Guterres expressed concern about Russia’s announcement regarding attacks on Ukrainian defence facilities and command centers following reports of a Ukrainian drone strike in Starobelsk.
“Now more than ever, it is imperative to avoid any escalation of a conflict that has already exacted a devastating toll on civilians and that risks making the search for peace even more distant,” he said.
He also warned of broader instability in the region, noting that “Israel has announced an escalation of its operations in Lebanon,” while there are “constant violations of the ceasefire in Gaza,” and uncertainty surrounding negotiations between the US and Iran.
Turning to global militarisation, Guterres said, “We are seeing an accelerating and destabilising arms race” as military spending reaches record levels while humanitarian and development funding declines.
“Meanwhile, new technologies, including artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons, are advancing faster than our capacity to govern them,” he warned.
Guterres also said that “human rights are under full-scale attack” and warned that inequalities, debt burdens, and limited financing are placing increasing pressure on developing countries.
He described climate change as “a driver of instability, a multiplier of threats, and an increasing source of tension within and between nations.”
Urging reforms of global institutions, Guterres stressed that they “must reflect today’s realities, not those of 1945.”
“But no reform, institutional or structural, can substitute for political will,” he said, urging all member states to “refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.”
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