UN chief issues stark warning, Arab leaders pledge commitment to climate goals on opening day of COP27 

Addressing world leaders gathered in Sharm El-Sheikh for COP27, Antonio Guterres insisted humanity must either cooperate in the fight against global warming, or perish. (Screenshot)
Short Url
Updated 08 November 2022
Follow

UN chief issues stark warning, Arab leaders pledge commitment to climate goals on opening day of COP27 

  • Antonio Guterres called for a new pact between rich and poor countries to cut emissions and phase out coal
  • Egypt’s Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and UAE’s Mohammed bin Zayed urged global cooperation to meet climate challenge 

SHARM EL-SHEIKH: The world is on the “highway to climate hell,” the UN secretary-general warned as he delivered an impassioned speech on the opening day of the Climate Change Conference in Egypt.

Addressing world leaders gathered in Sharm El-Sheikh for COP27, Antonio Guterres insisted humanity must either cooperate in the fight against global warming, or perish.

Guterres was unafraid to call out the world’s two largest economies — the US and China — for not working together closely enough to tackle environmental issues.

He added his voice to the calls for a new pact between rich and poor countries to make deeper cuts in emissions with financial help and the phasing out of coal in wealthy nations by 2030 and elsewhere by 2040.

“At the beginning of COP27, I am calling for a historic pact between developed and emerging economies, a climate solidarity pact. A pact in which all countries make an extra effort to reduce emissions this decade in line with the 1.5-degree goal,” said Guterres.

Guterres said: “Humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish. It is either a climate solidarity pact — or a collective suicide pact.”

He said such a pact would allow countries and international financial institutions to work together to provide financial and technical assistance to help emerging economies speed up their transition to renewable energy.

He said it would also end dependence on fossil fuels and provide universal, affordable, and sustainable energy for all.

A UN climate change report released in advance of COP27 said that although countries were bending the global emissions curve downward, efforts are still insufficient to stop the global temperature rising to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century.

COP27, which will run until Nov. 18, is the largest annual gathering on climate action involving heads of state, ministers and negotiators, along with climate activists.

Wael Aboulmagd, special representative to the COP27 president, told Reuters that the event will focus on securing separate “loss and damage” funds, or compensation payments to vulnerable countries already suffering from climate-related weather extremes. 

Last May, Egypt announced its intention to position itself as an impartial arbiter while hosting this year’s summit. “It is in the interest of the process that a perception of impartiality and equal distance from everyone is maintained,” said Aboulmagd.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi used his opening address to urge countries to do more to build trust that environmental concerns are being taken seriously.




Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, president of host nation Egypt, at the opening address at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh on Monday. (Shady Francis)

“Trust will be the best guarantee of our success and progress and achieving our goals,” said El-Sisi.

He also called for action that would have tangible effects on global warming. “From this rostrum, I urge you to become the model that the world hopes,” he added.

El-Sisi said that humanity’s future is a shared one and that it had “one goal and one hope, that same hope we cherish also here.”

“Climate change will never stop without our intervention … Our time here is limited and we must use every second that we have,” El-Sisi added.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, president of the UAE, said in his address that climate change will magnify already intricate and complex challenges such as global stability and security.




President Mohammed bin Zayed of the UAE on the opening day of COP27. (Shady Francis)

He said all must cooperate to tackle climate change and use it as an opportunity for innovation and building new economies.

“Since we only have one planet, it is essential that we bring together our efforts to address this challenge,” he said.

He said the UAE would continue to be a reliable producer of energy as long as it was needed. “The UAE is known as a responsible supplier of energy and will continue to play this role for as long as the world needs oil and gas.

“We will focus on lowering carbon emissions emanating from this sector.”

The UAE has announced a strategic initiative for carbon neutrality by 2050.

Sheikh Mohammed lauded his country’s recent agreement with the US to invest $100 billion in clean energy and produce 100 gigawatts of clean energy in various parts of the world.

The UAE will focus on supporting the implementation of the outcomes of the previous COPs as they prepare for COP28 in Dubai in 2023, he said.  

