En tu idioma / In your own language

Eduardo del Buey
Foto: Afp / Dominick Reuter
La Jornada Maya

Martes 27 de diciembre, 2016


In his comments to the United Nations General Assembly as he was sworn in as incoming Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres spoke of fear, movement, and bubbles as the three underlying themes that would mark his upcoming term of office.

President Franklin Roosevelt once famously said that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. In today’s world, marked by terror, war, famine, and climate change, fear is a real factor in everyone’s thinking. We fear the next terrorist bombing. Climate change is playing havoc with our weather systems, as winters become fiercer and summers hotter and dryer. Violence reigns in many parts of the world, as people clash over economics, religion, nationalism, food, water and other natural resources.

In his remarks, Guterres praised outgoing Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his tenacious efforts to achieve the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, that has created a working basis for addressing this key issue. He also underscored the importance of Ban’s other major achievement, the global agreement on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, Guterres will now have to deal with the uncertainties posed by the incoming Trump administration since both deals without the United States are highly diminished in value and impact. He will have to challenge and cajole the incoming US leader, and will have to create effective coalitions to offset shifts on US policy. Indeed, with last week’s Security Council vote against Israeli settlements, some in Congress are calling for funding to be suspended until the resolution is rescinded. A challenge indeed.

In his remarks, Guterres noted that “people have been forced to flee their homes on a scale unseen in decades”. He should know. As United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for ten years, dealing with this crisis was his daily bread. There is no doubt that the vast migration of refugees around the world contributes to fear in many people – fear of being overrun by different cultures and religions, and of hitherto homogenous societies becoming cultural mosaics with all of the challenges this entails. Fear breeds hatred and contempt, and hatred and contempt breed both populist politics and, at times, violence.

Guterres will have to use all of his experience in dealing with refugee issues garnered during his ten-year stewardship as UH High Commissioner for Refugees, convince skeptics that our very humanity depends on how we deal with refugees, and use his bully pulpit to ensure the great powers stop engaging in the proxy warfare that creates many of these tragic refugee situations.

Many governments continue to live in bubbles, catering to the few while seemingly ignoring the many. Guterres noted that “the last twenty years have seen extraordinary technological progress…but globalization and technological progress have also contributed to growing inequalities… all of this has deepened the divide between people and political establishments”.

Traditional political leaders and parties have been found wanting in many places, and populist trends are taking shape. This is dangerous since populism is more often than not based on fear of the other, racism, discrimination, and simplistic solutions to complex problems.

Guterres will have to act as the voice of reason in an increasingly unreasonable world.

Governments will have to learn to listen carefully to their constituencies to ensure people feel they are being heard and their concerns are being factored into political, social, and economic decisions. They must avoid operating in bubbles, and reach out to all.

What are his proposals?

In his remarks, he underscored three major pillars to his administration.

The first is prevention – prevention of the policies that lead to human rights abuses, often with very violent outcomes. In his view, the United Nations must work to help member states build sustainable institutions of government that can withstand the challenges the modern world poses.

Secondly, the United Nations must provide a strong framework and support for the Sustainable Development Goals to ensure increased inclusion of currently marginalized members of society, helping build economic and social bases that preclude the development of populism and all that it entails.

Thirdly, the United Nations itself must be thoroughly reformed to make it a nimble and effective twenty-first century organization fit for purpose in a complex world where reactions to crises must be instantaneous and effective.

If member states cannot subjugate their national interests to the common good of humanity, Guterres will have a difficult time meeting his objectives. And contemporary multilateral dynamics do not bode well for short-term success.