UN Chief Guterres Addresses Global Crises at General Assembly

'Gaza is a non-stop nightmare,' UN chief Guterres tells world leaders at General Assembly

The UN chief also expressed hope, citing the plummeting costs and accelerating deployment of renewable energy, as he called on rich nations to step up their climate financing ahead of the COP29 meeting, which will take place in Azerbaijan this November. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told world leaders on Tuesday that Lebanon was "at the brink" and warned against allowing the country to turn into "another Gaza," a day after Israeli strikes killed more than 550 people there. "Gaza is a non-stop nightmare that threatens to take the entire region with it. Look no further than Lebanon," Guterres said at the opening of the UN's annual gathering as hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group, threatened to plunge the region into all-out war. "We should all be alarmed by the escalation. Lebanon is at the brink. The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, and the people of the world cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza." War featured prominently in the UN chief's remarks, with references to Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, Sudan, and other ongoing conflicts. "Nothing can justify the abhorrent acts of terror committed by Hamas on October 7, or the taking of hostages -- both of which I have repeatedly condemned," said the 75-year-old former prime minister of Portugal. "And nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people," he continued. Humanity faces three major threats to sustainability that must be confronted, said Guterres: impunity, which erodes international law; inequality, which destabilizes nations; and uncertainty, "where unmanaged global risks threaten our future in unknowable ways." Uncertainty, he said, was compounded by the existential threats of the climate crisis -- long a signature issue for the UN chief -- and the rapid advance of artificial intelligence, which he said would require a global approach to manage. "We are in a climate meltdown," Guterres stressed, warning that the world is on course to "careen past the global limit of a 1.5 degrees (Celsius) temperature rise" -- a goal set by the Paris Agreement that scientists say is necessary to prevent the worst impacts from humanity's consumption of fossil fuels. Still, he expressed hope, citing the plummeting costs and accelerating deployment of renewable energy, as he called on rich nations to step up their climate financing ahead of the COP29 meeting, which will take place in Azerbaijan this November.

U.N. Chief Warns of 'Powder Keg' Engulfing the World

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a stark warning to world leaders on Tuesday, stating that the globe is on the brink of an explosive crisis. Addressing the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Guterres said impunity, inequality, and uncertainty were pushing modern civilization toward "a powder keg that risks engulfing the world." Leaders from 193 member states will coalesce until the Assembly finishes this weekend. "We can't go on like this," he stressed to the forum. The former Portuguese Prime Minister described the world as being in "an era of epic transformation," with geopolitical divisions deepening and conflicts escalating. But he stopped short of saying hope was gone. "The challenges we face," he said, "are solvable." In Gaza, he said, the situation had become a "nonstop nightmare," threatening to destabilize the entire region. He warned that escalating airstrikes between Israel and Lebanon have placed Lebanon "on the brink" of further conflict. France has prompted the Security Council to schedule an emergency meeting later on Wednesday on the escalating violence in Lebanon. In Ukraine, the war ignited by Russia's invasion continues with no resolution in sight, and in Sudan, a violent power struggle has led to widespread atrocities and a growing humanitarian catastrophe. King Abdullah II of Jordan, speaking on the same day, echoed Guterres' concerns. "I cannot recall a time of greater peril than this," he said. President Joe Biden also acknowledged the seriousness of the global landscape in his last U.N. address as president. "There will always be forces that pull our countries apart [ ...] Our task is to make sure that the forces holding us together are stronger than the forces pulling us apart," he stated. The Secretary-General stressed that addressing today's challenges requires confronting the root causes of instability. In order to achieve this, governments mustn't feel they are above international law, "entitled to a 'get out of jail free' card" in times of chaos. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took aim at global military spending, which has risen for nine consecutive years to more than $2.4 trillion. "Those resources could have been used to fight hunger and deal with climate changes," Lula said. Israel's military actions in Gaza and Lebanon were also condemned by the Brazilian president "the right to self-defense became a right for vengeance, which hampers efforts toward a ceasefire and the release of hostages." The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas is expected to dominate discussions this week. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to address the assembly on Thursday, followed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday. Despite the grim picture, Guterres, who has been in his position since 2016, pointed to a recent "Summit of the Future" as a step in the right direction. At the summit, nations agreed to a "Pact for the Future," a blueprint aimed at tackling climate change, poverty, and the risks posed by artificial intelligence. The pact also advocates reforming the U.N. and other international institutions to meet the demands of the 21st century.

