A large-scale railway strike swept across Portugal on Wednesday as workers of the national railway company Comboios de Portugal (CP) walked off the job in protest over pay conditions.
The strike has caused widespread train cancellations and major disruptions to passenger travel.
At Rossio Railway Station, a key transport hub in downtown Lisbon, commuters had no trains to board during the morning rush hour due to halted services.
According to Portuguese media, the strike was organized by 14 different railway unions and is scheduled to last until May 14, with its impact expected to intensify in the coming days.
Massive rail strike paralyzes Portugal's train services
Massive rail strike paralyzes Portugal's train services
The multilateral system is "under attack" amid global turmoil, President of the 80th UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock warned in her remarks on Wednesday.
In her briefing on the priorities for the resumed 80th Session of the General Assembly, the UNGA president noted that the current multilateral system does not collapse all in a sudden, but "crumbles piece by piece" in divisions, compromises, and lack of political commitment.
The president called all the UN member states to defend the UN Charter and international law and promote cross-regional cooperation.
She also urged to push forward the work of the UNGA on certain critical issues with a strong majority, rather than an absolute consensus among all member states. Such act is not a failure of multilateralism, but "an affirmation of it," she said.
The foundational principles of the institution should not be eroded by appeasement, she said, calling the member states to show courage, leadership, and responsibility at the UN's "critical make-or-break moment."
"The UN needs you. Your support, your leadership, your principle, stand, your cross-regional cooperation, if we are to preserve and modernize this institution, if we are to make it, rather than break it," she said.
UNGA President warns global multilateral system "under attack"
