UN Secretary-General speech at General Assembly outlines future shaped by '4 great tests of power'

Overview: One shift, three dimensions of power

The UN Secretary-General argues that today’s crises—climate change and artificial intelligence—are not isolated problems, but parts of a single, larger shift in how power is created, concentrated, and used.

He says power is being reshaped in three main ways:

1. Among states: New economic, political, and technological centers are emerging.
2. From governments to non-state actors: Private corporations and individuals increasingly influence politics, economies, information flows, and even civic space.
3. From humans to machines: Autonomous systems—and potentially “rogue” AI and lethal autonomous weapons—raise new risks.

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A multipolar world—but which one?

He states that the world is moving irreversibly toward multipolarity, but warns it could take a dangerous form characterized by:

• Fragmentation
• Transactionalism
• Mistrust
• Weakened institutions
• Zero-sum approaches

He proposes an alternative: “networked multipolarity,” grounded in:

interdependence and a shared framework of international law

He argues that no power can solve global problems alone, and that competition can only remain productive if it is bounded by rules that preserve stability and enable cooperation.

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The central question: governed by law or by force?

He frames the UN Charter and the UN’s role as essential because they ensure power answers to principle.

He contrasts:

• Cooperation and responsibility (to young people and future generations) vs.

• Coercion and indifference

He argues that the era’s defining challenges are all expressions of the power problem.

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Four “tests of power” for the coming era

He outlines four major challenges:

1) Power over war and peace (peace and security)

• Calls for de-escalation and dialogue, especially regarding conflicts in the Middle East.
• Highlights Gaza / occupied Palestinian territory, including references to actions taken by the International Court of Justice (genocide case and provisional measures).
  • Calls for compliance with international law
  • Urges humanitarian access
  • Calls for protection of UN staff and aid workers
  • Warns that conditions in the West Bank undermine the possibility of a two-state solution, raising fears of ethnic cleansing
• Condemns wars and attacks in Ukraine and Sudan, and warns of worsening crises in Myanmar—arguing this reflects what happens when force outruns diplomacy and accountability collapses.
• Calls for defending the UN Charter without double standards, including Security Council reform.
  • Notes the Council’s WWII-era design no longer reflects today’s world
  • Emphasizes Africa’s continued lack of permanent representation

2) Power that concentrates wealth and drives inequality

• Emphasizes that inequality is fundamentally about power over access to opportunity and resources, not only economics.
• Stresses the universal dimension of inequality, especially gender inequality:
  • discrimination
  • violence
  • exclusion
  • rollback of rights for women and girls
• Points to UN internal progress as proof change is possible:
  • the UN achieved gender parity across senior leadership and professional staff

3) Power fueling climate chaos (“war on nature”)

• Calls climate change the most serious intergenerational imbalance: those least responsible suffer first.
• Warns the 1.5°C limit is nearing breach and highlights worsening impacts.
• Promotes clean energy as a shift in power dynamics:
  • renewables as cheaper
  • enabling independence and security
• Urges governments to adopt national fossil-fuel transition plans aligned with 1.5°C, and ensure justice for workers and communities.
• Criticizes polluters:
  • cites large oil-company profits since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
  • contrasts this with limited public adaptation finance for developing countries
• Calls for climate justice, including:
  • more adaptation funding
  • scaling the loss-and-damage fund
  • ensuring critical mineral extraction does not deepen past inequalities (ending “plundering” and exploitation)

4) Power unleashed by artificial intelligence

• Argues AI power is highly concentrated and advancing faster than society can manage safely.
• Warns that the danger is not technology itself, but technology without accountability, oversight, and transparency.
• Calls on governments—especially those with the greatest AI capabilities—to create dialogue and trust mechanisms.
• Draws a parallel to Cold War risk management, saying AI requires similar urgency and shared safeguards.
• Points to UN-linked efforts, including:
  • Global Digital Compact principles
  • global dialogue
  • an independent scientific panel
• Calls for next steps:
  • responsible pacing
  • safeguards
  • a multilateral AI risk-management framework with credible independent oversight
• Reiterates ethical “red lines”:
  • children must not be test subjects for unregulated systems
  • life-and-death decisions must not be surrendered to machines
  • “killer robots” must have no place

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Final call: make the UN stronger and govern power wisely

He concludes that across all four tests, the decisive issue is whether power is governed by law and institutions—or by force and impunity.

He argues the UN must be strong enough to confront reality and build a better future, emphasizing that:

• peace, development, and human rights are inseparable

He closes with a personal commitment to continue championing UN Charter values after his term ends.

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Presenters or contributors

• António Guterres — UN Secretary-General (speaker)