ASTANA – UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the organization is reshaping its internal system to give young people a stronger voice, responding to a question from AT’s Assel Satubaldina during a virtual briefing with this year’s cohort of the Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship (RAF).
UN Chief speaks to RAF Journalists on Dec. 5. Photo credit: UN RAF
The RAF is a prominent international journalism program run under the auspices of the UN. The program brings together top reporters from developing countries to deepen understanding of the UN’s work and global affairs.
Responding to a question on youth participation posed by Assel Satubaldina, The Astana Times managing editor, the Secretary-General pointed to the UN’s Youth Office, established in 2022, and to Youth2030, the UN System’s first overarching strategy on youth.
“On top of that, the question that is important is that young people need to choose either to be for international law, either to be for correcting the injustices and inequalities of the present world and the present institutions, or to believe that the best is to let things go by themselves and let countries do whatever they want,” said Guterres, adding that abandoning global institutions is not an option.
The UN chief said the next generation will inherit a world shaped by failures his own generation could not resolve.
“I am 76, and as I said, my generation has failed in addressing these problems. We count on you that you will be able to correct the mistakes that we have been making,” he told the fellows.
‘Perfect storm’
UN Secretary-General reiterated renewed commitment to peace, climate action, and stronger multilateral cooperation, describing the current geopolitical landscape as a “perfect storm.”
“When I compare the situation of the world when I started these functions in 2017 with the situation today, I get the impression that we are now in a perfect storm,” said Guterres during a Dec. 5 virtual meeting.
While back then, conflicts were spreading around the world, he said, “nothing compared with the present situation,” highlighting the ongoing crises, including in Ukraine, Sudan, and Gaza, and devastating consequences for civilians and the global economy.
“A completely different situation from the point of view of peace and security, with the Security Council paralyzed and unable to address these situations,” Guterres added.
Failure to confront climate change
The Secretary-General also delivered his stark assessment of the climate crisis, warning that the world is heading toward a period of unavoidable “overshooting” beyond the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold by around 2030.
“My generation has failed in relation to climate action,” he said, adding that scientists now project temperatures to temporarily exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius, triggering a rise in extreme weather, ecosystem collapse, and growing risks to human health, food security and peace.
To reverse the trajectory, he said, global emissions should fall by 60% by 2035, far beyond the roughly 10% reduction reflected in current national commitments.
The current system serves developed countries
Guterres noted the “dramatic increase” of inequalities. “The system, as it is, is at the service of the developed countries. The system favors the increase of those inequalities,” he said.
He stressed the international financial system is outdated, leaving developing countries underrepresented and under-resourced. “If you look at the World Bank, for instance, it became very small compared with the needs that exist in the world, for the simple reason that countries refused to put capital in the World Bank. The capital of the World Bank today is about one-fifth of what it was as a percentage of global GDP in the 1960s,” he said.
Phase two of the Gaza plan
Commenting on the U.S.-backed ceasefire plan in Gaza, the Secretary-General said the current pause cannot be the final step and urged moving toward phase two of the plan, culminating in a two-state solution.
“I have some hope that we will not go back to where we were. But that is not enough for me,” he said. “There will be no peace in the Middle East without the self-determination of the Palestinian people. And this is for me absolutely essential.”
He noted that while it remains unclear whether the Security Council will take the necessary steps, he will continue to speak out. “I will not shut up my voice if this is not moving in a direction in line with international law and the values of the UN Charter,” he said.
Stronger multilateralism
The Secretary-General reiterated his call for stronger multilateral cooperation and institutions. To become such, the UN needs reforms, he added, pointing to the UN Security Council’s poor representation and the persistent use of the veto to shield violations of international law.
“The [Global] South is more and more a bigger part of the global economy. But the rules remain that favor the north,” he said, acknowledging that many reforms remain blocked by member states that benefit from the status quo
“I have learned that power is never distributed. Power is taken,” he added.
The UN has a blueprint for advancing this effort, outlined in the Pact for the Future, adopted in September 2024, that ranges from reforming the Security Council and the Bretton Woods institutions to expanding developing countries’ influence, tackling debt and inequality, and accelerating a just transition away from fossil fuels.
“But let’s be honest, there is not much political will of member states, especially of those that benefit from the injustices of today’s world, to do the reforms that are necessary,” said the UN chief.
“But we won’t give up, and we will go on fighting for what is fair, for what is just, and for reforms of institutions, including ours, in order to be able to correspond to the principles of equality, justice and the respect the sovereignty of states and no double standards in the way international problems are handled and international law being respected,” he said.
