New York, USA – United Nations Secretary General António Guterres yesterday urged world leaders never to surrender in the face of global crises as the UN marked its 80th General Assembly, attended by His Majesty King Mswati III.
The King was joined by Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Senator Pholile Shakantu, Eswatini’s Ambassador to the UN Thamie Dlamini, and the King’s Private Secretary Mbongeni Simelane among other members of his delegation.
Addressing the Assembly, Guterres described the UN as humanity’s moral compass and warned that despair is not an option. “In a world of many choices, there is one choice we must never make, the choice to give up. We must never give up. That is my promise to you,” he said.
Reflecting on the UN’s founding after World War Two, he noted that today’s challenges are even more urgent. He cited violence, hunger, climate disasters, military invasions and disinformation as signs of what he called an age of reckless disruption and relentless human suffering.
Guterres cautioned that without strong multilateral institutions, the world risks descending into chaos similar to the period before the First World War. “International cooperation is not naïve but a necessity,” he said, adding that no nation can manage pandemics, climate change or declining trust alone.
He outlined five choices for governments to address these crises. First, he called for peace over war, urging ceasefires, accountability and renewed diplomacy in places like Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza. Second, he called for dignity and human rights to guide development, insisting that civic freedoms and social investment are the bedrock of peace.
On climate change, Guterres warned that fossil fuels are a losing bet and pressed for greater investment in renewables and financial support for vulnerable nations. He also addressed artificial intelligence, saying technology must serve humanity. “No machine should decide who lives or dies,” he said, urging global standards for responsible use.
Finally, he appealed for a stronger, better-funded UN, lamenting that for every dollar invested in peace, US$750 is spent on weapons. He closed with a personal reflection on his youth in Portugal under authoritarian rule, where fear silenced voices and hope was almost lost. That experience, he said, taught him that real power comes from people and their resolve to uphold dignity.
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