Delivering his 2024 report on the UN’s work ahead of the general debate, Mr. Guterres said world leaders were gathering in the shadow of raging conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and elsewhere, and rising uncertainty over climate change, ending poverty and reigning in AI.

“Our world is in a whirlwind. We are in an era of epic transformation – facing challenges unlike any we have ever seen – challenges that demand global solutions,” the UN chief said.

He warned that geo-political divisions are deepening, temperatures around the world are rising, wars are raging – without any end in sight, and nuclear posturing and new weapons are “casting a dark shadow”.

“We are edging towards the unimaginable – a powder keg that risks engulfing the world,” he said.

Two overriding truths

Mr. Guterres told Heads of States and Government in attendance that he stood before them with two “overriding truths”:

“First, the state of our world is unsustainable – we cannot go on like this. And second, the challenges we face are solvable – but that requires us to make sure the mechanisms of international problem-solving actually solve problems.”

While the Summit of the Future, which preceded the annual high-level week and saw UN Member States agree a forward-looking declaration known as the Pact for the Future “was a first step,” the Secretary-General underscored “we have a long way to go.”

Getting there requires confronting three major drivers of unsustainability:

• A world of impunity – where violations and abuses threaten the very foundation of international law and the UN Charter.
• A world of inequality – where injustices and grievances threaten to undermine countries or even push them over the edge.
• And a world of uncertainty – where unmanaged global risks threaten our future in unknowable ways.

“These worlds of impunity, inequality and uncertainty are connected and colliding,” said Mr. Guterres, adding that the level of impunity is politically indefensible and morally intolerable,” and there are those who feel they can trample international law, violate the UN Charter, and invade other countries but are “entitled to a get out of jail free card”.