Global leaders gather at time of ‘powder keg’

World leaders gathered at UN Headquarters in New York for the General Assembly’s high-level meeting amid warnings that the planet is becoming “a powder keg” on an unsustainable course.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, delivering his annual report on the UN’s work, noted the many raging conflicts around the world, including those in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan.

“Our world is a whirlwind,” he said. “We are in an era of epic transformation, facing challenges unlike any we have ever seen – challenges that demand global solutions.”

The Secretary-General added that climate change, poverty and artificial intelligence were among the many other challenges facing the world today.

“We are edging towards the unimaginable – a powder keg that risks engulfing the world,” he said.

Mr. Guterres emphasized the need to tackle three main drivers of unsustainability in the world: impunity, inequality, and uncertainty.

“These worlds of impunity, inequality and uncertainty are connected and colliding,” he said, adding that nevertheless the challenges are solvable if humanity is willing to ensure that “the mechanisms of international problem-solving actually solve problems.”

General Assembly President Philémon Yang used his address to underline that the 193-member General Assembly remained “one of the world’s most inclusive, represented, representative and authoritative platforms for global reflection of collective action.”

Mr. Yang said that “if we act together,” the world can still overcome its greatest challenges, including the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals by their 2030 target date. Fewer than 17% of the SDG targets are currently on track, just six years before the deadline.

He also underscored the threats posed by the climate crisis, which is impacting ecosystems and livelihoods worldwide. “The urgency of our task cannot be overstated.”