World at turning point, Poland’s Duda tells UN finance summit
Polish President Andrzej Duda told a UN conference in Seville that nations face a historic chance to steer global efforts toward sustainable growth, social justice and poverty relief amid widening inequality, climate change and conflict.
Polish President Andrzej Duda.Photo: PAP/Marcin Obara
Polish President Andrzej Duda told delegates on Monday the world had reached a “turning point” and urged nations to unite behind goals for sustainable growth, social justice and poverty eradication.
Addressing the fourth UN International Conference on Financing for Development, Duda said Seville’s multicultural heritage made it an apt setting to debate solutions to “the challenges of the modern world.”
“We face a historic opportunity to chart the direction of global efforts,” he said.
The president warned climate change was hitting the poorest countries hardest, even though they had contributed least to the problem. Economic gaps were widening, with access to education, healthcare and innovation “still a privilege of the richest,” he added.
Armed conflicts were destabilizing many regions, underscoring the need for immediate collective action. “It is necessary that we act together today,” he said.
Duda argued that development finance had become “one of the most important tools” for building resilient and fair societies worldwide. Poland, he noted, was “consistently increasing” its role in global development work.
U.N. programs support least-developed and developing states as they pursue the Millennium Development Goals adopted in 2001, which commit all member countries to address issues critical to poorer nations.
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Source: PAP