Guterres said that around 3.5 billion people currently live in countries that are vulnerable to climate change.

“We desperately need progress on adaptation. In Glasgow (COP26 last year), developed countries promised to double adaptation support to $40 billion a year by 2025. And we must recognize that this is only a first step. Adaptation needs are set to grow to more than $300 billion a year by 2030,” he said.

He urged financial institutions and banks to aid the world’s transition away from fossil fuels, and invest in new technology.

Guterres added that the war in Ukraine exposed the profound risks of fossil fuel addiction.

“Human activity is the cause of the climate problem. Human action must be the solution. Action to re-establish ambition. And the action to rebuild trust between the north and the south,” he said.

He added that humans now have the financial and technological tools to achieve climate goals, and nations should come together and implement these targets.

“It is time for international solidarity across the board,” he said. “A solidarity that respects all human rights and guarantees a safe space for environmental defenders and all actors in society to contribute to our climate response.”


US mulls giving millions to controversial Gaza aid foundation, sources say

Updated 07 June 2025
Follow

US mulls giving millions to controversial Gaza aid foundation, sources say

  • The plan has met resistance from some US officials concerned with the deadly shootings of Palestinians near aid distribution sites and the competence of the GHF, the two sources said

WASHINGTON: The State Department is weighing giving $500 million to the new foundation providing aid to war-shattered Gaza, according to two knowledgeable sources and two former US officials, a move that would involve the US more deeply in a controversial aid effort that has been beset by violence and chaos.
The sources and former US officials, all of whom requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said that money for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) would come from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which is being folded into the US State Department.
The plan has met resistance from some US officials concerned with the deadly shootings of Palestinians near aid distribution sites and the competence of the GHF, the two sources said.
The GHF, which has been fiercely criticized by humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, for an alleged lack of neutrality, began distributing aid last week amid warnings that most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli aid blockade, which was lifted on May 19 when limited deliveries were allowed to resume.
The foundation has seen senior personnel quit and had to pause handouts twice this week after crowds overwhelmed its distribution hubs.
The State Department and GHF did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Reuters has been unable to establish who is currently funding the GHF operations, which began in Gaza last week. The GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to transport aid into Gaza for distribution at so-called secure distribution sites.
On Thursday, Reuters reported that a Chicago-based private equity firm, McNally Capital, has an “economic interest” in the for-profit US contractor overseeing the logistics and security of GHF’s aid distribution hubs in the enclave.
While US President Donald Trump’s administration and Israel say they don’t finance the GHF operation, both have been pressing the United Nations and international aid groups to work with it.
The US and Israel argue that aid distributed by a long-established UN aid network was diverted to Hamas. Hamas has denied that.
USAID has been all but dismantled. Some 80 percent of its programs have been canceled and its staff face termination as part of President Donald Trump’s drive to align US foreign policy with his “America First” agenda.
One source with knowledge of the matter and one former senior official said the proposal to give the $500 million to GHF has been championed by acting deputy USAID Administrator Ken Jackson, who has helped oversee the agency’s dismemberment.
The source said that Israel requested the funds to underwrite GHF’s operations for 180 days.
The Israeli government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The two sources said that some US officials have concerns with the plan because of the overcrowding that has affected the aid distribution hubs run by GHF’s contractor, and violence nearby.
Those officials also want well-established non-governmental organizations experienced in running aid operations in Gaza and elsewhere to be involved in the operation if the State Department approves the funds for GHF, a position that Israel likely will oppose, the sources said.
Gaza hospital officials have said more than 80 people had been shot dead and hundreds wounded near GHF’s distribution points between June 1-3.
Since launching its operation, the GHF has opened three hubs, but over the past two days, only two of them have been functioning.
Witnesses blamed Israeli soldiers for the killings. The Israeli military said it fired warning shots on two days, while on Tuesday it said soldiers had fired at Palestinian “suspects” advancing toward their positions.


