United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the world is sliding into “constant surprises and chaos” and cannot be stabilised by any single dominant power or by rival blocs carving the planet into spheres of influence.

Addressing journalists at UN Headquarters, Guterres said today’s crises – from wars and climate shocks to economic turmoil and disruptive technologies – are exposing the limits of go-it-alone strategies. He argued that only genuine cooperation, anchored in strong and trusted multilateral institutions, can prevent further global fragmentation.

“Global problems will not be solved by one power calling the shots. Nor will they be solved by two powers carving the world into rival spheres of influence,” he said, urging governments to abandon zero-sum geopolitics in favour of “shared responsibility and shared values.”

Guterres voiced particular concern over the growing influence of private technology companies, noting that power is shifting from elected governments to largely unregulated digital platforms and artificial intelligence systems. “When technologies that shape behaviour, elections, markets, and even conflicts operate without guardrails, the reaction is not innovation, it is instability,” he warned.

To counter that instability, he called for a form of multipolarity that is “networked” and “inclusive by design,” built on partnerships rather than rival power centres. Such a system, he said, must be underpinned by effective global institutions capable of mediating interests and enforcing rules.

“For multipolarity to generate equilibrium, prosperity and peace, we need strong multilateral institutions where legitimacy is rooted in shared responsibility and shared values,” Guterres said, invoking the principles of the UN Charter as a compass for the future. “Structures may be out of date – but values are not.”

Setting out his priorities, the Secretary-General linked peace, development and institutional reform. He pledged to keep pushing for “just and sustainable peace rooted in international law,” reforms of the Security Council, faster progress on the Sustainable Development Goals and a fairer global financial system.

On climate and technology, he pressed for greater support to countries on the front lines of climate disasters and for robust global governance of artificial intelligence, insisting that the world still has a choice: “actions that generate concrete and positive reactions – reactions of peace, of justice, of responsibility, and of progress in our troubled times.”