UN chief warns Charter under 'profound strain' amid global conflicts

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Tuesday that the United Nations Charter is under "profound strain" as conflicts multiply worldwide and geopolitical divisions erode the foundations of international law, addressing the Security Council's high-level open debate in Hamilton, Canada.

Seven Threats to Global Order

Guterres described the charter as "a survival guide for humanity" created to ensure "that the force of law must prevail over the law of force." He identified seven major threats now endangering the international system, warning that "we now face the highest number of conflicts since the founding of the United Nations."

"There is growing external interference" in these conflicts, he said, pointing to escalating violence across the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine. He noted that weapons provisions — including drones — now frequently target civilians and civilian objects, expanding the scope of external involvement in regional wars.

Regional Flashpoints

The secretary-general expressed particular concern regarding Russia's announcement of attacks on Ukrainian defense facilities following reports of a Ukrainian drone strike in Starobelsk. "Now more than ever, it is imperative to avoid any escalation," he said, warning that further conflict risks making "the search for peace even more distant" in a war that has already devastated civilian populations.

He also highlighted instability across the Middle East, noting that Israel has announced expanded operations in Lebanon while ceasefire violations persist in Gaza. Uncertainty surrounds negotiations between Washington and Tehran, he added, compounding risks of wider regional confrontation.

Erosion of International Norms

Guterres warned of "a dangerous erosion of respect for international law," stating that core principles — sovereign equality, territorial integrity and the prohibition of force — "are being challenged or ignored." He observed that "violations go unanswered" while impunity spreads across multiple theaters of conflict.

The UN chief also pointed to an "accelerating and destabilizing arms race" as military spending reaches record levels while humanitarian and development funding declines. He cautioned that new technologies including artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons are advancing faster than international capacity to govern them.

Climate and Governance Challenges

Climate change is acting as "a driver of instability, a multiplier of threats, and an increasing source of tension within and between nations," Guterres said. He added that human rights are under "full-scale attack" and developing nations face mounting debt burdens alongside limited access to financing.

Urging reforms to global institutions, Guterres stressed they "must reflect today's realities, not those of 1945." He acknowledged that "no reform, institutional or structural, can substitute for political will," calling on all member states to refrain from threatening or using force against any state's territorial integrity or political independence.