AFP
The United Nations General Assembly is expected to highlight the many global crises on Wednesday, starting with the war in Ukraine, after world leaders on Tuesday expressed their fears and divisions over the risks and challenges.

"The purchasing power crisis is worsening, confidence is fading, inequalities are increasing and our planet is burning," said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the opening of the General Assembly, denouncing what he described as a "massive imbalance" that hinders addressing problems and finding effective solutions to them.

The Secretary-General considered that "these crises threaten the future of humanity and the fate of the planet. ... Let us not deceive ourselves. Global discontent looms in the winter."

This speech was echoed by about thirty heads of state and government who continued to speak from the podium of the United Nations on the first day of this great annual diplomatic gathering, which returned to be held in presence after two years dominated by the Covid-19 epidemic.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, his American counterpart Joe Biden and the new British Prime Minister Liz Truss will speak on Wednesday.

- Zelensky via video -

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will take over the speech via video link under special permission approved by UN member states last week.

And Ukraine will be at the center of the words of world leaders, especially the US president, at a time when the White House on Tuesday condemned "sham" referendums in Ukraine.

And the authorities appointed by Moscow in four Ukrainian regions announced the organization of referendums on joining Russia, which will take place from 23 to 27 September. From the rostrum of the General Assembly, the German chancellor stressed that they were "fake" referendums that we will not accept, while Emmanuel Macron spoke of a "farce".

However, the countries of the South are resentful of the Western countries' focus on Ukraine while all humanity suffers from several crises.

- 'Nutritional needs' -

On Tuesday, Americans, Europeans and Africans pledged in a joint declaration to act "urgently, broadly, and in coordination to meet the urgent food needs of hundreds of millions of people around the world."

The French president said that the time was not appropriate for "a mixed choice between east and west, between north and south, and then a responsibility for all those who cling to peace, which is the most precious thing we have," directly accusing Russia of being responsible for "the resurgence of imperialist and colonial conflicts."

Senegalese President Macky Sall, who chairs the African Union, stressed the need to "move together," adding, "I came to say that Africa has suffered enough from the burden of history and does not want to be the scene of a new cold war."

The tension caused by the war in Ukraine has echoed resentment between north and south about fighting climate change.

Poor countries, which bear the brunt of the devastating repercussions of climate warming and are not responsible for it, are especially struggling to get rich countries to honor their promises of financial assistance.

- Women's rights in Iran -

“It is time for the excesses of these endless talks,” said Antonio Guterres, calling on rich countries to tax profits from fossil-energy companies and “direct” them to countries suffering “losses and damages” from climate change and to people suffering from inflation.

Less than two months before the United Nations Climate Conference (COP27) in Egypt, he also called for an end to "our suicidal war against nature."

The Iranian nuclear program is among the issues of concern to the international community.

Emmanuel Macron stressed after a long meeting with his Iranian counterpart, "The ball is now in Iran's court," while negotiations to revive an agreement concluded in 2015 on the Iranian nuclear program are at an impasse.

He also confirmed that he and Raisi stressed the respect for women's rights in Iran at a time when demonstrations took place in several Iranian cities after the death of a young woman who was arrested by the morality police.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric praised this woman, Mahsa Amini, and called for "an end to the abuses of influential people wherever they are."