Kathmandu: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres opened the high-level debate of the 80th General Assembly on Tuesday, September 23, with a stark warning to world leaders: humanity stands at a crossroads and must decide “what kind of world we choose to build together.”
Addressing heads of state and government gathered in New York, Guterres recalled the founding of the UN 80 years ago as a “practical strategy for the survival of humanity” in the wake of World War II. He stressed that today’s global landscape, marked by wars, hunger, disinformation, and climate disasters, presents challenges “more urgent, more intertwined, more unforgiving” than ever before.
“We have entered an age of reckless disruption and relentless human suffering,” he said, warning that “the pillars of peace and progress are buckling under the weight of impunity, inequality and indifference.”
Despite these crises, Guterres emphasized the enduring importance of the UN, calling it “a moral compass, a force for peace…a guardian of international law and a lifeline for people in crisis.” He cautioned that while a multipolar world offers opportunities, without strong multilateral institutions it risks chaos, recalling lessons from World War I.
The Secretary-General outlined five urgent choices before governments, urging them to prioritize peace over war by replacing ongoing conflicts with ceasefires, accountability, and diplomacy. He underscored the need to defend dignity and rights by protecting civic freedoms while ensuring fair development finance. On climate justice, he warned that fossil fuels are a “losing bet” and pressed for stronger national commitments and faster investments in renewable energy. He also stressed that technology, particularly artificial intelligence, must be governed responsibly and used in service of humanity, not to determine matters of life and death. Finally, he called for a stronger United Nations, criticizing the imbalance of resources where the world spends vastly more on weapons than on building peace.
Closing his address, Guterres drew on his own experience under Portugal’s dictatorship to remind leaders that “real power rises from people.” His appeal was resolute: “In a world of many choices, there is one choice we must never make: the choice to give up. We must never give up.”
(Source: United Nations, Sept. 23, 2025)
