Guterres warns divided world must unite on AI, climate and inequality

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said the world is facing deep divisions, a paralysed Security Council and a growing sense of impunity, but he believes there is still a way forward if governments work together. In an interview ahead of the annual UN General Assembly meeting, Guterres said cooperation is essential to curb conflict, reduce inequality and deal with the fast-growing challenge of artificial intelligence.

Guterres, who will leave office at the end of the year after nearly a decade in the job, said he still sees hope in the years ahead. "I believe in a number of fundamental things that need to be done, and need to happen for the world to be better - and I'm determined to fight to make those things happen," he said.

His message to leaders and ministers from the UN's 193 member nations was direct. He said they must "very seriously analyse" the fact that the world is facing "at least three existential problems -- runaway artificial intelligence, galloping climate change, and escalating inequality that is becoming a serious driver of instability and conflict".

Guterres said a "huge geopolitical divide" and paralysis in the Security Council have created an atmosphere in which powerful countries can ignore international law and the UN Charter. He cited Russia's invasion of Ukraine and US attacks on Iran, both involving permanent Security Council members with veto power. "Many countries say, 'If superpowers can violate the law, why can't we?'" he said. "And so what we are seeing around the world is more and more situations in which countries simply do not care. They do whatever they want, knowing that there will be total impunity."

He said these violations have caused death and widespread destruction, and that the war in Ukraine and the wider Middle East conflict are having "a dramatic impact" on the global economy. Food and energy prices are rising, interest rates are going up and developing countries are finding it harder to meet the needs of their people. Guterres said he hopes these pressures will make countries realise that such problems cannot be solved alone and require international cooperation.

He also called for reforms to institutions created after World War II, including the UN, especially the Security Council, and the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. He said they must be overhauled to reflect the realities of the 21st century, including the rise of emerging economies and powers. Guterres said that as UN chief he has no army, no intelligence service and limited money, but he does have "two powers" - to speak out on global issues and to convene the world's nations.

Because of geopolitical divisions, Guterres said the UN has "no leverage" in promoting peace in Ukraine and the Middle East. Still, he said he has been firm in defending the UN Charter, the territorial integrity of countries and in condemning "horrible violations of human rights". He condemned Hamas' "intolerable" attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and also condemned "the horrible situation that Israel has created in Gaza with levels of death and destruction that have no parallel in the history of the United Nations". He added that the UN is not "in a transactional approach to politics" and must remain "a reference of values and principles for the whole world, because someone must affirm that the law of force cannot prevail over the force of law".

Guterres said artificial intelligence will be a major issue at this year's UN gathering. He repeated his call for international cooperation and guardrails for AI, calling it "a universal problem". He said countries with "a higher capacity" in AI should share information, create transparency mechanisms, put guardrails in place and help build a multilateral system to ensure risks are avoided.

On the UN's finances, Guterres said the organisation is under strain largely because the US has not paid billions of dollars due to the regular budget and the peacekeeping budget. Even so, he said the UN has avoided a financial meltdown and is carrying out major reforms that the Trump administration has pushed for. He said the organisation has continued its work with fewer resources and added, "I think we demonstrated that we have the best control of public expenditure in any organisation of any country in the world."

Guterres, who has worked with US President Donald Trump for nearly six of his 10 years at the UN, said the US-UN relationship has at times been difficult and at times easier. He said the UN is now cooperating with the US on peace negotiations in Western Sahara and elsewhere. When he meets Trump on Tuesday, the opening day of the UN gathering, he plans to raise peace in Ukraine and the Middle East, adding: "I hope that these two objectives might be able to unite the efforts of not only the US and the UN but the whole of the international community." In essence, Guterres' message before the world leaders' meeting is that global crises, institutional reform, AI and the rule of law all require countries to act together.