Guterres calls for cooperation and UN reform in final General Assembly address
In his farewell address to the UN General Assembly, Secretary-General António Guterres warned that widening divisions, conflict, inequality, climate change and artificial intelligence pose interconnected challenges. He urged countries to cooperate, reform the Security Council and establish shared safeguards for AI, while calling for action on conflicts and climate change.
Key points
- Guterres framed war and peace, inequality, climate change and AI as tests that could lead either to greater cooperation or deeper division.
Evidence · 2 source statements
Humanity faces four defining “tests of power” – around war or peace, inequality, climate change and AI – that will determine whether the world moves towards a new era of…
“Cracks have become canyons.”
- His address paired calls for practical cooperation—especially on AI—with a broader argument that international institutions and shared rules must adapt to a changing world.
Evidence · 5 source statements
Those countries leading this technological revolution must share information on emerging safety risks, cooperate on testing and evaluation – and work towards common safeguards…
work towards a multilateral AI risk management framework, supported by credible and independent oversight.
We must also reform the Security Council so that it reflects today’s world with the legitimacy and effectiveness that today’s challenges demand
A world in which multiple centres of influence coexist within a common framework of international law and shared rules
“a world built on interdependence – and sustained by a dense web of economic, political, social and technological connections”
- On conflict, he focused particularly on Gaza and the occupied West Bank, calling for compliance with international law and warning that settlement expansion threatens prospects for peace.
Evidence · 4 source statements
He renewed calls for compliance with International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders regarding Gaza
settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank threatens to extinguish the two-State solution.
- He presented climate change as a matter of intergenerational fairness, warning of severe and accelerating impacts and saying polluters must pay.
Evidence · 4 source statements
He reiterated his long-held view that the international financial system leaves developing nations crushed by debt while facing climate disasters they did little to cause.
Mr. Guterres said the crisis is the “most profound intergenerational power imbalance”, warning of a near-certain breach of the 1.5°C threshold.
"polluters must pay"
“But as tragic events have shown, impacts are arriving sooner, hitting harder, and spreading further than many anticipated.”
Who's involved
António Guterres
UN Secretary-General and speaker at the General Assembly.
He argued that countries must cooperate across borders because no power can solve current challenges alone, and military power by itself cannot secure peace.
What they said · 4 source statements
“military power alone cannot secure peace,”
"a world built on interdependence"
"Such a world can help us avoid hegemonic tendencies and also what I have called the Great Fracture: the division of the world into two rival blocs with separate economic,…
António Guterres
He proposed international action on a major issue addressed in the speech.
He called for shared AI safety measures, including risk information-sharing and a multilateral framework with credible, independent oversight; he said decisions over life and death should not be surrendered to machines.
What they said · 3 source statements
Those countries leading this technological revolution must share information on emerging safety risks, cooperate on testing and evaluation – and work towards common safeguards…
work towards a multilateral AI risk management framework, supported by credible and independent oversight.
“Life-and-death decisions must never be surrendered to machines,”
António Guterres
He used his address to call for changes to a central UN institution.
He said the Security Council should be reformed to reflect the contemporary world and have the legitimacy and effectiveness needed to address current challenges, including through permanent African representation.
What they said · 3 source statements
We must also reform the Security Council so that it reflects today’s world with the legitimacy and effectiveness that today’s challenges demand
Today, Africa still has no permanent seat on the Council.
A 21st-century Security Council without permanent African representation is unjust and indefensible.
António Guterres
He addressed conflicts and humanitarian conditions in the Middle East.
He called for de-escalation, humanitarian aid, compliance with international law and a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians.
What they said · 4 source statements
de-escalation and dialogue.
The fighting must stop. Humanitarian aid must flow. And navigational rights and freedoms must be fully restored in accordance with international law,
Guterres defended a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians
António Guterres
He made climate change a central subject of the address.
He said polluters must pay and warned that climate impacts are worsening, while developing nations bear debt and climate burdens.
What they said · 3 source statements
"polluters must pay"
“But as tragic events have shown, impacts are arriving sooner, hitting harder, and spreading further than many anticipated.”
He reiterated his long-held view that the international financial system leaves developing nations crushed by debt while facing climate disasters they did little to cause.
India
India has advocated Security Council reform and seeks a permanent seat.
India has argued that the Council does not reflect current geopolitical realities and that it deserves a permanent seat.
What they said · 2 source statements
saying the 15-nation Council, founded in 1945, is not fit for purpose in the 21st Century and does not reflect contemporary geopolitical realities.
it rightly deserves a permanent seat at the horse-shoe table.
Mark Malloch-Brown
He offered an assessment of public trust in the UN and demand for change.
