António Guterres is nearing the end of his decade as secretary-general of the United Nations, a period marked by growing geopolitical divisions, wars and mounting challenges to multilateral institutions. In an interview with EL PAÍS, he identified Climate change and artificial intelligence as the two issues that will continue to occupy his attention after leaving office.
Guterres said the greatest danger in artificial intelligence would be the concentration of capabilities in the United States and China. A competition focused on military systems and the development of AI-based weapons, he warned, could have “absolutely devastating” consequences. He called for communication channels between major powers to prevent a catastrophe, comparing the need for dialogue with arrangements maintained between the United States and Russia during the Cold War.
The UN chief also argued that companies should provide greater transparency about the environmental risks of the products they develop. Such information, he said, could support multilateral dialogue, cooperation and rules for supervising AI-related risks.
Guterres described the UN Security Council as his greatest frustration. He said its composition no longer reflects the current world, with the Global South underrepresented and Africa and Latin America lacking permanent members. He also pointed to the council’s limited effectiveness amid geopolitical divisions and the involvement of two permanent members in wars, which he said contributes to a sense of impunity.
Asked about the UN’s future leadership, Guterres declined to comment on the succession process, which remains affected by the lack of agreement among the five veto-wielding powers. He said he hoped the process would be completed positively and indicated that he would be pleased if a woman replaced him, noting that women remain underrepresented among the leaders of the world’s most powerful countries.
Guterres defended the organisation’s commitment to international law and rejected what he described as a transactional form of diplomacy. He said the UN had condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine while defending the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, and had condemned both Hamas’s October 7 attack and the deaths and destruction in Gaza. Losing that reference point, he warned, would lead to a world without rules, which would be disastrous for everyone.
On climate change, Guterres said humanity was still losing the battle. Emissions remain at their highest level and the 1.5-degree threshold above pre-industrial levels is likely to be exceeded, at least temporarily. However, he said science, economics and security all support a transition to renewable energy, adding that the fossil-fuel era is coming to an end.
Guterres also maintained his support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, known as UNRWA. He said the agency was being reformed to guarantee its complete neutrality but continued to have an essential role in assisting Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.
Regarding the war in Ukraine, Guterres said he saw no short-term solution. He supported an immediate ceasefire but said Russia was demanding the transfer of Donetsk territories still controlled by Ukraine, a condition Kyiv rejects. He described the positions of both sides as irreconcilable for now and said Ukraine continued to face particularly severe attacks on its energy infrastructure.
Sources: El País Internacional.