Guterres warns of 'canyons' widening as UN faces four tests of power
UN Secretary-General frames war, inequality, climate, and AI as defining struggles over how power is exercised.
What to know
- UN chief frames four defining 'tests of power'—war, inequality, climate, AI—as interconnected crises that will determine whether the world moves toward cooperation or deeper division.
- Guterres warns that international norms have eroded over a decade, faultlines are widening into 'canyons,' and the world risks sliding into rival blocs he calls the 'Great Fracture.'
- He calls for Security Council reform with permanent African representation, demands compliance with ICJ orders on Gaza, and urges developed nations to triple climate adaptation funding and provide debt relief to developing countries.
- The UN has achieved full gender parity in senior leadership and professional roles for the first time, Guterres said, citing it as proof that entrenched power structures can change.
António Guterres UN Secretary-General
How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts
-
1
Guterres calls climate crisis 'most profound intergenerational power imbalance'
Guterres described climate change as the "most profound intergenerational power imbalance," warning of a near-certain breach of the 1.5°C threshold. He called for polluters to "pay" and for developed nations to triple adaptation funding, noting that major oil companies are reaping substantial profits since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
“The greatest power is not the power to dominate. It is the power to build a future that works for everyone.”
— António Guterres, UN Secretary-General · source -
T
Guterres: „Trhliny se proměnily v propasti“ a svět čelí čtyřem zkouškám moci. Zpráva spojených národů o projevu generálního tajemníka António Gutteres -a -e při zahájení Valného shromaždění Spojených národů (22.9.). https:// news.un.org/en/story/2026/09/1 168392 (anglicky, odemčeno).
-
-
background
Guterres highlights inequality as power issue, announces UN gender parity milestone — Guterres framed the gap between record global wealth and billions lacking food, clean water, education, and healthcare as a question of power over opportunity, resources, and self-determination. He announced that the UN has achieved full gender parity across senior leadership, headquarters staff, and professional roles for the first time in its history.
-
background
Guterres urges Security Council reform and compliance with ICJ orders on Gaza — Guterres renewed calls for Security Council reform, singling out the absence of permanent African representation as "unjust and indefensible." He also renewed calls for compliance with International Court of Justice orders regarding Gaza and warned that settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank threatens the two-state solution.
-
background
Guterres warns faultlines are widening into 'canyons' as international norms erode — Guterres described a decade of eroding international norms—from civilians targeted in war to humanitarian workers killed to international law being "cast aside"—and said trust between nations is fraying. He cautioned against accepting fragmentation as inevitable and warned against sliding into rival blocs with separate economic and security systems, a scenario he has termed the "Great Fracture."
-
background
Guterres frames world crises as power struggles in General Assembly speech — UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered his annual report to the General Assembly, presenting war, inequality, climate change, and AI as four defining "tests of power" rather than isolated problems. He argued these crises all stem from the same underlying struggle over how power is exercised and by whom.