Given the uncertainty about whether President Donald Trump will respect the US climate commitments made by his predecessor, the UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, appealed to the international community on Wednesday 17 May, to build a broad coalition of alliances with all the different actors – businesses, civil society, investors etc. – to implement the Paris Agreement and for the European Union to show leadership (see EUROPE 11790).
Mr Guterres highlighted the importance of tackling climate change, “the main accelerator” for food insecurity, famine, massive displacement of people and suffering. He stated that, “It is crucial that the world implements the Paris Agreement. If any government doubts it’s a reason for all others to build a broader coalition in order to be able to make sure our ambitions are met. This is the smart thing to do”. He added that any country that is not part of the clean economy will be far removed from it and, “We are counting on the EU to lead this effort at a global level”.
Population growth and the fight against climate change are an “unprecedented challenge” (Challenge No.3) mentioned by Antonio Guterres in the list of the five challenges to meet through multilateralism in an effort to attain the universal sustainable development goals. He said the first challenges involved: conflicts, violations of human rights and humanitarian law and globalisation that leave people out, particularly the millions of young people without jobs which, “is a tragedy and a threat to global security”. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)