Guterres Uses Final UN Assembly Address to Press for Peace and AI Guardrails

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has used his final address to the General Assembly in office to urge governments to confront armed conflict, climate pressure and the risks created by rapidly advancing artificial intelligence.

Speaking in New York on September 22, Guterres argued that international cooperation is being tested by wars, humanitarian emergencies and weakening respect for international law. He called for renewed diplomatic efforts in major conflicts and said civilians and humanitarian operations must be protected.

Artificial intelligence was a central part of the address. Guterres pressed countries to build a multilateral system for managing AI risks, supported by independent oversight. He warned that the technology is developing faster than the rules intended to govern its use and said lethal autonomous weapons require firm international limits.

The secretary-general also renewed his demand for faster climate action. He said governments must strengthen their response to rising temperatures and ensure that the costs of pollution are not shifted onto communities that contributed least to the problem.

His speech came as heads of state and government gathered for the General Assembly’s high-level debate amid conflict in Europe and the Middle East, instability in global trade and disagreement over the role of multilateral institutions.

Guterres is due to leave office at the end of 2026 after a decade as secretary-general. His closing appeal placed institutional reform alongside immediate crisis management, arguing that the United Nations must adapt if it is to remain an effective forum for collective action.