Activist boat says rescues migrants en route to Gaza

Updated 06 June 2025
Follow

Activist boat says rescues migrants en route to Gaza

  • The Madleen has “a 12-member crew of peaceful activists” headed for Gaza “with the aim of breaking the blockade of Palestine by the state of Israel,” the March to Gaza Greece group said

ATHENS: A vessel organized by an international activist coalition to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza has rescued several migrants from the sea near Crete, a support group in Greece said on Friday.
The Madleen, launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, said it had received a distress signal from a boat in the Mediterranean, forcing it to change course off the coast of Crete.
The Madleen has “a 12-member crew of peaceful activists” headed for Gaza “with the aim of breaking the blockade of Palestine by the state of Israel,” the March to Gaza Greece group said.
“Upon arrival (at the scene), it discovered that the boat was sinking with approximately 30-35 people aboard.”
At that point, the Madleen was approached by a ship that initially identified itself as Egyptian.
“The activists aboard the Madleen quickly realized that this was a false identification and that the ship was, in fact, a Libyan coast guard vessel,” they said.
“Libya is not considered a safe country and for this reason some of the refugees jumped into the sea to avoid being returned there.
“The Madleen rescued four Sudanese individuals who had jumped into the water and brought them aboard.”
After several hours of calls for assistance, a Frontex vessel eventually picked up the rescued individuals, the group said, referring to the European Union’s border and coast guard agency.
The Madleen sailed from Sicily on Sunday.
Those on board include climate activist Greta Thunberg.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, launched in 2010, is a non-violent international movement supporting Palestinians.
It combines humanitarian aid with political protest against the Israeli blockade of Gaza.
Israel has come under increasing international criticism over the critical humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory.
It blocked all aid into Gaza on March 2. The United Nations warned on May 30 that the entire population of more than two million was at risk of famine.
Fighters from Palestinian group Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
A total of 1,218 people died, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
The militants abducted 251 hostages, 55 of whom remain in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military says are dead.
Since October 2023, Israel’s retaliatory war on Hamas-run Gaza has killed 54,677 people there, mostly civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry.
The United Nations deems the health ministry figures to be reliable.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
 

 


Iraq frees Australian, Egyptian engineers after four years, but keeps travel ban

Iraqi police stand guard in Baghdad. (AFP file photo)
Updated 06 June 2025
Follow

Iraq frees Australian, Egyptian engineers after four years, but keeps travel ban

  • Both men were sentenced to five years in prison and fined $12 million, the working group said

BAGHDAD: Iraq has released an Australian mechanical engineer and his Egyptian colleague who were detained for more than four years over a dispute with the central bank, authorities said Friday, though the two remain barred from leaving the country.
Robert Pether and Khalid Radwan were working for an engineering company contracted to oversee the construction of the bank’s new Baghdad headquarters, according to a United Nations report, when they were arrested in April 2021.
A report from a working group for the UN Human Rights Council said the arrests stemmed from a contractual dispute over “alleged failure to execute certain payments.”
Both men were sentenced to five years in prison and fined $12 million, the working group said.
A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Pether, in his fifties, was released “due to his poor health.”
Australian media have previously reported that the family suspected Pether had developed lung cancer in prison and that he had undergone surgery for skin cancer.
A second Iraqi official confirmed the release of Radwan, adding that he was not allowed to leave the country until a “final decision” was made regarding his case.
Australia’s ABC broadcaster quoted the country’s foreign minister, Penny Wong, as welcoming the release and saying the Australian government had raised the issue with Iraqi authorities more than 200 times.
Simon Harris, foreign minister for Ireland, where Pether’s family lives, posted on X: “This evening, I have been informed of the release on bail of Robert Pether, whose imprisonment in Iraq has been a case of great concern.
“This is very welcome news in what has been a long and distressing saga for Robert’s wife, three children and his wider family and friends.”
Speaking to Irish national broadcaster RTE, Pether’s wife, Desree Pether, said her husband was “not well at all” and “really needs to just come home so he can get the proper medical care he needs.”
“He’s completely unrecognizable. It’s a shock to the system to see how far he has declined,” she said.
 

