World leaders are gathering this week in New York to address the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Tuesday attended the opening session of the high-level general debate of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, media reported.
The Prime Minister’s Office said that the welcome reception was held for the heads of states and governments participating in the 77th session of the UNGA
The war in Ukraine, climate change and nuclear disarmament are likely to dominate speeches and discussions during the annual gathering that starts on Tuesday at the UN headquarters.The theme for this year’s UNGA is, “A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges”.
According to the UN, it “stems from the recognition that the world is at a critical moment … due to complex and interconnected crises”.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the gathering was happening “at a time of great peril”, with the world “blighted by war, battered by climate chaos, scarred by hate, and shamed by poverty, hunger, and inequality”.Every UN member is invited to send a delegation to the UNGA – the most representative body of the UN system. Each member state is allowed an equal vote when deciding on resolutions.
This year’s session will take place in person for the first time since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020. For the past two years, heads of state were allowed to submit video statements due to pandemic restrictions.
The list of speakers includes some notable absentees, with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping among those who will send their foreign ministers to the UNGA.
Speakers of Tuesday(Today) include Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. United States President Joe Biden will address the Assembly on Wednesday.
Each UNGA session has a set agenda of topics that will be discussed, voted on or referred to various sub-committees.
The topics include matters suggested by member states or by other UN organs, matters put forward by the secretary-general, and procedural matters pertaining to the assembly’s operation.
The UNGA’s General Committee sets the agenda and the assembly ultimately decides how each agenda item will be addressed.
The United Nations’ annual summit returned in person for the first time in three years on Tuesday, with UN chief Antonio Guterres warning in his opening speech of an upcoming “winter of global discontent” from rising prices, a warming planet and deadly conflicts.
The 77th General Assembly meeting of world leaders convenes under the shadow of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has unleashed a global food crisis and opened fissures among major powers in a way not seen since the Cold War.
In remarks ahead of the summit, Guterres said the world is in “great peril”, and must tackle conflicts and climate catastrophes, increasing poverty and inequality – and address divisions among major powers that have gotten worse since Russia invaded Ukraine.
The first day will feature speeches by the French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Brazilian President Jair Bolsanaro, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Erdogan has urged world leaders at the UN headquarters on the need for a peaceful solution to the war on Ukraine, stopping short of providing any tangible steps.
“That may not necessarily be reflective of Turkey’s shortcomings, in so much as it is a fact of where we are right now where no body or country has been able to find practical steps to put an end to this war,” said Al Jazeera correspondent Jamal Elshayyal.
“That said, maybe Ankara’s position is a lot more promising than others in that it has succeeded in finding common ground to some of the knock-on effects of this war, particularly with regards to food security and the global supply chain of grain and other important things coming out of there,” he added.
Erdogan did not limit his speech to the war on Ukraine; he also spoke about other conflicts, most recently the one between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Libya, Iraq, Syria, as well as other challenges facing the world.
“But ultimately Erdogan’s main message to delegates was one of seeking support for his country’s attempt at conflict resolution,” Elshayyal said.
Erdogan also made a renewed emphasis on the need for the UN to reform itself, “highlighting his position that the world is greater than five, referencing the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and how it is unfair and unjust that they have veto power over many significant decisions that impact billions of people around the world”.Erdogan urges support for Ankara’s conflict resolution role, UN reform. Pakistan’s rupee continued to sustain losses against the US dollar in the inter-bank market, and was hovering in the range of 238-239 level on Tuesday.
At around 12:10pm, the rupee was being quoted at 238.95, a depreciation of Rs1.04 or 0.44% against the greenback, during intra-day trading.
On Monday, Pakistan's rupee depreciated for the 12th successive session to settle at 237.91 in the inter-bank market, as expectation of a higher import bill and the greenback's global strength added pressure on the currency.
Despite receiving the International Monetary Fund (IMF) tranche of $1.2 billion at the start of September, the rupee has continued to depreciate and has yet to see a positive session this month.
Experts say the country’s borrowing needs are expected to increase in the wake of massive devastation caused by flash floods, which will also drive up the import bill.
“In the short term, the country’s borrowing needs may increase further as floods devastate standing crops in Sindh and lower Punjab,” said AKD Securities in its report on Monday.
“The country will need to import various food items to fulfill local demand and therefore, the import bill will increase.”
The report added that the spread between the inter-bank and open markets has continued to grow owing to the lack of liquidity.
“Many small companies are unable to open LCs for imports, and the payments for those are being made through the black market, which is mopping up liquidity further,” it said.
The brokerage house urged on improving inflows through remittances and Roshan Digital Accounts (RDA).
Globally, the dollar remained firm below a two-decade high versus major peers on Tuesday, as investors braced for the Federal Reserve to continue its aggressive interest-rate-hiking campaign to rein in overheated inflation.
The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six counterparts, was little changed at 109.53, stable for the moment after pulling back from as high as 110.79 earlier this month, a level not seen since June 2002.
Oil price, a key determinant of currency parity, was also little changed on Tuesday, after rising in the previous session, on concerns that interest rate hikes in the United States to tame inflation will curb economic growth and fuel demand in the world’s biggest crude consumers
WHEAT IMPORTS
The shortage of wheat production in the recent past, set against the domestic requirements of an ever-increasing population, has triggered price hikes, while wheat imports strained the country’s foreign exchange reserves, says the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The bank in its latest report, 'Asian Development Review' stated that in the wake of population growth, urbanisation, and industrialisation, the availability of arable land and water is facing intense pressure from non-farm uses in Pakistan. Consequently, the per capita availability of arable land and irrigation water is declining, while demand for food and industrial raw materials is on the rise.
The prices of farm inputs in Pakistan—such as fertilisers, pesticides, farm machinery, and diesel—have experienced a tremendous hike, resulting in the high cost of farm production and consumers crying hoarse over the rising prices of food and other commodities.
In addition, climatic change—as manifested in rising temperatures, varying patterns of rainfall, and increased and intensified flooding—is also raising concerns for farmers and those dealing with the development of agriculture and food production in Pakistan.
The report noted that rice exports have been an important source of earning foreign exchange, estimated at around $2 billion per year in recent years. Increasing maize production has supported the expanding poultry and livestock sectors in the country, as well as, the edible oil industry. These crops are thus also important in the context of the balance of trade and payments, and increasing their production, especially through vertical and efficiency improvements, can have salutary effects on the balance of trade through import substitution as well as exports. It is imperative to increase the productivity of farm resources and improve the efficiency of inputs used in farm production.
The area under these crops, estimated at 14 million hectares, accounts for approximately 55 per cent–60 per cent of Pakistan’s total cropped area, and their annual production constitutes 98 per cent of the total production of food grains in the country. Thus, the production and productivity of these crops play a crucial role in food security and food inflation and also impact the balance of trade in Pakistan.
The contribution of Punjab to the annual production of food grains in the country is estimated at over 73 per cent for the most recent years for which data are available, reflecting the province’s status as the food grain basket of Pakistan.
Analysis of land productivity and technical efficiency in the production of major food grains in the Punjab has highlighted substantial variation and scope for increasing production by improving productivity and technical efficiency at the farm-firm level.
Technical efficiency and estimates of slacks in the use of important inputs in wheat farming in various crop zones indicate that farmers can reduce the level of important inputs from 10 per cent to 29 per cent without changing the current level of output and technology.
A large variation in technical efficiency is a manifestation of the substantial potential for increasing farm productivity and the production of food grains in the province. However, successful efforts need to be predicated on detailed analysis and diagnosis of the underlying factors for each region and crop, it added.
Turkey’s President Erdogan calls for ‘dignified way out’ of Ukraine war
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “dignified way out” of the seven-month crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Together, we need to find a reasonably practical diplomatic solution that will give both sides a dignified way out of the crisis,” Erdogan told the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Macron, Raisi meet on UNGA sidelines amid nuclear deal deadlock
French President Emmanuel Macron has held face-to-face talks with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the UNGA, with the French leader saying he hoped to be able to “discuss all subjects”.
It was Raisi’s first such meeting with a major Western leader since he was elected last year.
It comes amid a deadlock to revive the 2015 nuclear talks and as protests grow in Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, who fell into a coma and died after her arrest in Tehran last week by the morality police for “unsuitable attire”.
France said on Monday there would not be a better offer for Iran to revive a nuclear deal with world powers, and it was up to Tehran to make a decision now.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who coordinates the talks, said he saw little chance of progress at the UNGA.
