UN chief warns of four global power tests as divisions deepen

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned the General Assembly on Tuesday that humanity faces four defining tests of power—war, inequality, climate change, and AI—that will determine whether the world moves toward cooperation or deeper division. Guterres called for binding international cooperation on AI governance, stating life-and-death decisions must never be surrendered to machines, and renewed demands for Security Council reform, highlighting the "indefensible" absence of permanent African representation. He also announced the UN achieved full gender parity across senior leadership for the first time. Describing eroding international norms and widening global faultlines, he urged faster debt relief and fairer IMF access for developing nations, while warning of a near-certain breach of the 1.5°C climate threshold. With roughly 100 days left in his term, he pledged to champion UN Charter values beyond his tenure.