UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke at a news conference at UN headquarter in New York on October 17, 2022. Photo: Xinhua

He emphasized that this year’s theme - “Dignity for all in practice”, is an urgent call to global action because inequality is on the rise and economies and families continue to be affected by job loss, rising food and energy prices, and global recession. Sustainable Development Goals are becoming more difficult to achieve as climate change and military conflicts take their toll on the world’s poorest.

Guterres called for investments in people centered solutions that support a transition to renewable energy and a green economy in developing countries.