United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Thursday that the world is sliding deeper into chaos, marked by growing conflict, impunity and unpredictability, as international cooperation frays at a moment when it is most urgently needed.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly in what he said would be his final annual address setting out priorities, Guterres said the global system was under unprecedented strain from wars, deepening divisions, climate breakdown and the erosion of respect for international law.
“The context is chaos,” Guterres told delegates. “We are a world brimming with conflict, impunity, inequality and unpredictability.”
Rather than outlining a list of initiatives for the coming year, Guterres said he wanted to focus on broader forces shaping the global order, arguing that multilateralism itself was being tested as geopolitical rivalries intensify and funding for development and humanitarian work is cut.
“That is the paradox of our era: at a time when we need international cooperation the most, we seem to be the least inclined to use it and invest in it,” he said, adding: “Some seek to put international cooperation on deathwatch. I can assure you: we will not give up.”
Guterres highlighted ongoing UN engagement in conflicts including Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and Yemen, but stressed that ending fighting alone would not bring lasting stability. “Peace is more than the absence of war,” he said, arguing that poverty, inequality and weak institutions continue to fuel violence.
He also warned of what he described as a visible erosion of international law, pointing to attacks on civilians and humanitarian workers, the silencing of dissent, unconstitutional changes of government and widespread human rights abuses.
“The erosion of international law is not happening in the shadows,” he said. “It is unfolding before the eyes of the world, on our screens, live in 4K.”
The UN chief raised alarm about growing economic inequality, noting that the richest 1% now hold 43% of global financial assets, calling the concentration of wealth and power “morally indefensible”.
Turning to technology, Guterres cautioned against the unchecked rise of artificial intelligence, warning that algorithms shaping public life must not be controlled by a small number of companies. “We must ensure humanity steers technology, not the other way around,” he said.
On climate change, he warned that a world in climate chaos “cannot be a world at peace”, urging faster emissions cuts, a just transition away from fossil fuels and increased climate finance, even as a temporary overshoot of the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold now appears inevitable.
Guterres also renewed calls for reform of global institutions, including international financial bodies and the UN Security Council, saying structures designed in the aftermath of World War Two were no longer fit for today’s challenges. “1945 problem-solving will not solve 2026 problems,” he said.
Striking a personal note, Guterres reminded delegates that the address marked his final year setting out UN priorities. “I will make every day of 2026 count,” he said, pledging to remain fully committed to pushing for what he described as a more just and peaceful world.
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