Opportunity to advance global cooperation

When world leaders gather for the annual United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York this week, they will do so amid myriad pressing challenges that range from climate change to the war clouds hovering over the Persian Gulf.

To overcome these challenges, the role of the UN must be strengthened, not weakened.

Take climate change for example. Global warming, sea level rise and carbon pollution have all worsened over the past few years, according to a science report released by the World Meteorological Organization on Sunday. Actually, the last five years have been the warmest on record, prompting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to label climate change as "the defining issue of our time".