State of world getting worse as UN Security Council paralysed: Guterres

By R Anil Kumar

New York/Bengaluru, Sep 21, 2026. The state of the world “is getting worse” as wars multiply and become more complex, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has said, warning that growing geopolitical divides have paralysed the Security Council and leave the most vulnerable “in very dramatic situations”.

Speaking in New York, on September 21, on the eve of his final address as secretary-general to the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Guterres discussed the major military conflicts happening in the world and whether the UN is still relevant in addressing today’s challenges.

Guterres said the involvement of “superpowers” and key council members in the wars has created a crisis due to the continued violations of international law.

“That creates an environment of impunity, in which midsize powers believe that they can do whatever they want because nothing will happen to them,” Guterres said.

The UN chief outlined the real-life impacts that the Russia-Ukraine war and the US-Israel war on Iranare having on people, particularly around food accessibility, rising fuel prices and global inflation.

“The combination of the war in Ukraine with the problems of exports of foods, fertilisers, and energy through the Black Sea, if you combine it with the difficulties in the Strait of Hormuz [in the Gulf], in the Bab al-Mandeb [in the Red Sea], and in the attacks [on] oil installations in several countries of the [Middle East] region, we are creating a situation that has a devastating impact on many economies around the world,” Guterres said.

He added that rising interest rates and fuel prices in developed countries could eventually be managed, whereas people in the developing world “are in a desperate situation” due to the increasing energy and food costs and the lack of fertilisers.

Dire need for reforms

Guterres, who previously served as prime minister of Portugal and UN high commissioner for refugees, has been the UN chief since January 1, 2017, though his mandate is coming to an end on December 31, 2026.

His successor, who is yet to be named, will take charge of an organisation that is grappling with multiple crises and is, in Guterres’s opinion, in dire need of reforms to stay relevant and important on the global stage.

He notably cited the Security Council, saying it “still essentially represents the world of World War II”.

We are not powerless: UN Chief urges World Leaders to Invest in Peace

In a world facing rising conflicts, violence and divisions that are causing great suffering for millions of people, the UN chief on Monday called on world leaders and citizens to invest more in peace.

“Achieving peace is not something that just happens,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a message for Monday’s International Day of Peace. “It is a shared and decisive choice to invest in a better future.”

Invest in peace is this year’s theme, echoing the founding principles of the UN, built amid the ashes of the Second World War.

As world leaders gather at UN Headquarters for the annual High-Level Week, Mr. Guterres called on them to strengthen diplomacy, dialogue, mediation and peacekeeping operations as essential means of preventing and resolving conflicts.

Indeed, peace – a vital resource for human development – remains elusive in many parts of the world as conflicts increase in scale and complexity, he said.

We must talk to one another

“The young people are hardly ever involved in peace discussions around the world,” he said. “We are not participating enough in maintaining peace around the world. We should seek to understand our leaders, come together, work together and maintain peace.”

“For peace to last, there must be mutual understanding,” he said. “We must talk to one another so that we can reach an understanding. Often, peace has been disrupted because there has been a lack of dialogue or understanding between two different sides.”

“For peace to thrive in a country,” he said, “it must begin with every individual.”

Crossing the Border

Many societies around the world face violence and division while conflicts spill across national borders.

In the face of this, finding solutions has been challenging, with international solidarity weakening, the UN Secretary-General said.

Lasting peace needs to be built through inclusive societies, sustainable development and respect for human rights.

We are not Powerless

“Around the world, people are showing that we are not powerless,” he said. “Volunteers, advocates, civil society leaders, peacekeepers and peacemakers are bridging divides, uniting communities, and pushing for dialogue. Action by action, they are building peace from the ground up.”

These grassroots efforts show that peace can only be achieved if deliberate decisions are taken to invest in a better future, he said.

How does the UN invest in Peace

The UN is mandated by its 193 Member States to help nations prevent, resolve and recover from conflict.

From diplomacy and peacekeeping missions to working with communities to foster peace, efforts began right at the UN’s inception.

Here are some examples:

Peacekeeping and peacebuilding: Since 1948, the UN Security Council has deployed more than 70 missions around the world. Currently, 11 peacekeeping missions are operating.

Next UN Secretary General

Candidates in the running to replace Guterres include the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Rafael Grossi, former Senegalese President Macky Sall and Ecuadorian diplomat Maria Fernanda Espinosa.

To be recommended by the UNSC, a candidate for UN secretary-general needs at least nine of the council’s 15 members to vote in favour and must avoid a veto from any of the five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – before a final vote in the UNGA.