UN chief warns against new Cold War threat

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres considered on Tuesday that the world faces the threat of a new Cold War "with nuclear undertones" and a surge in extreme nationalism.

In a speech to graduates of Seton Hall University in New Jersey, Guterres pointed out that "from the Middle East to the threat of a new Cold War with grave nuclear undertones, to terrorism and sectarian fighting within countries rooted in ancient grievances, to an explosion of extreme nationalism that ignores the central truth that international solutions are always in the national interest… Each challenge is another sign that our world is deeply fractured."

During his speech, the UN Secretary-General also touched on the dangers of climate change, rising social inequality, and the spread of hunger and disease.

He warned that “the climate crisis is wreaking havoc and threatening to erase entire communities and even entire countries, and governments are not taking the necessary measures to reverse this.”

Addressing the graduating students, Guterres said, “Do not work for the climate destroyers,” calling on them to “use your talents to propel us towards a renewable future."

“You must be the generation that manages to tackle the planetary emergency of climate change,” he added.

He warned the university graduates that the world that they are about to enter is full of dangers, adding that "we face conflicts and division on a scale not seen in decades — from Yemen to Syria, from Ethiopia to the Sahel and beyond."

In addition, Guterres indicated that the war in Ukraine "is causing immense human suffering, destruction, and death."