Head of United Nations calls global situation 'unsustainable' as annual meeting of leaders opens

The head of the United Nations warned gathered leaders Tuesday that impunity, inequality and uncertainty are driving modern civilization toward "a powder keg that risks engulfing the world" - the latest in an increasing number of clarion calls from Antonio Guterres in recent years that the global situation is becoming intolerable and unsustainable. "We can't go on like this," the secretary-general said in an alarming state-of-the-world address as he opened the annual high-level gathering of the U.N.'s 193 member nations. He said the world is in "an era of epic transformation" and facing challenges never seen before, with geopolitical divisions deepening, the planet heating and wars raging in the Middle East, Ukraine, Sudan and elsewhere with no clue how they will end. "We are edging towards the unimaginable - a powder keg that risks engulfing the world," Guterres told presidents, prime ministers and ministers in the vast General Assembly hall. But he stopped short of saying hope was gone. "The challenges we face," he said, "are solvable." It's not an easy time in the world Guterres wasn't the only one worried about the state of the world. "I cannot recall a time of greater peril than this," said King Abdullah II of Jordan. Guterres called the situation in Gaza "a nonstop nightmare that threatens to take the entire region with it." He said escalating air attacks across the Israel-Lebanon border have put Lebanon "at the brink." In Ukraine, he said, there is no sign of an end to the war that followed Russia's February 2022 invasion. In Sudan, he said, "a brutal power struggle has unleashed horrific violence," including widespread rape, and a "humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding as famine spreads." The U.N. chief also pointed to "appalling levels of violence and human suffering" from Myanmar and Congo to Haiti, Yemen and beyond, and the expanding terrorist threat in Africa's Sahel region. He said the Summit of the Future that preceded Tuesday's start of the assembly's nearly week-long "General Debate," was a first step. "But we have a long way to go." At the two-day summit, the world's nations adopted a "Pact for the Future." It's a 42-page blueprint for starting to address challenges from tackling climate change and poverty to putting guardrails on artificial intelligence. It also speaks to reforming the United Nations, and other global institutions established after World War II, to suit the needs and threats in the 21st-century world. The UN leader blames 'impunity' Guterres said meeting the challenges of a world "in a whirlwind" requires confronting the three drivers of "unsustainability" - the uncertainty of unmanaged risks, the inequality that underlies injustices and grievances and the impunity that undermines international law and the U.N.'s founding principles. "A growing number of governments and others feel entitled to a 'get out of jail free' card," he said - a reference to the classic board game Monopoly. In his final speech before fellow leaders, U.S. President Joe Biden said he recognized the challenges of Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and other global hotspots, but he remains hopeful. "There will always be forces that pull our countries apart ... a desire to retreat from the world and go it alone," he said. "Our task is to make sure that the forces holding us together are stronger than the forces pulling us apart." Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose country speaks first in a tradition dating to the early years of the U.N., criticized Israel's attacks in Gaza and Lebanon. "The right to self-defense became a right for vengeance, which prevents a deal for the release of hostages and delays a cease-fire," he said. Lula decried the growth in global military spending for a ninth consecutive year to more than $2.4 trillion. "Those resources could have been used to fight hunger and deal with climate changes," he said. Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian - who had accused Israel on Monday of seeking a wider war in the Middle East - laid into Israel in his speech to the assembly Tuesday. He said its attacks in Lebanon in recent days "cannot go unanswered." Leaders embroiled in conflicts will speak At last year's U.N. global gathering, Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, took center stage. But as the first anniversary of Hamas' deadly attack in southern Israel approaches on Oct. 7, the spotlight is certain to be on the ensuing war in Gaza and escalating violence across the Israeli-Lebanon border, which is now threatening to spread to the wider Middle East. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to speak Thursday morning and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday. Zelenskyy will get the spotlight twice. He spoke Tuesday afternoon at a high-level meeting of the U.N. Security Council, and he is to address the General Assembly on Wednesday morning.

UN chief warns Lebanon is on the 'brink' after Israeli strikes

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told world leaders on Tuesday that Lebanon was "at the brink" and warned against allowing the country to turn into "another Gaza," a day after Israeli strikes killed more than 550 people there. "Gaza is a non-stop nightmare that threatens to take the entire region with it. Look no further than Lebanon," Guterres said at the opening of the UN's annual gathering as hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group, threatened to plunge the region into all-out war. "We should all be alarmed by the escalation. Lebanon is at the brink. The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, and the people of the world cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza." War featured prominently in the UN chief's remarks, with references to Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, Sudan, and other ongoing conflicts. "Nothing can justify the abhorrent acts of terror committed by Hamas on October 7, or the taking of hostages -- both of which I have repeatedly condemned," said the 75-year-old former prime minister of Portugal. "And nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people," he continued. Humanity faces three major threats to sustainability that must be confronted, said Guterres: impunity, which erodes international law; inequality, which destabilizes nations; and uncertainty, "where unmanaged global risks threaten our future in unknowable ways." Uncertainty, he said, was compounded by the existential threats of the climate crisis -- long a signature issue for the UN chief -- and the rapid advance of artificial intelligence, which he said would require a global approach to manage. "We are in a climate meltdown," Guterres stressed, warning that the world is on course to "careen past the global limit of a 1.5 degrees (Celsius) temperature rise" -- a goal set by the Paris Agreement that scientists say is necessary to prevent the worst impacts from humanity's consumption of fossil fuels. Still, he expressed hope, citing the plummeting costs and accelerating deployment of renewable energy, as he called on rich nations to step up their climate financing ahead of the COP29 meeting, which will take place in Azerbaijan this November.