(Washington) Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations says the organization’s most important job right now is to give the world a sense of hope.
Posted at 2:50 p.m.
The problem, according to Bob Rae, is what he calls an “incredible cascade” of crises, which makes hope scarce.
In his opening address to the UN General Assembly, Secretary-General António Guterres drew up a list of priorities.
The war in Ukraine is entering its eighth month as the economic and social consequences of the conflict continue to be felt around the world.
The lasting effects of COVID-19 continue to hit the world’s most disadvantaged the hardest, and climate change is ravaging the planet.
Mr. Rae accompanies Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to the opening sessions of the 77e United Nations General Assembly this week in New York.
“We have to give hope,” he said. We must demonstrate that we can act to make a difference. And that’s the approach Canadians are taking around the world. »
Trudeau’s two-day visit to New York began on Tuesday with a bilateral meeting with Chandrikapersad Santokhi, the president of Suriname, who this year chairs Caricom, a political and economic coalition of 15 member states in the Caribbean.
The rest of Trudeau’s agenda at the UN is packed with meetings on topics close to his heart: climate change, gender equality and sustainable development, among others. He will also participate in a panel discussion with former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the virtues of inclusive job growth.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine is sure to permeate any discussion of economic growth and food security — two other Trudeau priorities.
“A lot of work to do, keeping everyone together,” Trudeau said in response to a question about Ukraine as he arrived at UN headquarters on Tuesday.
Guterres also talks about hope
Giving hope in the face of despair was a dominant theme in Secretary General Guterres’ speech on Tuesday. “Our world is in deep trouble: divisions are widening, inequalities are widening, challenges are spreading further,” he told the assembled leaders.
He described a UN-flagged ship loaded with Ukrainian grain crossing a war zone to the Horn of Africa, where millions are starving.
Guterres was referring to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a complex UN-brokered deal between Ukraine and Russia, brokered with the help of Turkey, which is finally getting food out long blocked from this war-torn region.
“Each ship also carries one of today’s rarest commodities: hope,” Guterres said. “We need hope […] and more. We need action. »
Trudeau’s two-day agenda in New York also includes promoting the 17 goals of the UN’s sustainable development effort, of which the Canadian prime minister is co-chair. These global goals include climate action, ending poverty and pollution, gender equality, and promoting equitable economic growth.
Mr. Trudeau will also participate in the Christchurch Call summit, with his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Adern and French President Emmanuel Macron, in order to combat the spread of violent extremism on the web. He will also be on site for events in preview of the meetings of the “COP15” conference on biodiversity, scheduled for December in Montreal.
Infectious diseases
The Prime Minister will attend a conference on Wednesday of contributors to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to which Canada has pledged $4 billion since 2002. Activists in Canada have urged the Prime Minister to pledge $1.2 billion additional for this year alone.
Ambassador Rae argued that Canada is one of the largest contributors to the Fund per capita.
“I know the prime minister is struggling with this question of what more can we do,” he said. The global pressures on us, on all fronts, are enormous […] so do we feel the pressure? Yes, of course. But guess what? We are used to pressure, we know how to respond to it, and we will respond to it. »
The fund helps developing countries limit and treat preventable diseases, which are the leading causes of death in many regions — and once again on the rise.
Mr. Trudeau also plans to meet this week with partners from the Caribbean and other regions to focus on promoting sustainable growth in Haiti.
He will also meet Joe Biden in person at a leadership event hosted by the US president and his wife — their first face-to-face meeting since Washington scrapped a program to sell more US-made electric vehicles.