Davos 2024: Special Address by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations

In a special address at Davos 2024, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warns that the world is facing existential threats from 'runaway climate chaos' and the development of AI without guardrails. He asserts that the phaseout of fossil fuels is 'essential and inevitable' and calls for a just transition to renewable energy. Guterres highlights a global crisis in trust driven by geopolitical divides and systemic inequality, arguing that current global governance frameworks—some 80 years old—must be reformed to be more inclusive of the Global South and representative of a multipolar order. He specifically advocates for reforms to the Security Council and the global financial architecture, as well as a networked governance model for AI to prevent worsening inequality and protect human rights.

• The world is facing existential threats from accelerating climate breakdown and the unregulated development of artificial intelligence, yet global strategy and collective action are lacking due to geopolitical divides.
• The transition away from fossil fuels is an unavoidable necessity, and immediate action is required to ensure this shift to renewable energy is equitable and just.
• Current global governance institutions, including the Security Council and the Bretton Woods system, are outdated and require deep reforms to manage a multipolar world and provide developing countries, particularly in the Global South, with a proportionate voice.
• While generative AI offers potential for sustainable development, it risks increasing global inequality and threatening human rights and privacy if pursued by tech companies solely for profit without risk management frameworks.
• Economic insecurity is being exacerbated by extreme wealth concentration and debt distress, with more than half of the world's poorest 75 countries facing financial instability.

APA

Guterres, A. (2024). Davos 2024: Special Address by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/davos-2024-special-address-by-antonio-guterres-secretary-general-of-the-united-nations/

Chicago

Guterres, António. Davos 2024: Special Address by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations. World Economic Forum, 2024. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/davos-2024-special-address-by-antonio-guterres-secretary-general-of-the-united-nations/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Guterres |first1=António |title=Davos 2024: Special Address by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=17 January 2024 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/davos-2024-special-address-by-antonio-guterres-secretary-general-of-the-united-nations/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{guterres2024davos, author = {Guterres, António}, title = {{Davos 2024: Special Address by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2024}, month = jan, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/davos-2024-special-address-by-antonio-guterres-secretary-general-of-the-united-nations/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }