Guterres Urges World Leaders To ‘get Serious – And Deliver’

Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published September 16, 2025 | 11:45 PM

(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 16th Sep, 2025) NEW YORK, 16th September, 2025 (WAM) – UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged world leaders to “get serious – and deliver” as they begin arriving in New York for the high-level week of the 80th General Assembly.

Speaking at a press conference at the UN Headquarters on Tuesday in New York, he warned that global divisions, conflicts and crises have left the very principle of international cooperation to its most fragile point in decades.

“Some call it the World Cup of diplomacy,” Guterres said.

“But this cannot be about scoring points – it must be about solving problems. There is too much at stake.

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The UN chief described a world adrift in “turbulent, uncharted waters,” listing widening geopolitical divides, escalating conflicts, climate change, runaway technologies, and rising inequalities, as challenges that demand urgent solutions.

“International cooperation is straining under pressures unseen in our lifetimes,” he said.

Nearly 150 heads of state and government are expected in New York next week, alongside thousands of officials and diplomats.

Guterres said he would personally hold more than 150 bilateral meetings, pressing leaders “to speak directly with each other, to bridge divides, to reduce risks, to find solutions.”