UNITED NATIONS, New York — September 22, 2026 — UN Secretary-General António Guterres used his final address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to call for stronger international oversight of artificial intelligence, an end to armed conflicts, renewed climate action and reforms to global institutions he said are struggling to respond to today’s challenges.
Guterres, whose second five-year term ends on December 31, urged governments to cooperate on AI safety and work toward a multilateral framework for managing the technology’s risks. He called for credible and independent oversight and said countries leading the AI revolution should share information about emerging safety risks and cooperate on testing and evaluation.
Key points
- AI: Guterres called for a multilateral AI risk-management framework backed by independent oversight.
- Conflicts: He urged an end to fighting and renewed diplomatic efforts, including de-escalation in the Middle East.
- Climate: He reiterated his call for greater accountability over climate change, including the principle that “polluters must pay.”
- UN reform: He argued that international institutions need to better reflect current global realities and respond more effectively to collective crises.
One of the most consequential elements of the speech was the way Guterres connected AI governance with the broader question of whether international institutions can keep pace with rapidly changing technology. The UN Security Council is also preparing to hear from AI leaders about the technology’s implications for international security, underscoring how quickly AI has moved from a technology-policy issue into the international security agenda.
Guterres also addressed the conflicts and diplomatic divisions confronting the UN. On the Middle East, he called for de-escalation and dialogue and urged that humanitarian assistance be allowed to flow while navigational rights and freedoms are restored in accordance with international law. He again backed a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians.
The speech came as the 81st session of the General Assembly opened its high-level general debate in New York. The UN says heads of state, government leaders and other senior representatives are scheduled to address the Assembly from September 22 through September 28.
Guterres’ departure also adds a transitional dimension to the address. After nearly a decade as secretary-general, he is using his final months in office to argue that international cooperation remains necessary even as geopolitical divisions, armed conflicts, climate pressures and technological change test the existing system.
The speech therefore served as both a farewell and a warning: the challenges facing the international system are changing faster than many of its institutions, and Guterres is calling for governments to adapt before those gaps become harder to manage.