Raisi
Blinken eyes new cooperation on environment, maritime security
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will look to form a new community of Atlantic nations with another $100m in initiatives to support the environment and maritime security, officials have said.
In New York, Blinken will meet his counterparts from Angola, Brazil, Ghana, Portugal and Senegal as part of a new grouping of about 10 countries, a senior State Department official said.
The initiative comes as the Biden administration focuses on environmental cooperation around the world, including on the health of the oceans. It has already put a high priority on the Pacific, seen as an area of potential conflict amid the rapid rise of China.
The official said the new Atlantic grouping will look to develop a “sustainable ocean economy” and support the health of the ocean, including by addressing climate change and marine ecosystems.
Guterres’s speech particularly grim, with Ukraine war raging: Al Jazeera’s James Bays
Guterres has spoken of crises and wars being waged around the globe before, but this year, his words were particularly grim, says Al Jazeera’s diplomatic editor James Bays.
“We’ve heard grim speeches by the secretary general before; in fact, I’ve listened to him since he [became] secretary general [in 2017] and it’s been getting tougher and tougher – his speeches, the words he has been using about the situation around the world,” Bays said.
“But clearly on top of everything we have heard in previous years, we have a new one this year, a big one, and that is the war in Europe, the war in Ukraine.”
“The Ukraine war has complicated things. It has made relationships really hard, you have problems dealing with Russia on many issues. When they’re trying to get consensus on a resolution that’s normally passed every year on nuclear weapons, that was difficult this year,” Bays reported from outside the UN headquarters in New York.
Bays said these problems could play out in public on Thursday in a UN Security Council meeting called by the French foreign minister.
“All those around the table will be foreign ministers … we’re going to have the Russian foreign minister and the Ukrainian foreign minister sitting at the same table and I’m not sure there’s a lot of agreement there.”
UK Prime Minister Liz Truss has arrived in the US, where she will hold talks with US President Joe Biden, on her first foreign trip as premier.
Truss, in New York to attend the UN General Assembly sessions, is expected to stress the UK’s long-term commitment to Ukraine and its people with a pledge of at least $2.6bn (2.3 billion pounds) in military aid next year.
Before the trip, Truss said: “My message to the people of Ukraine is this: the UK will continue to be right behind you every step of the way. Your security is our security.”
Her most significant bilateral talks, which will likely set the agenda for the next two years of the “special relationship”, will be with Biden after a planned meeting in Downing Street was rescheduled for Wednesday at the UN.
There are some pre-existing tensions over Brexit between the two countries, inherited from Boris Johnson’s government, but both sides are expected to work on improving the relationship.
Liz Truss
Truss speaks to the media at the Empire State Building as world leaders begin to gather for the 77th UN General Assembly, on September 20, 2022 in New York City-
Guterres cautions: ‘The hotter summers of today may be the cooler summers of tomorrow’
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged wealthy nations to tax fossil fuel companies and use the proceeds to compensate for damage from climate change and provide relief over rising prices.
“Let’s tell it like it is: our world is addicted to fossil fuels. It’s time for an intervention. We need to hold fossil fuel companies and their enablers to account,” Guterres said in an address to open the UN General Assembly.
“There is another battle we must end: Our suicidal war against nature. It must be the first priority of every government and multilateral organisation. And yet climate action is being put on the back burner despite overwhelming support across the world. We have a rendezvous with climate disaster,” he added.
“The hotter summers of today may be the cooler summers of tomorrow,” he warned.
Guterres
Guterres warns of looming ‘winter of global discontent’
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned international leaders of a looming “winter of global discontent” in a world beset by multiple crises from the Ukraine war to a warming climate.
“A winter of global discontent is on the horizon,” Guterres said as he opened the annual General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City.
“Trust is crumbling, inequalities are exploding, our planet is burning. People are hurting – with the most vulnerable suffering the most.”
Guterres spoke of conflicts in Afghanistan, where the economy is in ruins and human rights are being trampled. He also mentioned the fighting that has resumed in Ethiopia, and in Haiti, where gangs are “destroying the very building blocks of society”.
“In Libya, divisions continue to jeopardise the country. In Iraq, ongoing tensions threaten ongoing stability,” he noted.
“In Israel and Palestine, cycles of violence under the occupation continue as prospects for peace based on a two-state solution grow ever more distant,” he said.
