UN Secretary-General António Guterres explains why peace in Ukraine is his top priority
Sep 16, 2023
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UN Secretary-General António Guterres discusses the importance of multilateral solutions, emphasizes peace in Ukraine, addresses the ongoing climate crisis, and highlights the need for a global entity to regulate artificial intelligence in an exclusive interview for the GZERO World podcast.
Achieving peace in Ukraine is crucial to address global geopolitical divides.
International cooperation is essential to tackle the climate crisis and regulate the emerging artificial intelligence technology.
Deep dives
Importance of Peace in Ukraine
The podcast highlights the importance of achieving peace in Ukraine as the single most important factor. The ongoing war in Ukraine is seen as a complicating factor, negatively impacting global geopolitical divides. The podcast emphasizes the need to end the war based on international law and the United Nations Charter.
Climate Crisis and Artificial Intelligence
The podcast explores the climate crisis and the detrimental impacts it has on the planet, leading to increased hunger, poverty, and ecological disruptions. It also discusses the emergence of artificial intelligence technology without adequate government regulations, posing potential threats to humanity. The UN Secretary General stresses the importance of political will and international cooperation to address these issues.
Global South and Multilateral Development
The podcast acknowledges the growing recognition of the global south in advocating for global changes and fairer international systems. It highlights the need for reforms in multilateral development banks, debt relief for developing countries, and more equitable trade and technology negotiations between Western countries and China. The UN Secretary General emphasizes the importance of stronger multilateral institutions to address the challenges of a multipolar world.
The challenges facing the world today, from conflict in Ukraine to climate catastrophes across the globe, cannot be solved by one country alone. The need for multilateral solutions between nations, even between warring nations, has never been greater. And yet, as diplomats, ministers and heads of state converge on the United Nations in New York this week for the 78th annual UN General Assembly, the UN Secretary-General fears that we are entering a time of increased global fragmentation. "We really need stronger and reformed multilateral institutions to be able to coordinate on what is becoming a multipolar world," Secretary-General António Guterres tells Ian Bremmer in an exclusive interview for the GZERO World podcast. "I would remind you that Europe, before the First World War, was multipolar. But because there were no multilateral governance institutions at the European level, the result was the First World War." Whether it’s the costly war in Ukraine, lurching towards its third year, or the ongoing climate crisis that, in Guterres’ words is quote “boiling” the planet, the Secretary-General and Ian discuss a wide array of pressing global issues. And don’t forget our brave new world of artificial intelligence, which will need a new global regulatory framework of its own.