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Secretary-General António Guterres (seated at right) speaks to reporters at a press conference at the UN Headquarters, in New York. (file) Choose peace over chaos, Guterres urges as he sets out final-year priorities Peace and Security <\/p>\n
With global tensions rising and “reckless actions” triggering dangerous consequences, UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday called for renewed efforts on peace, justice and sustainable development as he outlined his priorities for 2026 – the final year of his tenure. <\/p>\n
2026 “is already shaping up to be a year of constant surprises and chaos <\/strong>,” he told journalists in New York. <\/p>\n Mr. Guterres – who trained as a physicist before entering public life – said that during times of profound flux, he returns to fixed principles that explain how forces act. <\/p>\n Among them is Newton’s Third Law of Motion which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. <\/p>\n “As we begin this year, we are determined to choose actions that generate concrete and positive reactions,” he said. <\/p>\n “Reactions of peace, of justice, of responsibility, and of progress in our troubled times.” <\/p>\n Today, impunity is driving conflicts – fueling escalation, widening mistrust, and allowing powerful spoilers to enter from every direction. <\/p>\n “Meanwhile, the slashing of humanitarian aid is generating its own chain reactions of despair, displacement, and death <\/strong> ,” as inequalities deepen. <\/p>\n He highlighted climate change <\/strong> – “the most literal and devastating illustration of Newton’s principle” – as actions that heat the planet trigger storms, wildfires, hurricanes, drought and rising seas. <\/p>\n Generating ‘positive reactions’ <\/h2>\n
Chain reaction <\/h2>\n