UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) on Friday to make more efforts to cope with climate change and issues related to the implementation of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
Guterres addressed reporters ahead of the G20 Osaka Summit that he will essentially mention the topics of climate change and the implementation of the 2030 agenda on the occasion as "in both, we are lagging behind."
The UN chief said that climate change is "running faster than what we are" and natural disasters are becoming more frequent, more intense and more dramatic with worsening humanitarian consequences across the globe.
"And so all the analyses that can be made show the situation, in practical terms, is worse than what we could have forecasted and the political will has been failing. This is a paradox that needs to be addressed," he said.
"I will be appealing to the leaders here in relation to a much stronger commitment of their countries for climate action," the UN secretary-general said, asking countries to abide by measures the scientific community suggested to rescue the planet such as curbing carbon emission.
He also urged the international community to accelerate the mobilization of all kinds of resources to implement the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. He emphasized the role of private sector in achieving the agenda. "Without the private sector, it would be impossible to achieve these goals."
In 2015, countries adopted the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and its 17 sustainable development goals, calling for the countries to mobilize efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind.
"A lot needs to be done in order to raise awareness and to show the opportunities that exist and to create mechanism to reduce risks," he urged.
Guterres also hoped that the G20 leaders could use the multilateral platform to address other UN concerns like uncertainties in global economy, instability in the Gulf region as well as trade and technology frictions.
