The annual diplomatic gathering at the United Nations this week places the spotlight on its top chief, António Guterres, the secretary general, who is tasked with persuading an increasingly divided and skeptical world that the U.N. — and, by extension, his position — is still vital for international order and multilateralism.
Mr. Guterres, a former prime minister of Portugal and former head of the U.N.’s refugee agency, has been criticized by some as being too cautious or hands-off in addressing conflicts. The U.N.’s viability as a protector of stability in the world has come under question as it has shown little sway in resolving conflicts including in Myanmar, Yemen, Syria and Ukraine.
But Mr. Guterres plans to use the General Assembly as a stage from which to tell skeptics that U.N. diplomacy can still yield results.
The war in Ukraine unexpectedly elevated Mr. Guterres’s role as a humanitarian mediator between Russia and Ukraine. He has bluntly condemned Russia for violating the U.N. charter and called for investigations into potential crimes against humanity in Ukraine. And from early on, he sounded the alarm and opened investigations into the rippling affects of the war on rising food and energy and economic downturn.
“Guterres has emerged from the war as one of the few international leaders who has improved his standing,” said Ashish Pradhan, senior U.N. analyst for the International Crisis Group. “He drew on his work and experience.”
Mr. Guterres is expected to point to his success in negotiating two key humanitarian agreements between Ukraine and Russia: the evacuation of trapped civilians in Mariupol and a deal that allows Ukraine’s grain to be shipped through ports in the Black Sea in exchange for easing Russia’s ability to export grain and fertilizers.
The U.N. is working on a deal to secure and demilitarize the Zaporizhzhia power plant, as fighting around it has raised alarm about the growing risk of a nuclear accident.
In his speech to the assembly on Tuesday morning, Mr. Guterres is expected to highlight two other causes: climate change and also food insecurity.
“You can expect the secretary general to deliver a sober, substantive and solutions-focused report card on the state of our world where geopolitical divides are putting all of us at risk,” said a U.N. spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric. “There will be no sugar coating in his remarks, but he will outline reasons for hope.”
