United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has said the world is “clearly moving towards a multipolar world” and argued that the shift is “irreversible”, while warning that the international community faces a choice over how the emerging global order develops.
Opening the general debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday (22 Sep), Guterres contrasted a future of “fragmentation and transactionalism”, marked by rising tensions, weakened institutions and shrinking cooperation, with what he described as “networked multipolarity” based on interdependence, international law and shared rules. He said such an approach could help prevent deeper geopolitical divisions and what he has previously called the “Great Fracture”.
The Secretary-General stressed that while competition between states is inevitable, “competition does not have to mean confrontation”. He argued that no country can address today’s global challenges alone, adding that military, economic and technological power cannot by themselves deliver peace, stability or security.
Throughout his address, Guterres outlined four “great power tests” shaping the future: peace and security, inequality, climate change and artificial intelligence. He called for stronger international cooperation, reforms to global governance, greater climate action, responsible AI governance and renewed commitment to the United Nations Charter, arguing that “the greatest power is not the power to dominate, it is the power to build a future that works for everyone.”
ℹ️ UN Web TV
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