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STORY: UN / GUTERRES UN80 INITIATIVE
TRT: 06:50
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / FRENCH / NATS
DATELINE: 15 JANUARY 2026, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
1. Wide shot, United Nations headquarters
2. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall, UN Secretary-General António Guterres walking to the rostrum
3. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“It is tradition for the Secretary-General to come before the General Assembly and present priorities for the year ahead. Today, I do so for the final time. Let me assure you that I will make every day of 2026 count.”
4. Wide shot, António Guterres speaking to the General Assembly
5. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Let’s be clear: the context is chaos. We are a world brimming with conflict, impunity, inequality, and unpredictability. A world marked by self-defeating geopolitical divides, brazen violations of international law, and wholesale cuts in development and humanitarian aid.”
6. Wide shot, António Guterres speaking to the General Assembly
7. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“That is the paradox of our era: at a time when we need international cooperation the most, we seem to be the least inclined to use it and invest in it. Some seek to put international cooperation on deathwatch. I can assure you: we will not give up.”
8. Wide shot, delegates
9. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“As we push forward on reforms, our larger mission must be finding our bearings in this disorienting world. Let me boil it down to three principles that must be at the foundation of all our actions – not just for this year, but for our times. First, we must adhere to the UN Charter – fully and faithfully. No ifs … no ands … no buts. The Charter is a compact which binds us all. It is not an à la carte menu, it is prix fixe.”
10. Wide shot, delegates
11. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The Charter is the foundation of international relations – the bedrock of peace, sustainable development, and human rights. I am honoured to serve as custodian of the Charter. But each one of you has signed up to be a custodian of the Charter, too. When leaders run roughshod over international law – when they pick and choose which rules to follow – they are not only undermining global order, they are setting a perilous precedent.”
12. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall
13. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“And the dangers do not stop with States or warring parties. They are being amplified by bottomless greed and inequality. The top one percent holds 43 percent of global financial assets. And last year alone, the richest 500 individuals added $2.2 trillion to their fortunes.”
14. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall
15. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The concentration of power and wealth in so few hands is morally indefensible. More than that, it is a clear and present danger to the Charter and the promise of equal rights and dignity for all.
16. Wide shot, António Guterres speaking to the General Assembly
17. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“We must be relentless in our work for peace with justice –peace between nations and peace with nature. Peace is at the heart of all we do. Yet as we meet today, the snares of conflict have trapped millions of members of the human family in miserable, prolonged cycles of violence, hunger and displacement. The suffering cannot go on.”
18. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall
19. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“In Gaza – I welcome the start of Phase Two of the ceasefire – and reiterate that humanitarian aid must flow unimpeded, the ceasefire must be implemented in full, and the way must be cleared to an irreversible path to a two-state solution in accordance with international law.”
20. Wide shot, António Guterres speaking to the General Assembly
21. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“In Ukraine – where we must spare no effort to stop the fighting and achieve a just and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter, international law and UN resolutions. In Sudan – where the parties must agree on an immediate cessation of hostilities and the resumption of talks to reach a lasting ceasefire and a comprehensive, inclusive and Sudanese owned political process. Civilians must be protected.”
22. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall
23. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Peace with justice means peace grounded in international law and on human rights –economic, social, cultural, civil and political – which are inalienable, indivisible and interdependent. We must safeguard freedom of speech and civic space. On that note, I am deeply concerned by the violent repression in Iran.”
24. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall
25. SOUNDBITE (French) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“It is also a profound injustice: those who have contributed the least are the first and the hardest hit. Leaders have failed to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
A temporary overshoot of this threshold is now inevitable - but not irreversible. Our mission is to make this overshoot as small, as brief, and as safe as possible - and to immediately bend the curve back toward 1.5 degrees.”
26. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall
27. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Third, and finally, our priority must be to build unity in an age of division. Around the world, we see the risk of societies breaking down under the weight of racism, nationalist xenophobia, and religious bigotry. These poisons are corroding the fabric of communities, fuelling division and distrust.”
28. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall
29. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Every country has the sovereign right within the law to manage its borders and ensure security. But migrants and refugees also have rights – rights that must be respected and protected, wherever they are. Our challenge – and our priority – must be to build welcoming societies, not walled-off citadels.”
30. Various shots, António Guterres leaves the podium
Secretary-General António Guterres said, “That is the paradox of our era: at a time when we need international cooperation the most, we seem to be the least inclined to use it and invest in it. Some seek to put international cooperation on deathwatch. I can assure you: we will not give up.”
Addressing the General Assembly today (15 Jan) for the last time, Guterres set out priorities for the year ahead, pledging to focus his remaining time in office on advancing the Organization’s work. He warned that the global environment is increasingly unstable, saying, “Let’s be clear: the context is chaos. We are a world brimming with conflict, impunity, inequality, and unpredictability,” marked by geopolitical divides, violations of international law, and cuts to development and humanitarian aid.
As the United Nations pushes forward with reforms, Guterres said its actions must be anchored in core principles. He urged Member States to fully respect the UN Charter, stating, “The Charter is a compact which binds us all. It is not an à la carte menu, it is prix fixe.” He warned that leaders who selectively follow international law are undermining global order and setting a dangerous precedent.
Turning to inequality, Guterres highlighted the concentration of wealth, noting that the top one percent holds 43 percent of global financial assets and that the richest 500 individuals added $2.2 trillion to their fortunes last year. He said, “The concentration of power and wealth in so few hands is morally indefensible,” calling it a clear danger to the promise of equal rights and dignity.
The Secretary-General said peace remains central to the UN’s mission, but warned that ongoing conflicts have trapped millions in cycles of violence, hunger and displacement. He said, “The suffering cannot go on.”
On Gaza, Guterres welcomed the start of Phase Two of the ceasefire and reiterated that that humanitarian aid must flow unimpeded. He said the ceasefire must be fully implemented and the way cleared toward “an irreversible path to a two-state solution in accordance with international law.”
He also addressed other conflicts, calling for renewed efforts to stop the fighting in Ukraine and Sudan. He said, “From Yemen to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, from Haiti to the Sahel to Myanmar and around the world, we must never give up in the pursuit for peace.”
Linking peace to rights, Guterres said, “Peace with justice means peace grounded in international law and on human rights,” and warned of shrinking civic space worldwide. He said he was “deeply concerned by the violent repression in Iran.”
Concluding, Guterres urged unity in an age of division, warning that racism, xenophobia and religious bigotry are corroding societies. While acknowledging states’ rights to manage borders and security, he said migrants and refugees also have rights that must be respected, calling on countries “to build welcoming societies, not walled-off citadels.”
