UN Chief Highlights Development as Path to Hope at UNSC

Sudan Events – Sumaya Sayed

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday emphasized the significance of development and expressed gratitude to China for organizing a debate on this vital issue at the Security Council.
“I thank the Government of China for convening this debate on the vital link between development and sustaining peace,” said the secretary-general.
Guterres further said that development by itself is not enough to secure peace, adding that no peace is secure without inclusive and sustainable development.
“And no failure is more calamitous than the failure to prevent conflict. Indeed, development gains are often among the first casualties of war,” Guterres added.
The UN chief said the closer a country is to conflict, the farther it is from sustainable and inclusive development.
“Nine of the ten countries with the lowest Human Development Indicators have experienced conflicts or violence in the past ten years,” he noted.
“Inequalities and lack of opportunities, decent jobs, and freedom can breed frustration and raise the spectre of violence and instability,” he added.