• 'Pillars of peace and progress are buckling under weight of impunity, inequality, and indifference,' says UN chief at 80th General Assembly opening
• Painting a grim picture of Gaza, Guterres says: 'In Gaza, the horrors are approaching a third monstrous year'

HAMILTON, Canada 

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday warned that the principles of the United Nations are "under siege," as he opened the 80th session of the General Assembly in New York.

"The pillars of peace and progress are buckling under the weight of impunity, inequality, and indifference," Guterres told world leaders, stressing that the UN's founding values are being tested in ways "more urgent, more intertwined, and more unforgiving" than at its creation.

Guterres painted a grim picture of Gaza and said: "In Gaza, the horrors are approaching a third monstrous year."

He added that the situation in Gaza is "the result of decisions that defy basic humanity."

Guterres also warned that "the scale of death and destruction is beyond any other conflict in my years as secretary-general."

He recalled that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) had issued "legally binding" provisional measures in the case of genocide in Gaza, but "since then, a famine has been declared, and the killing has intensified."

The UN chief further called for those measures to be "implemented fully and immediately."

Urging the UN Security Council to rise to the moment, Guterres said: "The Security Council must live up to its responsibilities. It must be more representative, more transparent, and more effective."

Highlighting the worsening humanitarian situation, the UN chief denounced international aid cuts, calling them “a death sentence for many" and "a stolen future for many more."

Beyond the conflict, Guterres urged world leaders to intensify their climate action, saying, "We need stepped-up action and ambition, especially through strengthened national climate plans."

He noted that the G20 nations, as the largest emitters, "must lead, guided by common but differentiated responsibilities."

"80 years on, we confront again the question our founders faced: What kind of world do we choose to build together?" Guterres asked. 

Noting that the 80th year of the UN "is not an ordinary year," Annalena Baerbock, president of the UN General Assembly, said: "Just look at the state of our world. As the secretary-general described, thousands of orphans in Gaza are wandering around the rubble, eating sand, and drinking contaminated water.

Pointing to the criticisms about the UN, Baerbock asked, "Is it the UN that has failed when tanks rolled into Ukraine? Was it because Article Two of the Charter is not clear enough about sovereignty and territorial integrity when civilian children are killed in Gaza?"

She emphasized that "it's not the Charter that fails. It's not the UN as an institution that fails the charter."

"Our charter is only as strong as member states' willingness to uphold it and their willingness to hold to account those who violate it," she affirmed.

Acknowledging the global sufferings and failures of diplomacy, Baerbock asked, "How much worse would it be without the United Nations?

"Imagine coming here by plane. How safe would you feel stepping into the next airplane if there were no International Civil Aviation Organization anymore, which is responsible for setting safety regulations for 5 billion passengers?"

She urged all member states to support a UN "that is agile, cost-effective, and fit for purpose."

"Our future as an institution will also be shaped by the selection of the next secretary-general, and here we must pause and reflect on nearly 80 years. This organization has never chosen a woman for that role," she said, urging member states to consider a female candidate for the position.