At a global level we are facing multiple and very complex challenges that will require joint efforts, and that will have to face a scenario of divisions, high polarization, distrust of institutions and fragmentation of the geopolitical landscape. Global cooperation will be imperative to find solutions.
The war in Gaza, following the Hamas attacks on October 7, has meant that at least 34,904 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children. Nearly 80,000 Palestinians have been injured and, as of May 11, 1.7 million people, equivalent to more than 75% of the population, have been displaced, most of them multiple times.
This conflict, along with Russia’s war against Ukraine, where more than 10,500 civilians have been killed and millions of people displaced, require international cooperation to achieve solutions. There are also crises in other countries such as South Sudan, Myanmar, Haiti and many others.
Along with this, we must consider that, after the Covid-19 pandemic, for the first time in modern history, the global Human Development Index (HDI) decreased. Although a historical record is projected for 2023, the global figure hides large differences: while all the countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have recovered, in the case of the least developed countries, barely half have recovered. would have recovered. That is, the inequality between the upper and lower end of the HDI would be increasing every year since 2020, proof of the end of twenty years of progress and prosperity.
Thus, inequality continues to be one of the global challenges that we must face, something especially relevant in our Latin American region.
Another challenge is the weakness of democracies. In the same HDI report, the majority of respondents express their support for democracy, but they also support leaders who can undermine democratic principles.
We must remember that there are no human rights if there is no democracy. For several years, opinion polls such as Latinobarómetro have shown growing social unrest and growing distrust in institutions – such as Parliaments, political parties, churches or armed institutions. This reflects people’s frustration because democracies have not been able to respond to their expectations, just as economic systems have generated greater inequality.
We must also pay attention to the rise of populism, because the promise of quick solutions to complex problems undermines and erodes the institutional checks and balances necessary for a lasting democracy. Populist leaders often prioritize national interests over global cooperation, eroding efforts to reduce inequalities between nations.
Another crucial challenge – and one that populists use to their advantage – is security, a human right that our governments must guarantee. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2023), the Americas have the highest regional homicide rate in the world and high rates of homicidal violence caused by organized crime.
To combat crime and violence in addition to an effective, well-equipped and funded criminal justice system, strong police and intelligence, we also need more work, trust and solidarity between countries.
We certainly also need more global cooperation to address migration. A global challenge that, in Latin America, has caused more than 7.7 million Venezuelans to leave their country since 2018. Migration is a human right, but when countries are not prepared, it puts enormous pressure on the systems. local social services, such as education and health.
The triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and loss of biodiversity is perhaps the greatest threat to humanity and can only be addressed with the cooperation of nations. We are already seeing its consequences: droughts that last decades – and generate food insecurity –, floods, heat waves, fires and tornadoes. Phenomena that have increased in magnitude and frequency. If we do not work together, its effects will be even more devastating.
To address these global and intersectional challenges we need urgent systemic and structural transformation, through international cooperation, solidarity and a multilateral system that safeguards democracy, human rights, and preserves the dignity of people and communities to future generations. The only hope is to find a multilateral solution, because multilateralism works, but it has not been agile or effective enough. With a truly multilateral response, the world can still dream of achieving prosperity for all.
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