United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has urged nations to resist unilateral or hegemonic approaches to global challenges.
This is as he emphasised that shared responsibility and multilateral institutions are key to peace and stability in a rapidly shifting world.
Speaking to journalists at UN Headquarters, Guterres described 2026 as a year “already shaping up to be a year of constant surprises and chaos,” citing reckless actions that are triggering dangerous consequences worldwide.
Our correspondent on Saturday picked this from the UN website in a release dated January 29 and titled, “Choose peace over chaos, Guterres urges as he sets out final-year priorities.”
Highlighting the transfer of power from governments to private tech companies.
He warned, “When technologies that shape behaviour, elections, markets, and even conflicts operate without guardrails, the reaction is not innovation, it is instability.”
Guterres stressed that global problems cannot be solved by a single power imposing its will, nor by rival powers carving the world into spheres of influence. “
Global problems will not be solved by one power calling the shots. Nor will they be solved by two powers carving the world into rival spheres of influence,” he said.
He called for an accelerated shift toward multipolarity that is “networked, inclusive by design, and capable of creating balance through partnerships,” while underlining the continuing need for strong multilateral institutions.”
“For multipolarity to generate equilibrium, prosperity and peace, we need strong multilateral institutions where legitimacy is rooted in shared responsibility and shared values,” Guterres said.
The Secretary-General also invoked the enduring principles of the UN Charter.
“Structures may be out of date – but values are not. The people who wrote the UN Charter understood that the values enshrined in our founding documents were not lofty abstractions or idealistic hopes but the sine qua non of lasting peace and enduring justice,” he said.
Guterres outlined his final-year priorities, linking peace, development, and reform.
“We are pushing for peace – just and sustainable peace rooted in international law. Peace that addresses root causes. Peace that endures beyond the signing of an agreement,” he said.
He also highlighted efforts to reform the Security Council, accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, and strengthen global financial architecture.
On climate and technology, he stressed equitable support for countries facing climate catastrophes and called for global governance frameworks for AI.
“As we begin this year, we are determined to choose actions that generate concrete and positive reactions. Reactions of peace, of justice, of responsibility, and of progress in our troubled times,” Guterres said.
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