Outgoing UN secretary general António Guterres used his final address to the General Assembly to warn that the world's fault lines have widened into canyons and that superpowers alone cannot solve global problems.
Key facts
- António Guterres delivered his final address to the UN General Assembly as outgoing secretary general.
- He said superpowers do not have the military, economic and technological power to guarantee security or solve the world's problems.
- Guterres described his roughly 10-year tenure as a period of wars, weaponised hunger and eroded international law.
- He warned that the climate crisis has moved from distant warning to daily reality and that AI has advanced faster than even its creators anticipated.
The world’s fault lines have turned from cracks into canyons, and superpowers alone do not have the military, economic and technological power to guarantee security or solve the world’s problems, the outgoing secretary general of the United Nations said in his final address to the general assembly, according to the Guardian.
António Guterres, whose 10-year period in office is drawing to a close, delivered a speech the Guardian described as laced with despair but also glimpses of defiant hope. He said humanity faces an unprecedented convergence of threats while the mechanisms for collective action are under growing strain.
Reflecting on the last decade, Guterres said wars had erupted with devastating consequences and dragged on with despicable cruelty. He said civilians were targeted, human rights trampled, hunger weaponised, humanitarians killed and international law cast aside.
Guterres also pointed to deepening geopolitical divides, intensifying inequalities and fraying trust. He described how the climate crisis had gone from a distant warning to a daily reality over the course of his tenure.
On technology, the secretary general said artificial intelligence had moved at a speed that has blindsided even those who created it, underscoring the challenges of governing rapid change through existing international structures.
Taken together, his remarks framed a sober assessment of the state of global cooperation as he prepares to leave office, warning that the tools designed for collective action are increasingly strained.
Why it matters
The secretary general's parting message reflects wider concerns about whether international institutions can respond to overlapping crises from conflict to climate change. His warning that even superpowers cannot solve these problems alone highlights the stakes for global cooperation in the years ahead.
Frequently asked questions
Who is António Guterres?
António Guterres is the outgoing secretary general of the United Nations, whose roughly 10-year term in office is coming to an end, according to the Guardian.
What did Guterres say in his final General Assembly address?
He said the world's fault lines had turned from cracks into canyons and that superpowers alone lack the military, economic and technological power to guarantee security or solve the world's problems.
What threats did Guterres highlight?
He cited wars, targeted civilians, weaponised hunger, eroded international law, deepening geopolitical divides, rising inequality, the climate crisis and the rapid advance of artificial intelligence.