NEW YORK, 22nd September, 2026 (WAM) -- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on world leaders to use the UN General Assembly's High-Level Week to de-escalate tensions, halt fighting, strengthen dialogue, ensure the flow of humanitarian aid and fully restore the rights and freedoms of navigation in accordance with international law.
Addressing the opening session of the high-level segment of the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Guterres said conflicts across the Middle East were cascading and overlapping, while so-called ceasefires had in many cases amounted to little more than "lesser fires", with civilians continuing to pay the price.
He said peace and security represented the first major test of power in the 21st century, stressing that peace was not simply the absence of conflict, but rather the subjection of power to law. He warned that this principle was coming under profound pressure.
Guterres stressed that the international community must not lose focus on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, referring to the 7th October attacks and the subsequent large-scale assault on Palestinians in Gaza, which he said had resulted in a level of killing and destruction unprecedented during his years as Secretary-General.
He also warned of continued violence, displacement and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, saying these were undermining the path to peace and raising "the spectre of ethnic cleansing". He stressed that the two-State solution must not be allowed to disappear.
The Secretary-General called for the UN Charter to be upheld without double standards, civilians to be protected without exception, unhindered humanitarian access to be ensured, humanitarian workers to be protected, nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament to be strengthened, and accountability to be guaranteed.
He called for a multilateral system centred on the United Nations and for international institutions that are more balanced and representative of today's global realities, rather than arrangements of power dating back to the period following the Second World War.
Guterres also addressed developments in Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar, warning of escalating violence, displacement and transnational crime.
He renewed his call for reform of the UN Security Council to reflect the realities of today's world, stressing in particular the need for Africa to have permanent representation on the Council.
"A Security Council in the 21st century without permanent African representation is unjust and indefensible," he said.
Guterres also stressed the need to achieve equality between women and men, noting that women and girls in many parts of the world continued to face discrimination, violence and exclusion. He underlined the importance of increasing women's participation in peace negotiations to make peace more sustainable.
On climate change, the Secretary-General described the crisis as one of the most profound intergenerational power imbalances, warning that the world was approaching a breach of the 1.5°C threshold.
He also warned of the risks posed by artificial intelligence and technology operating without accountability, oversight or transparency, saying that countries with the greatest capabilities in this field carried greater responsibilities towards humanity.