Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has a busy day ahead of him on Wednesday when he visits the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Mr. Trudeau must address several topics, including the climate crisis, the war in Ukraine and global poverty.
The prime minister will take part in a UN Security Council debate on the way forward in Ukraine, where President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to speak.
At a summit on climate ambition, Secretary-General António Guterres is expected to hold leaders to account for what they are doing to tackle the emergency.
Mr. Trudeau will also participate in high-level meetings on creating new financial models to help developing countries find sustainable solutions.
He will also join the Minister of the Environment, Steven Guilbeault, at an event aimed at helping developing countries reduce their carbon emissions.
“The time has come for all of us to act and understand: the future awaits us all to meet this moment,” Mr. Trudeau said Tuesday during a meeting on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
These goals, established in 2015 as the UN road map to a safe, equitable and peaceful world, include lofty ambitions such as ending poverty and hunger, ensuring clean water and ending some inequalities.
But progress has largely stalled, hampered by political intransigence, sluggish post-pandemic economies and escalating conflicts in Ukraine and the developing world.
Mr. Trudeau gently urged leaders to take seriously achieving these goals.
“These are the building blocks of success in each of our countries and in each of our communities,” he maintained.
“The truth is they will get harder and more expensive the more we drag our feet. »
An “unbalanced” world
The theme of this year’s assembly is “Rebuilding Trust and Reviving Global Solidarity” – two elements that are hard to come by these days, Guterres admitted on Tuesday.
“Our world is becoming unbalanced,” Mr. Guterres said during his opening speech. Geopolitical tensions are increasing. Global challenges are multiplying. And we seem unable to come together to answer it. »
On the other hand, emergencies are numerous.
The climate crisis has become even more real in 2023, with a historic wildfire season in Canada, catastrophic flooding in Libya, and a record 23 separate billion-dollar weather disasters in the United States. United in the first eight months only.
Russia’s war in Ukraine continues, with global anxiety heightened by last week’s disturbing meeting in Vladivostok between President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
And the uneasy truce of the UN Black Sea grain deal has collapsed, virtually cutting off the developing world from one of the world’s most important sources of food, cooking oil and fertilizer. vital to the planet.
Support for Ukraine
“When hatred is used as a weapon against a nation, it never stops there,” President Zelensky told the delegates, one of whom happened to be Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN.
“The goal of the current war against Ukraine is to turn our land, our people, our lives, our resources into weapons against you – against the rules-based international order. »
He said tens of thousands of Ukrainian children had been repatriated by Russia since the invasion began and were being taught to “hate Ukraine,” an indoctrination he called “genocide.” .
Strengthening the international coalition in support of Ukraine was also one of the US president’s main goals.
“If we allow Ukraine to be divided, is the independence of a nation assured? The answer is no,” said Joe Biden.
“We must resist this blatant aggression today to deter other potential aggressors tomorrow. »