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UN chief calls for global collaboration to address mounting challenges

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UN chief calls for global collaboration to address mounting challenges

2025-01-23 16:53 Last Updated At:20:27

The United Nations (UN) chief on Wednesday issued a stark warning about the mounting challenges facing humanity and urged the global community to work together to tackle them.

While addressing the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world is confronting a "Pandora's box of troubles" and emphasized that collaboration is the key to addressing these challenges.

He stressed that as two major challenges facing humanity, climate change and unregulated expansion of AI will disrupt human life, requiring more attention and actions of the global community.

The UN chief painted a dire picture of the climate emergency, likening humanity's dependence on fossil fuels to a "Frankenstein monster" that spares no one.

"Our fossil fuel addiction is a Frankenstein monster, sparing nothing and no one. All around us, we see clear signs that the monster has become master. We just endured the hottest year and the hottest decade in history. 2024 is likely to be the first calendar year that's pushed back past 1.5 degrees above preindustrial levels. Now, breaching these limits does not mean the long-term goal of keeping the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees is shot. It means we need to fight even harder to get on track," Guterres said.

Sea-level rise, heatwaves, floods, storms, droughts, and wildfires are just a preview of the horror movie to come, according to the UN chief.

He urged governments to honor their promises by delivering new climate action plans ahead of the COP30 climate change conference in Brazil. He also called on financial institutions to support the energy transition in developing nations.

Guterres turned his attention also to artificial intelligence, acknowledging its potential to revolutionize sectors like healthcare, education, and crisis response. However, he cautioned against the risks posed by AI, including its potential to disrupt economies and labor markets. He called for urgent and unified action to address these challenges. "AI can be used as a tool of deception. It can disrupt economies and labor markets, undermine trust in institutions and have chilling effects on the battlefields. AI could deepen inequalities by excluding those without the resources or tools to benefit from its promise. Once again, collaboration is critical," he said.

UN chief calls for global collaboration to address mounting challenges

UN chief calls for global collaboration to address mounting challenges

UN chief calls for global collaboration to address mounting challenges

UN chief calls for global collaboration to address mounting challenges

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China ready to push ties with Argentina to higher level: FM

2025-02-15 22:02 Last Updated At:22:37

China is ready to work with Argentina to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and bring the bilateral relations to a new level, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday.

This will benefit the people of the two countries and help China and Latin America achieve common development and prosperity, Wang said. He made the remarks during a meeting with his Argentine counterpart Gerardo Werthein on the sidelines of the ongoing Munich Security Conference.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the Chinese and Argentine people have enjoyed a long-standing friendship, and China-Argentina cooperation is equal and mutually beneficial.

Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Argentine President Javier Milei held a meeting and reached important consensus on consolidating and developing bilateral relations, said Wang.

China is willing to work with Argentina to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state and strengthen exchanges at the high level and in all fields, so as to bring the bilateral relations to a new level and better benefit the people of both countries, he said.

Wang also said the two sides should continue to respect and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, and continuously consolidate the political foundation of bilateral relations.

Wang pointed out that China does not seek spheres of influence, nor does it participate in geopolitical competition. In international affairs, China firmly practices multilateralism and is willing to work with Latin American countries, including Argentina, to firmly safeguard the international rule of law and the basic norms of international relations, he said.

Wang noted that China-Argentina relations are an important part of China-Latin America relations. Over the past decade since its establishment, the China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Forum has effectively promoted China-Latin America cooperation and brought tangible benefits to the people of both sides, he said.

China is willing to work with Latin American countries to support the development and growth of the China-CELAC Forum, helping China and Latin America achieve common development and prosperity, said Wang.

Werthein said that Argentina attaches great importance to its relations with China, and looks forward to strengthening high-level exchanges and deepening pragmatic cooperation with China.

Noting that Argentina appreciates China's support for Argentina's defense of its sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands, Werthein said Argentina firmly adheres to the one-China principle and is willing to become a reliable and stable cooperative partner of China.

Werthein also said that Argentina will play an active role in promoting the development of Latin America-China relations on the basis of strengthening bilateral relations.

China ready to push ties with Argentina to higher level: FM

China ready to push ties with Argentina to higher level: FM

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