UNITED NATIONS, Jan 29 (APP): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Thursday warned that global problems cannot be solved by one power and stressed the need for a sustainable, just peace rooted in international law.
“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,” the UN chief told a news conference marking the start of his 10th and final year in office.
When asked who he referred to by “one power” or the “two powers” in his opening statement, Guterres said: “It is clear that the most powerful of the countries in the world is the United States. The idea that there are two poles, one centered in the US and one centered in China, that’s the second reference I made.
“And my point is, if we want a stable world, if you want a world in which peace can be sustained, in which development can be generalized, and in which, in the end, our values will prevail, we need to support multipolarity,” he said.
Guterres’ remarks come a week after United States President Donald Trump launched his Board of Peace, which includes Pakistan, initially aimed at cementing a fragile Gaza ceasefire but which Trump has said could take on a broader role — an approach that has raised concerns among some global powers.
He said that the UN Security Council is the only body with the authority to legally authorize the use of force to address threats to international peace and security.
Defending the UN Charter, Guterres stated that no other entity, coalition, or country can legally compel member states to follow decisions concerning peace and security.
Guterres asserted that the Security Council’s authority to authorize force under international law is unique and mandated by the UN Charter.
The UN chief cautioned that the international rule of law is being undermined, with increased disregard for the UN Charter and international law.
He defended the UN’s role against efforts by other bodies to challenge its authority.
Guterres emphasized that only the Security Council can make decisions legally binding on all UN member states.
His second five-year term has been shaped by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, conflict in Sudan, the devastating Israeli war in Gaza, a rapid end to Syria’s civil war and the US capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro.
The UN chief warned that growing impunity, geopolitical divisions, and the erosion of multilateral institutions are destabilizing the international system.
“We are living in a world where actions – especially reckless ones – are provoking dangerous reactions,” Guterres said, adding that they are “being multiplied by geopolitical divisions and magnified by an epidemic of impunity.”
Saying that “the law of power is prevailing over the power of law,” he stressed: “International law is trampled. Cooperation is eroding. And multilateral institutions are under assault on many fronts.”
Guterres cautioned that when violations go unanswered, global stability is undermined.
“When perilous actions do not meet the adequate reaction, the system destabilizes,” he said.
Highlighting the human cost, he warned: “Impunity is driving today’s conflicts, fueling escalation, widening mistrust, and kicking the doors open for powerful spoilers to enter from every direction.”
He also pointed to aid cuts, saying: “The slashing of humanitarian aid is generating its own chain reactions of despair, displacement, and death.”
Addressing climate change and technology, Guterres said: “Every action that heats the planet triggers a ferocious reaction — storms, wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, rising seas,” and warned that unregulated technologies lead to “instability.”
Guterres spoke as the UN grapples with a cash crisis after its largest contributor, the US, cut voluntary funding to UN agencies and declined to make mandatory payments to the organization’s regular and peacekeeping budgets.
In response, Guterres launched a reform task force in March known as UN80, aimed at cutting costs and improving efficiency.
Trump has said the UN has “great potential” but is failing to fulfill it, criticizing the body for not backing US-led peace initiatives.
“Despite all the hurdles, the United Nations is acting to give life to our shared values,” Guterres said.
“And we won’t give up. 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.”
Guterres also warned of growing instability linked to technological change, saying governance of artificial intelligence was a priority.
“We are witnessing perhaps the greatest transfer of power of our times — not from governments to people, but from governments to private technology companies,” he said.
“When technologies that shape behaviour, elections, markets and even conflicts operate without guardrails, the reaction is not innovation — it is instability.”