UN chief calls for AI curbs and end to wars in his final assembly address
By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres delivers a speech during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, United States, on September 22, 2026. /VCG
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, whose second five-year term ends on December 31, reiterated his calls for global oversight of AI risks, just as the UN's 15-member Security Council prepares to host AI leaders for a briefing on the powerful technology.
Guterres spoke about a range of issues in the current international community. Delegates responded with sustained applause when Guterres defended a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians, demanded that "polluters must pay" for climate change and pressed for reforms to international institutions, causes he has championed throughout his decade leading the United Nations.
In his speech, Guterres called on all countries to promote safe development of AI.
"Those countries leading this technological revolution must share information on emerging safety risks, cooperate on testing and evaluation – and work towards common safeguards that protect us all," Guterres told the assembly.
He also urged the leaders gathered in New York to "advance the conditions for the responsible pacing of AI and the additional safeguards needed to address risks" and to "work towards a multilateral AI risk management framework, supported by credible and independent oversight."
On the Middle East, where the conflict has widened as Houthi gains along the Red Sea coast threaten shipping routes and tensions persist in the Strait of Hormuz, Guterres called for "de-escalation and dialogue."
"Together, let's send a clear message from this hall: The fighting must stop. Humanitarian aid must flow. And navigational rights and freedoms must be fully restored in accordance with international law," Guterres said.
On the UN system, which is criticized by US President Donald Trump and others as bloated and ineffective after Washington withdrew from several UN agencies and slashed funding, Guterres said, "our mechanisms for collective action are under growing strain" and global institutions "continue to reflect the power realities and interests of a largely bygone age."
Guterres used the address to bid farewell to most of the global leaders he has worked with over the last 10 years.
"So, on January 1st, when I am no longer Secretary-General, be sure of this. Wherever I will be, whatever I will be doing – I will keep championing the conviction that peace is possible," he said. "I will continue to stand up for the values of the United Nations Charter and I will never, ever give up. Thank you."
