Donald Tusk calls on global community to combat threats together at UN

As the world leaders gather in New York for the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, on September 27 the President of European Council Donald Tusk in his speech called the global community to combat threats such as climate change and armed conflict together. He claimed that the world is in an environmental emergency as microplastics are spreading in the oceans. He further added that the world is reaching a point, beyond which we will only be able to mitigate climate change rather than reverse it. Tusk also called on members of the UN to “stop flirting with the dictators and authoritarian regimes”.

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First carbon-neutral continent

Donald Tusk also asserted that the European Union is doing everything possible to confront the environmental threat. Europe will soon implement the Paris Agreement and will become the first carbon-neutral continent. In 2017, the EU and its Member States also spent 20 billion euros to help developing countries tackle and adapt to climate change. While talking about the environmental emergency, Tusk also said that up to two hundred species become extinct each day. He has also witnessed the collapse of ice walls in Greenland and the melting glaciers in the Pamir in Tajikistan. He further talks about the Amazonia crisis and how little has been done. 

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Global concerns

Apart from the environmental issues, Tusk also talked about the rule of law, international solidarity, public life, and freedom. He claimed that to protect the truth, it is not enough to accuse others of promoting fake news. To protect freedom, it is not enough to talk about it in speeches and to protect the rule of law one has to accept that law should be above power. He concluded the speech by asserting that if the power of our world does not understand the importance of these global issues they will go down in history not as leaders but as fake leaders. 

“To protect the truth, it is not enough to accuse others of promoting fake news. Frankly speaking, it would be enough to simply stop lying. Today, too many politicians use lies as a permanent method to maintain power. To protect freedom, it is not enough to talk about it in speeches. You have to defend the rights of an individual everywhere and every day. You have to defend the freedom of speech and a free press. And you have to stop flirting with dictators and authoritarian regimes. To protect rule of law, you really have to accept that law should be above power, not at its beck and call. If you want to follow the principles of international solidarity, you always have to help the weaker, if they are attacked by the stronger and the ruthless. Like in the case of Ukraine, for example.”

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(With inputs from agencies)