Antonio Guterres: Can the UN still meet today’s global crises?
News Source
•Mon, 21 Sep 2026 15:21:52 +0000
📰 What Happened
Al Jazeera's James Bays sat down with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for an episode of On the Record. The 26-minute interview came just before Guterres gave his last speech to the UN General Assembly.
They talked about the Middle East and how its conflicts spread trouble around the world. They also asked whether the UN is still useful for today's biggest problems.
🔍 The Backstory
Guterres has been UN chief since 2017, and he steps down in December 2026. This was his final General Assembly address in the job.
The interview ran beside a separate Al Jazeera news story. In that story he said the state of the world is getting worse and called for reform of the Security Council.
He also said people in poorer countries are in a desperate situation because of rising energy and food costs.
🎯 Why It Matters
The interview sums up the UN's biggest problem: it was built for a different era. As Guterres leaves, whether the UN can still matter is an open question.
Al Jazeera's James Bays sat down with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for an episode of On the Record. The 26-minute interview came just before Guterres gave his last speech to the UN General Assembly.
They talked about the Middle East and how its conflicts spread trouble around the world. They also asked whether the UN is still useful for today's biggest problems.
Guterres has been UN chief since 2017, and he steps down in December 2026. This was his final General Assembly address in the job.
The interview ran beside a separate Al Jazeera news story. In that story he said the state of the world is getting worse and called for reform of the Security Council.
He also said people in poorer countries are in a desperate situation because of rising energy and food costs.
The interview sums up the UN's biggest problem: it was built for a different era. As Guterres leaves, whether the UN can still matter is an open question.