Russian airstrikes launched in Syria during the UN’s 70th anniversary gathering of more than 150 world leaders stole the spotlight and highlighted deep divisions on how to end that conflict and manage the many thousands of people fleeing to Europe in search of safety.
There were also some bright spots during the UN General Assembly’s nine-day gathering that ended on Saturday.
The 193 member states adopted a sweeping new agenda for the next 15 years to eradicate extreme poverty and preserve the planet.
Photo: AP
US President Barack Obama met Cuban President Raul Castro, another sign of warming relations after decades of hostilities, and Obama shook hands with Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif, a first following the recent nuclear deal.
Then, Syria’s crisis became even more complicated.
Russian airstrikes began. Civilian deaths were reported. Reports emerged that mainstream opposition forces had been targeted.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that not cooperating with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was “a huge mistake.”
Obama warned of a “darker, more disordered world.”
In addition, an icy glare from Obama to Putin, even as they clinked glasses of wine at a high-level lunch, was captured in a photograph that quickly went viral.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon painted a grim picture of the wider world, one that is grappling with the worst refugee crisis since World War II, as millions of Syrians flee their country.
“Suffering today is at heights not seen in a generation,” Ban said.
About 100 million people need immediate humanitarian help. At least 60 million people have been forced to flee their homes. The UN has asked for nearly US$20 billion to meet this year’s needs, six times the amount of a decade ago.
The world’s humanitarian system is not broken, “it’s broke,” Ban said.
“Why is it easier to find the money to destroy people and the planet than it is to protect them?” he said.
The pope led a major push against global warming, announcing a “right of the environment.” Speaker after speaker expressed hope that the world’s nations will reach a new agreement in Paris in December to tackle climate change.
Small island states, threatened by rising sea levels, raised the greatest cry.
“When we feel the cool breeze of the ocean caressing us, we cannot imagine that those same waters will become our watery grave,” Maldivian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dunya Maumoon said on Saturday.
More than 70 countries submitted their climate pledges during the summit, making a total of 146 states so far, General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft said on Saturday. That included long-awaited pledges from India and Brazil.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) received a long handshake from Obama after making major peacekeeping commitments, and he opened China’s checkbook during his first UN visit, pledging billions of US dollars, including US$1.1 billion for peace efforts and US$2 billion to meet global development goals.
However, Xi was criticized for hosting a meeting on women’s rights while cracking down on female activists at home, with US presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton saying on Twitter that it was “shameless.”
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric called this year’s summit “the most intense GA [general assembly] I’ve seen in the last 15 years.”
What was achieved? Lykketoft said that is to be judged by the world’s progress in implementing the new development agenda “and stopping all the catastrophes we are dealing with today.”
However, after nine days of discussions, the deep divide on the Security Council, the UN’s most powerful body, seems to be as wide as ever.
On Friday, British Ambassador to the UN Matthew Rycroft told reporters that a draft resolution by Russia that seeks to unite the world in fighting groups like the Islamic State has no future. The draft urges countries to cooperate with the governments where counterterror efforts occur — a clear reference to al-Assad.
In response, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said that if proposals are rejected simply because they come from his country, the work of the Security Council “will come to a standstill.”
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