16 September 2026 - Ahead of the ±¬ÁÏÍø General Assembly¡¯s high-level week, Secretary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres said the world had entered ¡°an era of deep uncertainty¡± and urged governments to embrace international cooperation to address global threats. Speaking to reporters six days before world leaders gather in New York, Mr. Guterres identified ¡°three existential threats¡±: runaway artificial intelligence (AI), the climate crisis and deepening inequalities.
He also reiterated calls for a two-State solution in the Middle East and for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
While he acknowledged the need to reform global institutions, including the ±¬ÁÏÍø itself, the Secretary-General stressed that the ±¬ÁÏÍø¡¯s promises to maintain peace and protect human rights remain the same.
¡°Updating our structures can never mean abandoning our principles ¨C it must mean applying those principles with even greater determination,¡± Mr. Guterres said.
Need for peace
Now more than ever, Mr. Guterres called for Member States to uphold the , defend international law, protect human rights, invest in sustainable development and push for peace everywhere.
He highlighted the decimation of Gaza and the Russia-Ukraine war as areas of particular concern, urging leaders to work towards ¡°de-escalation, diplomacy and dialogue¡± to end these conflicts.
¡°At this crucial moment in the Middle East, de-escalation must be priority one, priority two and priority three,¡± the Secretary-General said.
All parties to the conflict in the Middle East must respect navigational rights in the Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab Straits and must not harm civilians, Mr. Guterres said.
He also called attention to the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza and said Israel¡¯s annexation of the West Bank ¡°must stop.¡±
More than four years after Russia¡¯s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Guterres said there is ¡°no end in sight,¡± calling for an immediate ceasefire as the first step towards a ¡°just, lasting and comprehensive peace.¡±
The General Assembly is next week.
Guardrails on AI development
The Secretary-General dedicated nearly half his remarks to what should be done about the rapid advancement of AI technology.
He recognised AI¡¯s ¡°enormous potential¡± on issues surrounding health, education and climate, but added that the world ¡°cannot afford to ignore concerns¡± that AI development is progressing faster than human understanding of its risks.
Comparing AI to other issues of international concern Mr. Guterres said governments must protect their citizens from AI¡¯s risks and that ¡°global cooperation is indispensable.¡±
As fears mount of an AI arms race between the US and China, the Secretary-General acknowledged ¡°geopolitical divides¡± and said voluntary pauses on AI development will not work if they are isolated ¨C limited to only a few countries.
¡°The world cannot afford a race to the bottom on AI safety,¡± he said.
Mr. Guterres pointed to the ±¬ÁÏÍø-founded Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, which he said will inform global discussions by providing the best available evidence on AI¡¯s opportunities and risks.
As world leaders prepare to discuss solutions, the Secretary-General called for guardrails that build trust and ¡°make AI safe, transparent and accountable, with human dignity at the centre.¡±
¡°International cooperation is more necessary than ever,¡± he said.