At WION Global summit, UNGA President Abdulla Shahid laments rise in military spending

Abdulla Shahid, the president of the United Nations General Assembly, addressing WION's Global Summit 2022, lamented that states are increasing their military spending.

Shahid added that conflicts including the military aggression in Ukraine, undermine global security while compounding global humanitarian issues.

Addressing the fifth edition of WION's annual summit in Dubai, Shahid added that long-standing issues of peace and security remain unresolved across the globe.

LIVE | WION's Global Summit 2022: World leaders converge to discuss thoughts

Lauding WION's initiative, Shahid said "This summit remains a significant platform for interactive multi-stakeholder discussions. It takes place at a critical time as our world faces many interlinked challenges which demand our urgent action."

WION's Global Summit is taking place against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine which Russian President Vladimir Putin has called a "special military operation" to rid the country of fascists.

Abdulla, who is also the Foreign Minister of Maldives, said thousands of people have died and will continue to die due to conflicts unless a non-violent solution is figured out.

According to Shahid, climate change poses a huge threat to the world and should be taken lightly.

Highlighting the need for gender equality in the world, he said we cannot neglect half of the world's population.

Watch WION's live TV: