Future of AI cannot be decided by handful of countries or controlled by a few billionaires: UN chief Antonio Guterres

February 19, 2026 1:24 PM

Future of AI cannot be decided by handful of countries or controlled by a few billionaires: UN chief Antonio Guterres

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday said that hosting the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in the Global South carries “special meaning,” stressing that the future of artificial intelligence must not be shaped by a handful of countries or controlled by a few billionaires. Addressing global leaders, technology executives and policymakers at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, Guterres thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the invitation and congratulated India for organisin...

How will the next UN chief be chosen and who wants the job?

January 15, 2026 10:49 PM

How will the next UN chief be chosen and who wants the job?

A new United Nations secretary-general will be elected this year for a five-year term starting on January 1, 2027. The president of the 193-member General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, asked countries on Wednesday to nominate candidates by April 1, so they are able to take part in so-called interactive dialogues the week of April 20, which will be broadcast online. At these meetings candidates will be able to present their vision statement and U.N. member states will be able to ask questions. ...

UN chief Antonio Guterres calls for ensuring minorities’ safety in Bangladesh

December 23, 2025 12:56 PM

UN chief Antonio Guterres calls for ensuring minorities’ safety in Bangladesh

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed deep concern over the recent surge in violence in Bangladesh, stressing that minorities must feel safe in the country, his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said. “We’re very concerned about the violence we’ve seen in Bangladesh,” Dujarric told reporters when asked about attacks on minorities, including recent incidents of lynching targeting Hindus. “All Bangladeshis need to feel safe.” Emphasising the rights of minority...

UN chief Antonio Guterres opposes death penalty for Sheikh Hasina

November 18, 2025 12:19 PM

UN chief Antonio Guterres opposes death penalty for Sheikh Hasina

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is against the death penalty imposed on Sheikh Hasina by a Bangladesh court, said his Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. “We stand against the use of the death penalty in all circumstances”, he said on Monday, replying to a question at his daily briefing on the sentence imposed in absentia on the leader who is in exile in India. Dujarric cited a statement by UN Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Turk and said that “we fully agree with” his oppositi...

How will the next UN chief be chosen and who wants the job?

October 23, 2025 10:13 AM

How will the next UN chief be chosen and who wants the job?

A new United Nations Secretary-General will be elected next year for a five-year term starting on January 1, 2027. Here are the potential candidates so far and how the successor to current U.N. chief Antonio Guterres will be chosen: WHEN DOES THE PROCESS START? The race will formally start when the 15-member Security Council and the president of the 193-member General Assembly send a joint letter soliciting nominations. That letter is due to be sent by the end of the year. A candidate has to...

UN chief warns of ‘a rathole of retaliation’ after US strikes on Iran

June 23, 2025 12:34 PM

UN chief warns of ‘a rathole of retaliation’ after US strikes on Iran

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday warned of "a rathole of retaliation" in the wake of US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities marks a perilous turn in a region that is already reeling, Guterres told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. "From the outset of the (Israeli-Iranian) crisis, I have repeatedly condemned any military escalation in the Middle East. The people of the region cannot endure another cycle of destruction. And...

UN chief convened an emergency meeting on Iran strikes, says- ‘Neither region nor world can afford more war’

April 15, 2024 9:07 AM

UN chief convened an emergency meeting on Iran strikes, says- ‘Neither region nor world can afford more war’

Addressing the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, which was convened after Iranian drone and missile launches into Israel, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday said the 'Middle East' was on the brink, adding that neither the region nor the world can afford more war. "We have a shared responsibility to work for peace. Regional and indeed global peace and security are being undermined by the hour. Neither the region nor the world can afford more war," Guterres said in his st...