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State of world getting worse as UN Security Council paralysed: Guterres

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Al Jazeera Staff. (2026, September 21). State of world getting worse as UN Security Council paralysed: Guterres. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/21/state-of-world-getting-worse-as-un-security-council-paralysed-guterres?traffic_source=rss

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Al Jazeera · collected 2026-09-21 · by Al Jazeera Staff

Quick Summary

Antonio Guterres, the United Nations chief, warned that the state of the world is deteriorating due to increasing wars and geopolitical divisions that have paralyzed the UN Security Council, leaving vulnerable populations in dire situations. In an interview with Al Jazeera on Monday before his final address as secretary-general to the UN General Assembly, Guterres discussed how conflicts involving superpowers are causing crises by fostering a culture of impunity among smaller nations. He highlighted the impact of ongoing wars and geopolitical tensions on global food accessibility and inflation rates, particularly affecting developing countries more severely than developed ones.
Written by AI on 2026-09-21, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In a wide-ranging interview with Al Jazeera on Monday, Antonio Guterres, the United Nations chief, warned that the state of the world is deteriorating due to increasing wars and geopolitical divides. He stated that conflicts involving superpowers have paralyzed the UN Security Council and left vulnerable populations in dire situations. Guterres highlighted specific issues such as the war in Ukraine, disruptions to food, fertilizer, and energy exports through the Black Sea, and challenges in key straits like the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb. He emphasized that these crises are creating an environment where medium-sized powers feel emboldened to act with impunity, exacerbating global economic instability. Guterres also reflected on his tenure ahead of delivering his final address as secretary-general at the UN General Assembly.

Written for “Global Governance Challenges” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Global Governance Challenges
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 7% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Al Jazeera
Hedges 1 of 15 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of global affairs at the UN, with Article A focusing on a specific Security Council meeting regarding Syria and Israel's military actions, while Article B covers Antonio Guterres' broader assessment of world conflicts and the UN's relevance.”
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 1 of 39 claims Outlet record 70/100
“The articles discuss different topics: one focuses on President Trump's stance against the ICC, while the other is an interview with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about global conflicts and the relevance of the UN.”
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans strongly left Hedges 1 of 12 claims Outlet record 70/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of global issues but do not describe the same specific incident or occurrence.”
Washington Examiner
Hedges 0 of 14 claims Outlet record 70/100
“The articles describe different perspectives on international affairs at the UN but do not report on the same specific incident or address.”
The Sydney Morning Herald
Hedges 6 of 32 claims Outlet record 61/100
“Article A discusses potential controversial events at the United Nations General Assembly, while Article B focuses on Antonio Guterres' interview addressing global conflicts and the UN's relevance. They cover related topics but describe different specific happenings.”
National Post
⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 1 of 36 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles discuss different topics related to the United Nations but describe distinct events: one about personal reflection on past views and another about current geopolitical issues addressed by UN Secretary-General Guterres.”
The Straits Times
Hedges 0 of 9 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different events; Article A reports on Bachelet's withdrawal from her UN candidacy, while Article B discusses Guterres' final address to UNGA and the state of world affairs.”
The Guardian
Hedges 0 of 9 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different events: one about Bachelet's withdrawal from the UN Secretary General candidacy, and another about Guterres' comments on the state of the world and the relevance of the UN.”
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 4 of 16 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different topics: sanctions against the International Criminal Court and the state of global conflicts according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.”
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans strongly left Hedges 2 of 14 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different topics and focus on separate events: one is an interview with Antonio Guterres about the state of the world, while the other is about Donald Trump's UN meetings.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
14
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
7%
1 of 14 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
60/100
Al Jazeera's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-21 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Al Jazeera · 4733 article(s) · 3 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 3 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Al Jazeera Staff
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Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
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Topics

Al Jazeera Ukraine United Nations the Security Council the UN General Assembly

Subjects

Guterres PERSON · 7× China GPE · 2× Russia GPE · 2× Trump PERSON · 2× UNGA ORG · 2× Ukraine GPE · 2× the Security Council ORG · 2× Al Jazeera ORG · 1× Antonio Guterres PERSON · 1× United Nations ORG · 1×

Narrative

“The combination of the war in Ukraine with the problems of exports of foods, fertilisers, and energy through the Black Sea, if you combine it with the difficulties in the Strait of Hormuz [in the Gulf], in the Bab al-Mandeb [in the Red Sea], and in the attacks [on] oil installations in several countries of the [Middle East] region, we are creating a situation that has a devastating impact on many economies around the world,” Guterres said.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-21
🔮 “That creates an environment of impunity, in which midsize powers believe that they can do whatever they want because nothing will happen to them,” Guterres said.
2026-09-21 · Al Jazeera
State of world getting worse as UN Security Council paralysed: Guterres · assertive framing

Claims (14 extracted, 1 hedged)

The state of the world “is getting worse” as wars multiply and become more complex, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has said, warning that growing geopolitical divides have paralysed the Security Council and leave the most vulnerable “in very dramatic situations”. asserted
divides → get → situations
In a wide-ranging interview with Al Jazeera on Monday, the eve of his final address as secretary-general to the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Guterres discussed the major military conflicts happening in the world and whether the UN is still relevant in addressing today’s challenges. asserted
UN → range → challenges
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who → fail → items-
- list 2 of 4Israeli forces arrest dozens of Palestinians in occupied West Bank raid - list 3 of 4CNN, Politico, MS NOW sue Trump administration over White House ban - list 4 of 4What’s the US–China AI ‘hotline’ that Trump plans to pitch to Xi Jinping? asserted
Trump → arrest → Jinping
Guterres said the involvement of “superpowers” and key council members in the wars has created a crisis due to the continued violations of international law. asserted
involvement → say → law
“That creates an environment of impunity, in which midsize powers believe that they can do whatever they want because nothing will happen to them,” Guterres said. asserted
Guterres → create → them
The UN chief outlined the real-life impacts that the Russia-Ukraine war and the US-Israel war on Iran are having on people, particularly around food accessibility, rising fuel prices and global inflation. asserted
war → outline → accessibility
“The combination of the war in Ukraine with the problems of exports of foods, fertilisers, and energy through the Black Sea, if you combine it with the difficulties in the Strait of Hormuz [in the Gulf], in the Bab al-Mandeb [in the Red Sea], and in the attacks [on] oil installations in several countries of the [Middle East] region, we are creating a situation that has a devastating impact on many economies around the world,” Guterres said. asserted
Guterres → combine → world
He added that rising interest rates and fuel prices in developed countries could eventually be managed, whereas people in the developing world “are in a desperate situation” due to the increasing energy and food costs and the lack of fertilisers. uncertain
people → add → fertilisers
Dire need for reforms Guterres, who previously served as prime minister of Portugal and UN high commissioner for refugees, has been the UN chief since January 1, 2017, though his mandate is coming to an end on December 31, 2026. asserted
mandate → serve → December
His successor, who is yet to be named, will take charge of an organisation that is grappling with multiple crises and is, in Guterres’s opinion, in dire need of reforms to stay relevant and important on the global stage. asserted
that → name → stage
He notably cited the Security Council, saying it “still essentially represents the world of World War II”. asserted
it → cite → II
Candidates in the running to replace Guterres include the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Rafael Grossi, former Senegalese President Macky Sall and Ecuadorian diplomat Maria Fernanda Espinosa. asserted
Candidates → replace → Grossi
To be recommended by the UNSC, a candidate for UN secretary-general needs at least nine of the council’s 15 members to vote in favour and must avoid a veto from any of the five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – before a final vote in the UNGA. asserted
nine → recommend → UNGA
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