Choose peace over chaos, Guterres urges as he sets out final-year priorities

UNHQ New York-Zeeshan Shamsi :

During press conference at UN Head Quaters Sectary General Antonio Guterrs said that  

“We are pushing for peace  just and sustainable peace rooted in international law. Peace that addresses root causes. Peace that endures beyond the signing of an agreement.”The UN is also pressing to reform and strengthen the Security Council – “the one and only body with the Charter-mandated authority to act on peace and security on behalf of every country.”Stating that there is no lasting peace without development, he highlighted action to speed up progress to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and reform the global financial architecture,“That includes ending the crushing cycle of debt, tripling the lending capacity of multilateral development banks, and ensuring developing countries just participation and real influence in global financial institutions,” he said.

He further said that 2026 “is already shaping up to be a year of constant surprises and chaos,” he told journalists in New York.Mr. Guterres  said who trained as a physicist before entering public life – said that during times of profound flux, he returns to fixed principles that explain how forces act.Generating ‘positive reactions’Among them is Newton’s Third Law of Motion which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.“As we begin this year, we are determined to choose actions that generate concrete and positive reactions,” he said.“Reactions of peace, of justice, of responsibility, and of progress in our troubled times.”Chain reactionToday, impunity is driving conflicts fueling escalation, widening mistrust, and allowing powerful spoilers to enter from every direction.“Meanwhile, the slashing of humanitarian aid is generating its own chain reactions of despair, displacement, and death,” as inequalities deepen.He further highlighted climate change “the most literal and devastating illustration of Newton’s principle” as actions that heat the planet trigger storms, wildfires, hurricanes, drought and rising seas.

Sectary General said that The world is also witnessing “perhaps the greatest transfer of power of our times”, namely from governments to private tech companies.“When technologies that shape behaviour, elections, markets, and even conflicts operate without guardrails, the reaction is not innovation, it is instability,” he warned.Hegemony is not the answer These challenges are happening as systems for global problem-solving continue to reflect economic and power structures of 80 years ago and this must change.“Our structures and institutions must reflect the complexity – and the opportunity – of these new times and realities,” he said.“Global problems will not be solved by one power calling the shots. Nor will they be solved by two powers carving the world into rival spheres of influence.”He stressed the importance of accelerating multipolarity – “one that is networked, inclusive by design, and capable of creating balance through partnerships” but it alone does not guarantee stability or peace.“For multipolarity to generate equilibrium, prosperity and peace, we need strong multilateral institutions where legitimacy is rooted in shared responsibility and shared values,” he said.Shared valuesAdditionally, in the pursuit of reform, “structures may be out of date – but values are not,” he said.In this regard, the people who wrote the UN Charter “understood that the values enshrined in our founding documents were not lofty abstractions or idealistic hopes” but “the sine qua non of lasting peace and enduring justice.”He said that “despite all the hurdles, the United Nations is acting to give life to our shared values” and will not give up. Remember this year is a last year for Secretary General tenure as UNSG.