Burak Bir
January 18, 2026•Update: January 18, 2026
LONDON
The head of the UN said Saturday that a robust system is needed to address the world’s interconnected challenges, but warned that the "values of multilateralism are being chipped away."
Speaking at Methodist Central Hall in London, the venue where the first General Assembly was held Jan. 10, 1946, Antonio Guterres urged delegates to be “bold enough to change."
"Bold enough to find the courage of those who came to this Hall 80 years ago to forge a better world," he said at an anniversary event organized by the UN Association-UK with attendance from more than 1,000 delegates from across the world.
Guterres reflected on the symbolic location of the commemoration, highlighting that the first General Assembly took place within the same walls four months after the end of World War II, "a powerful reminder as to why the UN had been created."
"To reach this Hall, delegates had to pass through a city scarred by war … and as those bombs fell, terrified civilians huddled here, in the basement of the Methodist Central Hall — one of the largest public air-raid shelters in London," he said.
The UN chief acknowledged that the General Assembly’s work "may not always be straightforward or seamless," but it is a "a mirror of our world, its divisions and its hopes. And it is the stage on which our shared story plays out."
Reflecting on the last decade, Guterres said, "The conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan have been vicious and cruel beyond measure; artificial intelligence has become ubiquitous almost overnight; and the (coronavirus) pandemic poured accelerant on the fires of nationalism, stalling progress on development and climate action."
He called 2025 a "profoundly challenging" year for international cooperation and the UN’s values.
A "robust, responsive and well-resourced multilateral" system is needed to address the world’s interconnected challenges, he said, warning that the "values of multilateralism are being chipped away."
"As global centers of power shift, we have the potential to build a future that is either more fair or more unstable," he added.
Guterres arrived Friday in London and met Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss the UN’s ambitious reform agenda, which they agreed was vital for the UN to meet modern challenges in a volatile world.
