the UN headquarters, the first devoted to Accelerating and Scaling up the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to "make progress on the substance and the search for consensus, as much as possible this year."

Abdulla Shahid, president of the 76th session of the UNGA, convened the meeting aimed at galvanizing action toward the implementation of Our Common Agenda.

Eight years until 2030, and with Covid-19 driving the world further off-track, Guterres said the UN recommendations aim to get the world "back on track" towards achieving the SDGs.

The UN also calls for a New Global Deal to share power, wealth and opportunities more broadly at the international level, and allow developing countries to focus their resources on sustainable, inclusive development.

"The New Global Deal will rebalance power and financial resources, enabling developing countries to invest in the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs," he said.

Noting that "there is no one-size-fits-all social contract," Guterres reminded that Our Common Agenda proposes an intergovernmental World Social Summit in 2025 to "coordinate action and create momentum on a global scale" towards reaching the goals, while taking stock of efforts to renew the social contract.

"The ending of poverty in all its forms everywhere is not just the objective of SDG 1, but the primary objective of the 2030 Agenda itself," he stated.

"Poverty is not only the absence of income," he said, advocating for a global economy that works for all, including safeguarding public health, reforming the world's financial system, and protecting the environment.

To ensure that no one is left behind, the UN chief also highlighted three aspects that require urgent action, including the learning crisis, gender equality, and youth engagement.

Meanwhile, the UNGA president reminded the inaugural consultation on the Common Agenda, that his "Presidency of Hope" was "focused on solutions and concrete actions that look to deliver for people, planet, and prosperity."

He said his priorities included a sustainable recovery from the pandemic, "respecting the rights of all, protecting the planet and revitalizing the United Nations."

"The United Nations must step up; we must become more responsive and more effective for the people we serve," he said.

Despite differences, Shahid maintained that "we are but one family," encouraging everyone to "find a way forward" on the Agenda's proposals.

"Our attempt should be to find the right mechanisms to ensure that we arrive at common understandings."