Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the global system is under unprecedented strain from wars, deepening divisions, climate breakdown, and the erosion of respect for international law. He framed his address as both a diagnosis of the current global disorder and a personal commitment to press for change during his final year in office, emphasizing that “the context is chaos” with the world brimming with conflict, impunity, inequality, and unpredictability.
Rather than listing immediate initiatives, Mr. Guterres focused on the larger forces and megatrends shaping the world, identifying principles that should guide the United Nations and its Member States. He noted that geopolitical divisions are widening while cuts to development and humanitarian funding undermine multilateralism, highlighting the paradox that global cooperation is most needed at a time when it is least used. He vowed that the UN will not abandon international cooperation despite these challenges.
The Secretary-General emphasized that peace is more than the absence of war, pointing out that poverty, inequality, lack of development, and weak institutions continue to fuel violence. He highlighted ongoing UN efforts in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and Yemen, arguing that sustainable peace requires sustainable development.
Mr. Guterres expressed concern about the visible erosion of international law, citing attacks on civilians and humanitarian workers, unconstitutional changes of government, suppression of dissent, human rights violations, and the plundering of resources. He also warned about the growing concentration of wealth, noting that the richest one percent hold 43 percent of global financial assets, which he described as morally indefensible.
Addressing emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, he cautioned that algorithms shaping public life must not be controlled by a handful of companies, stressing that humanity must steer technology rather than be controlled by it. On climate change, he warned that a world in climate chaos cannot be at peace and called for faster emissions reductions, a just transition from fossil fuels, and scaled-up climate finance, stressing that a temporary overshoot of the 1.5°C threshold is inevitable but not irreversible.
Mr. Guterres also urged reform of global institutions, including international financial bodies and the Security Council, warning that structures designed in 1945 are ill-suited to solve 2026 problems and will lose legitimacy if they fail to reflect today’s world.
He concluded with a personal note, reminding delegates that this would be his last annual priorities address and pledging to make every day of 2026 count. Since taking office in January 2017, he has led the UN amid moments of both optimism for multilateralism, such as the adoption of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and escalating global challenges that continue to test international cooperation.
