"Blatant violation of the Charter": Guterres criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in his last speech to the UN General Assembly

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, speaking about the war in Ukraine, criticised Russia’s "full-scale invasion" of its neighbour, saying it has subjected Ukraine to "a brutal war in blatant violation of the [UN] Charter". This was reported by UNN, citing Al Jazeera.

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He noted that "civilians continue to be killed far from the front line."

Guterres, delivering this in his final address to the UN General Assembly, warned that "the fault lines in the world are widening."

Guterres said: "The fault lines in our world are widening," referring to war, climate change, and artificial intelligence. He stressed: "These are not separate crises… They are chapters of the same story. The story of power."

Global power is shifting to new centers of government, private corporations, and machines, including "autonomous weapons," he added.

"Power cannot be the final arbiter in people's lives and future affairs," the UN Secretary-General said, among other things.

He also accused major oil companies of treating the atmosphere like an "open sewer."

In conclusion, Guterres said: "There is no peace without development; there is no development without peace; and there is no peace and development without human rights."

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Separately, in an interview with AP before his address to the UN General Assembly, Guterres said that the world was deeply divided and that the UN's most powerful body was paralyzed when it came to ending conflicts. But there is a way forward.

Leaving the post of UN Secretary-General at the end of the year after nearly a decade, Guterres, known for his pessimistic speeches about the state of the planet, said on Thursday that he sees hope and opportunities in the coming years. But, he said, this is possible only if the world's governments can finally cooperate in reducing conflicts, overcoming inequality, and confronting the advancing giant of artificial intelligence.

"I believe in a number of fundamental things that need to be done and that need to happen for the world to become a better place, and I am firmly determined to fight to make sure that these things happen," Guterres told the Associated Press in an interview four days before world leaders gathered for their annual meeting at the UN General Assembly.