 


Syrian leader makes first visit to cradle of country’s uprising

Updated 06 June 2025
Follow

Syrian leader makes first visit to cradle of country’s uprising

  • SANA published footage showing a cheering crowd greeting Sharaa
  • Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab visited Daraa’s historic Omari mosque during the trip

DAMASCUS: Syrian Arab Republic’s interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa on Friday visited the southern city of Daraa, the cradle of the country’s uprising, for the first time since ousting longtime ruler Bashar Assad almost six months ago.

State news agency SANA published footage showing a cheering crowd greeting Sharaa, who was seen waving and shaking hands with people during the visit, which came on the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha.

Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab visited Daraa’s historic Omari mosque during the trip, the presidency said in a statement, releasing images of the visit showing the leader among the crowd.

SANA also said he met with local civil and military officials, as well as a delegation from the Christian minority.

Provincial governor Anwar Al-Zoabi said in a statement that the visit was “an important milestone in the course of national recovery.”

In 2011, young boys who had scrawled graffiti against Assad were detained in Daraa, sparking nationwide protests.

After the war erupted following the brutal repression of protests, rebels seized control of Daraa and hung on until 2018, when the city returned to Assad under a deal mediated by Russia that allowed former fighters to keep their light weapons.

On December 6, as Sharaa’s Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) led a lightning offensive on Damascus from the country’s northwest, a coalition of armed groups from Daraa province was formed to help oust Assad, who was toppled two days later.

The province was plagued by unrest in recent years.


Grandmother files war crimes case in Paris over Gaza killings

Updated 06 June 2025
Follow

Grandmother files war crimes case in Paris over Gaza killings

  • The complaint argues the “genocide” allegation is based on the air strike being part of a larger Israeli project to “eliminate the Palestinian population and submit it to living conditions of a nature to entail the destruction of their group”

PARIS: The grandmother of two children with French nationality killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza has filed a legal complaint in Paris, accusing Israel of “genocide” and “murder,” her lawyer said on Friday.

Jacqueline Rivault filed her complaint with the “crimes against humanity” section of the Court of Paris, lawyer Arie Alimi said.
Rivault hopes the fact that her daughter’s children, aged six and nine, were French citizens means the country’s judiciary will decide it has jurisdiction to designate a magistrate to investigate the allegations.
Rights groups, lawyers, and some Israeli historians have described the Gaza war as “genocide.”

FASTFACT

Jacqueline Rivault filed her complaint with the ‘crimes against humanity’ section of the Court of Paris, lawyer Arie Alimi said.

The complaint states that “two F16 missiles fired by the Israeli army” killed Janna, six, and Abderrahim Abudaher, nine, in northern Gaza on October 24, 2023.
They and their family had sought refuge in another home “between Faluja and Beit Lahia” after leaving their own two days earlier due to heavy bombardment, the 48-page document stated.
One missile entered “through the roof and the second directly into the room where the family was,” it said.
Abderrahim was killed instantly, while his sister Janna died shortly after being taken to the hospital.
The complaint argues the “genocide” allegation is based on the air strike being part of a larger Israeli project to “eliminate the Palestinian population and submit it to living conditions of a nature to entail the destruction of their group.”
Though formally against unnamed parties, the complaint explicitly targets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli government, and the military.
The children’s brother Omar was severely wounded but still lives in Gaza with their mother, identified as Yasmine Z., the complaint said.
A French court in 2019 convicted Yasmine Z. in absentia of having funded a “terrorist” group by distributing money in Gaza to members of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed 54,677 people, mostly civilians, according to the Health Ministry there, figures the UB deems reliable.
No court has so far ruled that the ongoing conflict is a genocide.
But in rulings in January, March, and May 2024, the International Court of Justice, the UN’s highest judicial organ, told Israel to do everything possible to “prevent” acts of genocide during its military operations in Gaza.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.