STORY: G20 foreign ministers meet at UN headquarters on reform of global governance
SHOOTING TIME: Sept. 25, 2024
DATELINE: Sept. 26, 2024
LENGTH: 00:03:08
LOCATION: UN headquarters
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the meeting
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
3. various of Guterres speaking
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
5. various of the meeting
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): PHILEMON YANG, President of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly
7. various of delegates

STORYLINE:

Foreign ministers of the Group of 20 (G20) members gathered at the United Nations headquarters for the first time on Wednesday, on the sidelines of the General Debate of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly.
   
The meeting, chaired by Brazil and open to all UN member states, focused on debates on the reform of global governance, and discusses global measures to tackle hunger and poverty, promote sustainable development and a just energy transition, and other issues.
   
In remarks at the meeting, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on global institutions to work together, "not on parallel or conflicting tracks," to tackle the many challenges facing the world today -- inequality, financing for development, the climate crisis, the impact of new technologies.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
"In all these areas, progress is slipping out of reach as our world becomes more unsustainable, unequal and unpredictable. Conflicts are raging. The climate crisis is accelerating. Inequalities are growing and new technologies have unprecedented potential for good and bad. Global institutions must work together, not on parallel or conflicting tracks, they must cooperate and collaborate for the good of humanity and the Summit of the Future was an essential first step."
   
Guterres stressed that G20 members can act in three specific areas: finance; climate; and strong, inclusive, legitimate global institutions and tools to tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow.
   
He noted that the international community needs to reform the international financial architecture to make it fully representative of today's global economy, so it can provide strong support to implement the Sustainable Development Goals.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
"We are at a critical moment: a battle to prevent temperatures from rising above the agreed limit of 1.5 degrees. Today's decisions and actions will determine the course of our world for decades to come. The climate crisis transcends borders and politics. Climate action cannot be a victim of geopolitical competition. Under G20 leadership, we will be able to have drastic reductions in fossil fuel production and consumption as an essential element for climate action."

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): PHILEMON YANG, President of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly
"I call on the G20 to take decisive steps in advancing the outcomes of that summit, particularly in reforming the international financial architecture to make it more equitable and effective for all nations. G20 countries, representing approximately 60 percent of the global population and contributing around 85% of the world's GDP, bear the responsibility of leading the charge in realizing the ambitious goals set out in the pact of the future."

The meeting was attended by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and foreign ministers of G20 members, with the participation of other UN member countries.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from UN headquarters.
(XHTV)