UN chief warns of impending 'winter of global discontent' amid searing divisions

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Tuesday of a worrying escalation in geopolitical divides that he said risks severe "dysfunction" at a time when international unity is essential.

"We need action across the board. Let’s have no illusions. We are in rough seas. A winter of global discontent is on the horizon," Guterres said as he opened the 77th UN General Assembly debate.

"A cost-of-living crisis is raging. Trust is crumbling. Inequalities are exploding. Our planet is burning. People are hurting – with the most vulnerable suffering the most. The United Nations Charter and the ideals it represents are in jeopardy. We have a duty to act. And yet we are gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction," he added.

At present, Guterres said, the international community "is not ready or willing" to tackle the challenges before it due to blistering geopolitical divides that are undermining the UN Security Council, international law and more fundamentally "trust and people’s faith in democratic institutions."

"We cannot go on like this," he said.