He said the world still trusts the UN, while the global public wants change.
What they said · 1 source statement
“While the world still trusts the UN, the global public is eager for change,”
Alden Meyer
He commented on the climate arguments in the speech.
He said Guterres described both the consequences of climate inaction and the opportunities available through climate solutions.
What they said · 1 source statement
“He clearly laid out the stakes on the climate emergency – the horrific consequences of inaction and the tremendous opportunities in deploying the available solutions.”
What was reported
- Guterres delivered a farewell address to the General Assembly.
Reported independently by 2: BBC News, PTI
Evidence · 2 source statements
a farewell speech from UN Secretary General António Guterres
We must also reform the Security Council so that it reflects today’s world with the legitimacy and effectiveness that today’s challenges demand
- He said the world faced four defining tests: war or peace, inequality, climate change and AI.
One source: UN News
Evidence · 1 source statement
Humanity faces four defining “tests of power” – around war or peace, inequality, climate change and AI – that will determine whether the world moves towards a new era of…
- On AI, he called for countries at the forefront of development to share safety information, cooperate on testing and work toward common safeguards and a multilateral risk-management framework with independent oversight.
One source: CGTN
Evidence · 2 source statements
Those countries leading this technological revolution must share information on emerging safety risks, cooperate on testing and evaluation – and work towards common safeguards…
work towards a multilateral AI risk management framework, supported by credible and independent oversight.
- He said life-and-death decisions must never be handed to machines and warned that lethal autonomous weapons were moving from science fiction to military reality.
Reported independently by 2: TASS, UN News
Evidence · 2 source statements
“Life-and-death decisions must never be surrendered to machines,”
Humans are increasingly handing power to machines, with artificial agents going rogue and lethal autonomous weapons going from science fiction to military reality,
- On the Security Council, Guterres called for reform and described the absence of permanent African representation as unjust and indefensible.
One source: PTI
Evidence · 3 source statements
We must also reform the Security Council so that it reflects today’s world with the legitimacy and effectiveness that today’s challenges demand
Today, Africa still has no permanent seat on the Council.
A 21st-century Security Council without permanent African representation is unjust and indefensible.
- On Gaza and the wider Middle East, he called for de-escalation, an end to fighting, humanitarian aid to flow and compliance with international law and International Court of Justice orders.
Reported independently by 3: CGTN, El País, UN News
Evidence · 4 source statements
de-escalation and dialogue.
The fighting must stop. Humanitarian aid must flow. And navigational rights and freedoms must be fully restored in accordance with international law,
He renewed calls for compliance with International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders regarding Gaza
- He defended a two-state solution and warned that settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank threatens it.
Reported independently by 2: CGTN, UN News
Evidence · 2 source statements
Guterres defended a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians
settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank threatens to extinguish the two-State solution.
- Guterres warned that climate impacts were arriving sooner and hitting harder than many had anticipated, and described the 1.5°C threshold as near certain to be breached.
Reported independently by 2: The Guardian, UN News
Evidence · 2 source statements
“But as tragic events have shown, impacts are arriving sooner, hitting harder, and spreading further than many anticipated.”
Mr. Guterres said the crisis is the “most profound intergenerational power imbalance”, warning of a near-certain breach of the 1.5°C threshold.
- He argued that the international financial system leaves developing countries burdened by debt as they face climate disasters they did little to cause.
One source: UN News
Evidence · 1 source statement
He reiterated his long-held view that the international financial system leaves developing nations crushed by debt while facing climate disasters they did little to cause.
- He said power was shifting from governments toward a small number of private corporations and individuals.
Reported independently by 2: El País, TASS
Evidence · 2 source statements
a significant share of power is shifting from governments to a small group of private corporations and individuals.
How coverage differed
UN News and reports centered on Guterres’s address — These reports foregrounded Guterres’s broad account of widening divisions, interdependence and the connected challenges of conflict, climate and AI.
Chinese state-media coverage — This coverage gave particular attention to AI risks, safety information-sharing and the proposed multilateral risk-management framework.
Indian coverage — The Hindu’s report emphasized Security Council reform, Africa’s lack of a permanent seat and India’s own call for a permanent seat.
The Guardian’s coverage — The report focused on Guterres’s climate warnings and his criticism of polluters.
Still unclear
- No adopted AI framework or Security Council reform outcome was announced.
- The reports provide no response from Israeli or Palestinian representatives to Guterres’s remarks.
Not heard from
- Israeli and Palestinian representatives — Guterres addressed the conflict, settlement expansion and a two-state solution, but their own positions do not appear in the claims.
- Governments leading AI development, including the United States and China — Guterres called on leading AI countries to share safety information and cooperate, but their positions on his proposed framework are not included.