Home » Climate, Afghan women’s rights and vaccines: the challenges of our time in Draghi’s speech at the UN

Climate, Afghan women’s rights and vaccines: the challenges of our time in Draghi’s speech at the UN

by admin

On the table of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Mario Draghi, speaking at the general debate of the 76th session, posed the hottest issues, those that, according to the prime minister, “we cannot solve alone”. In fact, for some time now “we are witnessing a progressive weakening of multilateralism, which has guaranteed peace, security and prosperity since the post-war period”, thus the premier opened his speech, renewing the need for union. Among the most urgent problems “I am thinking of the pandemic and the risk of new and dangerous variants of the virus – continues the Prime Minister – Climate change and the defense of biodiversity. To economic recovery and the fight against inequalities and food insecurity. To the resolution of conflicts and the fight against terrorism. These issues are at the center of the General Assembly and the agenda of our Government. They are also the heart of the Italian Presidency of the G20, for which we have chosen the motto ” People, Planet and Prosperity ”. We must relaunch multilateralism, and make it effective to face the challenges of our time ”.

An inclusive, open dialogue must be the engine of an effective response, in order to continue to fulfill a role in safeguarding international peace and security.

Vaccines as a symbol of reboot. Now Italy will donate 45 million to countries in difficulty

Vaccines paved the way for a restart and optimism for the future. “The vaccination campaign has restored our confidence in our ability to conquer a new normal. In Italy and in Europe we have reopened most of the economic activities – underlines the Prime Minister – The students have returned to schools and universities. After months of solitude, our social life has finally started again. The pandemic is not over, however, and even when it is, we will have to deal with its consequences for a long time ».

But the situation is not the same all over the world and “we face dramatic differences in the spread of vaccines.” Italy therefore offers its support to the COVAX program by tripling the donations of vaccine doses from 15 million to 45 million by the end of 2021. “In high-income countries, more than 65% of the population has received at least one dose. – said the premier – In the poorest countries, only 2%. These disparities are morally unacceptable: fewer vaccinations equate to more deaths “said the premier, recalling that” as long as the virus continues to circulate freely it can mutate in a dangerous way and put even the most effective vaccination campaigns at risk. We need to increase the availability of vaccines for poor countries and solve logistical problems so that the doses reach where they are most needed. “

See also  Special stamps of the Year of the Tiger zodiac are issued in Shangri-La

Italy confirms its commitment to the Glasgow summit, but we must “listen to young people”

A few weeks after the Cop26 in Glasgow, the climate summit, Italy strongly supports the leading role of the European Union in the ecological transition, and in particular its commitment to a 55% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and the elimination of net emissions by 2050. «Italy – said the premier – intends to achieve ambitious objectives on the three pillars of the Paris Agreement: mitigation, adaptation and finance. We must reduce as much as possible, over the next decade, the CO2 produced by fossil fuels and other climate-altering gases, including methane. And we must work to adapt our infrastructures to the increasingly frequent and violent shocks of climate change ».

And on the climate crisis, more space for young people, who in these days are regaining possession of the squares throughout Italy: «In recent years it has often been young people who have been the bearers of change and have pushed us to do more. It is our duty to listen to them because they will inherit the planet ”

«The environmental transition – remarks Draghi – has significant costs and it is essential that governments commit themselves directly to help citizens and businesses to support them. But it can also be an engine of economic growth. According to a recent report by the International Renewable Energy Agency, these could employ more than 40 million people by 2050. In Italy and in the European Union we have embarked on a path of reforms and investments – the ‘Next Generation EU’ – to make the most of these opportunities. We hope that the ‘Climate Round Table’ promoted last Monday by Secretary General Guterres and Prime Minister Johnson will give further impetus to the negotiation path that will lead us to the G20 Summit in Rome and COP26 in Glasgow. “

See also  Daniel Quintero will not accept billboard measures adopted by Dimayor

The necessary defense of the rights of Afghan women

Italy is also at the forefront of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, Draghi said, to support the most fragile groups who have left or will leave the country. «We have decided to use the resources previously allocated for training activities of the Afghan security and defense forces for humanitarian purposes. We are also ready to intervene in support of neighboring countries that are affected by refugee flows. ”

But a fundamental point is that of the rights of Afghan women, who are undergoing a «dismantling of the progress of the last 20 years in the defense of fundamental freedoms. All those who have signed the Charter of the United Nations and who refer to the founding values ​​of this Organization must commit themselves to a resolution of the crisis. The international community – in the words of the Prime Minister – must present itself cohesive in demanding that all Afghan citizens be able to live in dignity, peace and security; that the protection of vulnerable categories is ensured; and that women keep their fundamental rights, first of all that of education ”.

Migrations: shared management is required. But there is not only Afghanistan

Correct management of migration must weigh on everyone’s shoulders, which “requires a common response from the international community. We must fight effectively against human trafficking, ensure regular international mobility, and protect people’s lives. Multilateral action is essential, structured around the principles of sharing burdens and responsibilities ”. The European Union and its Member States have the task of “strengthening the dialogue on migration issues with the countries of origin and transit of migrants in order to achieve joint responsibility in managing the flows.”

Attention is mainly focused on the Afghan question and the situation throughout Central Asia, which, however, must not distract from the instability that continues to characterize the enlarged Mediterranean. In particular, “we support the transition process in Libya for a sustainable and inclusive solution to the crisis on a multilateral, bilateral and internal level,” said the premier, recalling that “the goal is to complete the path outlined by the Libyans themselves to renew the national institutional framework, in a unitary way, without external interference and under the aegis of the UN. The international community must work together with the Libyan institutions and people to overcome the current stalemate. We must guarantee the conduct of the elections scheduled for next 24 December and the full implementation of the ceasefire ».

See also  “Day of Attrawia” narrates the hearts of Muslims.. Learn about the rituals of the day

Poverty and food crisis

“The economic divergence – the Prime Minister warned – risks erasing years of progress in the fight against poverty and making it even more difficult to achieve the goals of sustainable development”. The pandemic has had a negative social and economic effect on everyone, but the consequences for low-income states have been particularly severe. Even before the health crisis, many countries had significant economic vulnerabilities, starting with debt. “Many of their citizens lived below or just above the poverty line. Advanced economies have been able to use monetary policy and fiscal policy very robustly to contain the economic backlash. They spent 28% of their gross domestic product in 2020 to stimulate growth – compared to just 7% and 2% in emerging and low-income economies.

The pandemic then exacerbated all concerns surrounding food systems, with extreme weather conditions and supply disruptions contributing to rising food prices. “The food price index recorded an increase of 32% in August compared to the same month of the previous year. According to FAO, more than 2.3 billion people did not have access to adequate food on a regular basis last year. We supported the decision by the International Monetary Fund to issue new Special Drawing Rights for a total of $ 650 billion. Of these resources, 33 billion dollars are destined for African countries and we are working to further increase this share. We have accelerated the refinancing of ‘IDA-20’, the World Bank’s fund for the poorest states. The Italian Presidency intends to facilitate an overall and sustainable debt restructuring in countries with an excessive level of debt “

You may also like

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More

Privacy & Cookies Policy