U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the 76th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 21, 2021. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/Pool

Ben Burke Producer

International

“We’re back at the table”: Biden makes promises as General Assembly opens

Sep 21, 2021

Ben Burke Producer

By Ben Burke (Producer)

The United Nations General Assembly got underway Tuesday. The video above shows clips from remarks made at the General Assembly from U.N. Secretary General António Guterres and President Joe Biden

It comes amid two major worldwide crises: The Covid-19 pandemic and climate change.

“COVID and the climate crisis have exposed profound fragilities of societies and as a planet, yet instead of humility in the face of these epic challenges, we see hubris instead of the passive solidarity,” Secretary-General Guterres said. “We are on a dead end to destruction.”

The crises weren’t the only issues Guterres warned about in his opening remarks. “Another disease is spreading in our world today,” Guterres said. “A melody of mistrust when people see promises of progress denied by the realities of their harsh daily lives, when they see their fundamental rights and freedoms curtailed, when they see petty as well as grand corruption around them, when they see billionaires joy riding to space while millions go hungry on Earth.”

Guterres urged world leaders to bridge six “great divides”: promote peace and end conflicts, restore trust between the richer north and developing south on tackling global warming, reduce wealth inequality, promote gender equality, cut the number of people who don’t have internet access in half by 2030, and give young people “a seat at the table.”

It is President Biden’s first General Assembly as president. “We’re back at the table in international forums, especially the United Nations, to focus attention and to spur global action on shared challenges,” Biden said in his General Assembly remarks.

The president pledged to double U.S. financial aid to poorer countries to help them switch to cleaner energy, from $5.7 billion per year to $11.4 billion per year. That $5.7 billion number was the result of a doubling just five months ago.

Biden also alluded to America’s relationship with China in his General Assembly remarks, without mentioning them by name. “We are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocks,” Biden said. “The United States is ready to work with any nation that steps up and pursues a peaceful resolution to share challenges, even if we have intense disagreements in other areas, because we’ll all suffer the consequences of our failure.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to deliver a video address to the General Assembly.

Tags: Climate Change, Joe Biden, Pandemic

António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General: “COVID and the climate crisis have exposed profound fragilities of societies and as a planet, yet instead of humility in the face of these epic challenges, we see hubris instead of the passive solidarity, we are on a dead end to destruction.”

“At the same time, another disease is spreading in our world today, a melody of mistrust when people see promises of progress denied by the realities of their harsh daily lives, when they see their fundamental rights and freedoms curtailed, when they see petty as well as grand corruption around them, when they see billionaires joy riding to space while millions go hungry on Earth, when parents see a future for their children, that looks even bleaker than the struggles of today and when young people see no future at all.”

Joe Biden, U.S. President: “We’re back at the table in international forums, especially the United Nations, to focus attention and to spur global action on shared challenges. We are re-engaged at the World Health Organization and working in close partnership with COVAX to deliver lifesaving vaccines around the world. We rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement and we’re running to retake a seat in the Human Rights Council next year at the U.N.. And as the United States seeks to rally the world to action, we will lead not just to the example of our power, but God willing, with the power of our example. Make no mistake, the United States will continue to defend ourselves, our allies and our interests against attack, including terrorist threats. As we prepared to use force, if any is necessary, but to defend our vital U.S. national interest, including against ongoing and imminent threats, but the mission must be clear and achievable undertaking with informed consent of the American people and whenever possible, in partnership with our allies. U.S. military power must be our tool of last resort, not our first, and it should not be used as an answer to every problem we see around the world. Indeed, today, many of our greatest concerns cannot be solved or even addressed through the force of arms.”