Secretary-General Guterres set for UN exit

UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ final general assembly as the body’s leader opens today, capping a tumultuous decade in which the global, rules-based order it represents has been called into question. A former Costa Rican vice president is the frontrunner to replace him, meaning the UN could be led by a woman for the first time.

Whoever succeeds Guterres faces a daunting set of challenges, ranging from climate change and AI regulation to internal battles over the organization’s future funding. As international alliances have frayed and global cooperation has fractured, Guterres sought to “make the long-term case for international solidarity and social justice,” one expert on the UN wrote, calling him “the last globalist standing.”