Around the globe, “peace is the missing piece” as conflicts rage, divisions grow and polarization deepens, the UN Secretary-General said. Addressing the General Assembly with a list of priority areas for action, António Guterres underscored that the UN was founded on the pursuit of peace. “Peace is our raison d’être. Yet, as I scan the landscape of today’s world, the one thing missing most dramatically is peace,” he said.

Secretary-General António Guterres underscored the critical role of the UN committee on the rights of Palestinians in the face of the ongoing and escalating war in Gaza, stressing that only a two-State solution can ensure a just and lasting peace and stability in the Middle East region. Addressing the annual session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, the UN chief voiced deep concern over the violence and suffering that has intensified, particularly since the October 7 attack by Hamas and other militants based in Gaza and the subsequent military offensive by Israel. 

Top diplomats debated the deepening crisis in the Gaza Strip and the whole Middle East in the UN Security Council against the backdrop of Israel’s unrelenting military operation, mounting death toll and escalating global calls for an immediate ceasefire. The UN Secretary-General told ambassadors and foreign ministers that any refusal to accept a two-State solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict "must be firmly rejected", as the Council is poised to reconvene to hear more from the wider UN membership.

Developing countries must lead efforts to reform outdated multilateral institutions and frameworks, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in remarks to the third summit of the Group of 77 (G-77) and China, which opened in Kampala, Uganda. More than 130 countries are members of the bloc - the largest grouping of the global South, representing 80 percent of the planet’s population – and their solidarity and partnership are essential to building a sustainable, peaceful, and just world for all, he said. “Let us face it: those that benefit most from the present global governance system are unlikely to lead its reform.  So, momentum for change must come from you,” he told leaders. 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres repeated his call for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and the unconditional release of all hostages, in an address to the latest summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which concluded in Kampala, Uganda. Leaders from the 120-member bloc met amid deep division globally, including rising geopolitical tensions, climate catastrophe, widespread poverty and raging conflict in Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza. “Following the abhorrent Hamas attacks on 7 October, the wholesale destruction of Gaza and the number of civilian casualties in such a short period are totally unprecedented during my mandate.”