WE CAN FIX IT ALL, TOGETHER
Biden’s hopeful call for unity at UN gathering
President Biden passionately called on world leaders to work together to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic, address the challenges of climate change and human rights abuses in his first address as president to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.
Seeking to usher in a new era of U.S. leadership, Biden vowed to respect allies and partners as America shows the way to defeat the ever more difficult shared problems facing the entire globe. He decried military conflict and insisted the U.S. is not seeking “a new Cold War” with China.
“We’re opening a new era of relentless diplomacy, of using the power of our development aid to invest in new ways of lifting people up around the world,” Biden said.
The president offered an impassioned plea for cooperation, to friends and adversaries, arguing that overcoming a daunting list of crises “will hinge on our ability to recognize our common humanity.”
Biden said the U.S., under his watch, had reached a turning point with the end of military operations in Afghanistan last month, closing out America’s longest war. That set the table, he said, for his administration to shift its attention to intensive diplomacy at a moment with no shortage of crises facing the globe.
“Bombs and bullets cannot defend against COVID-19, or its future variants,” he added. “To fight this pandemic, we need a collective act of science and political will.”
The president also called climate change an existential challenge for a world already facing a “code red” increase in temperatures worldwide and pledged to double U.S. financial aid to poorer countries to help switch to cleaner energy.
Putting their money where their mouth is, the Biden administration plans to increase economic assistance to about $11.4 billion a year — after five months ago doubling the amount to $5.7 billion a year. The 2024 goal is to reach the $11.4 billion mark.
“We will lead on all the greatest challenges of our time from COVID to climate,” he said. “But we will not lead alone. We will go together.”
Biden also called for diplomacy to solve rifts with rivals like Iran and North Korea while warning that the U.S. would continue to flex its military muscle when needed.
He repeated America’s “unshakeable” support for Israel, but insisted that the U.S. remains committed to a two-state solution to the conflict with the
Palestinians.
Boosting human rights, he name-checked China’s oppression of Uyghur minority and Ethiopia’s crackdown in its northern region of Tigray as intolerable violations of global norms.
Biden sought to play down concerns about China tensions escalating into something more, saying: “We are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs.” Notably, Biden didn’t utter the word “China” in his 34-minute address.
“We will choose to build a better future. We, you and I, we have the will and capacity to make it better. Ladies and gentlemen, we cannot afford to waste any more time,” he said. “We can do this.”
Biden met with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in New York following his speech, before heading back to the White House for a busy week of diplomacy in virtual and Washington settings.
The president’s advisers were still arranging for Biden to hold a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Sunday that Macron, who was among many world leaders who did not attend the UNGA in person, is expected to speak to Biden in the coming days.