UNSG António Guterres delivers a passionate address to the General Assembly on priorities for 2026
- Details
- Category: English Media
- Published: Saturday, 17 January 2026 16:15
- Written by Eager
Madame President of the General Assembly, thank you very much for your very kind and generous words.
Excellencies, happy New Year. I wish you and your families peace and health in 2026.
It is tradition for the Secretary-General to come before the General Assembly and present priorities for the year ahead. Today, I do so for the final time. Let me assure you that I will make every day of 2026 count. I am fully committed and fully determined to keep working, to keep fighting, to keep pushing for the better world that we know is possible.
You have already benefited from the President of the General Assembly’s briefing yesterday on the agenda for this year. There is no shortage of urgent tasks before us, especially as we build on the Pact for the Future and the UN80 Initiative.
Today, I want to use this traditional moment in a slightly non-traditional way. I want to look not only to this year, but beyond — to speak candidly about the larger forces and megatrends shaping our world, and the deeper challenges we must confront. Rather than a checklist, I want to focus on the principles that must guide our work.
Let me begin with the context. Excellencies, let us be clear: the context is chaos.
We live in a world brimming with conflict, impurity, inequality, and unpredictability. A world marked by self-defeating geopolitical divides, brazen violations of international law, and wholesale cuts in development and humanitarian aid. These forces are shaking the foundations of global cooperation and testing the resilience of multilateralism itself.
That is the paradox of our era. At a time when we need international cooperation the most, we seem least inclined to use it or invest in it. Some seek to place international cooperation on a death watch. But I can assure you: we will not give up.
We remain totally committed to peace — in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and far beyond — and tireless in delivering life-saving aid to those most desperate for support.
Even amid this turbulence, we have succeeded in claiming space for the United Nations where it was not given. We have stepped forward to help shape the global conversation on artificial intelligence, insisting that these powerful technologies serve humanity and uphold human dignity. We have been on the front lines of efforts to secure fair and sustainable financing for development, pushing for reforms and new mechanisms to leave no country behind. And we have been outspoken on the urgent need for climate action, demanding ambition and mobilizing governments, businesses, and civil society.
Across all these efforts, we have sought to spotlight the needs of the most vulnerable people and countries — and we will keep pushing this year and beyond.
In the coming weeks alone, we will launch an independent scientific panel on artificial intelligence to provide impartial, evidence-based assessments of AI’s opportunities, risks, and impacts. We will submit recommendations to the High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP to develop new ways of measuring progress and well-being. We will begin a series of monthly meetings with you under the UN80 Initiative to strengthen dialogue and cooperation and better equip the United Nations for the future.
We will present initial assessments on potential mergers — including UNDP with UNOPS, and UN Women with UNFPA — to enhance efficiency and coherence in our development work. We will also advance the peace operations review to make missions more effective, responsible, and fit for today’s complex challenges.
These are only a few of the immediate next steps. Across the board, it is full steam ahead.
Excellencies, we are living through a time of dramatic change. Disruption does not have to be destructive. It can be a force for construction.
The UN80 Initiative is about building a UN system that delivers more effectively, more coherently, and with greater impact — even as resources shrink and needs rise. Yes, reform is about resources and how we use them. Budgets matter — but only if every Member State pays its contributions in full and on time.
Today’s situation is entirely unsustainable. Either all countries honor their financial obligations under the Charter — or we risk budgetary breakdown. I will write to you in more detail on this matter.
But reform must be more than numbers on a spreadsheet. It must be about institutions that reflect today’s world. The problem-solving structures of 1945 will not solve the challenges of 2026. If our institutions do not reflect contemporary realities, they will lose legitimacy.
Every day, the share of global GDP held by developed economies shrinks, while emerging economies grow in size, strength, and influence. South-South trade now exceeds North-North trade. Our global institutions must reflect this changing reality — including international financial institutions, trade systems, and the Security Council itself.
Those who cling to privilege today risk paying a higher price tomorrow. The world is not waiting. Neither should we.
As we move forward with reform, our larger mission is to find our bearings in a disorienting world. Let me distill this into three principles that must guide all our actions — not only this year, but for our time.
First, we must adhere fully and faithfully to the UN Charter — without exception. The Charter is not an à la carte menu. It is the foundation of international relations, the bedrock of peace, development, and human rights.
When leaders pick and choose which rules to follow, they undermine global order and set dangerous precedents. The erosion of international law is not happening in the shadows — it is unfolding before the world’s eyes in real time.
At the same time, extreme concentrations of wealth and power are corroding institutions and shared values. A small fraction of humanity now controls an outsized share of global resources and influence — including the narratives and technologies that shape our lives. Artificial intelligence, in particular, must never be governed solely by profit or power. Humanity must steer technology — not the other way around.
Second, we must be relentless in our pursuit of peace and justice — peace between nations and peace with nature. Silencing the guns is not enough. Sustainable peace requires sustainable development. Yet, ten years after adopting the Sustainable Development Goals, two-thirds of targets are off track, and developing countries face crushing debt and financial shortfalls.
Peace with justice also means protecting human rights in all their dimensions — civil, political, economic, social, and cultural — and standing firm against repression, discrimination, and backsliding on gender equality.
Third and finally, we must build unity in an age of division. Racism, xenophobia, and religious bigotry are tearing at the fabric of societies. Inclusion is not optional — it is essential. Societies thrive when everyone feels they belong, when opportunity is shared, and when diversity is respected.
Excellencies, I speak plainly because the times demand it. We cannot afford complacency or delay. The Charter gives us our compass. Peace with justice gives us our purpose. Our common humanity gives us the imperative to act.
The United Nations is a living promise — that despite our differences, we will solve problems together. Let us keep that promise. Let us never give up. The stakes could not be higher, and the time could not be shorter.
Thank you.
UN News/ Conor Lennon Young leaders take part in a Peace Circle at UNHQ (file Dec 2025)
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