Speaking at Pakistan’s Foreign Service Academy, the UN secretary-general praised the country’s humanitarian and diplomatic contributions while calling for financial reforms and inclusive artificial intelligence governance.

ISLAMABAD (FNN) — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres praised Pakistan’s contributions to peacekeeping, refugee protection and climate action during an Oct. 7 address in Islamabad, urging world leaders to strengthen cooperation as conflicts, inequality and technological change reshape international affairs.

Speaking at the Foreign Service Academy, Guterres highlighted Pakistan’s history of hosting Afghan refugees, its service in UN peacekeeping operations and its efforts to promote dialogue between the United States and Iran, according to a UN release of his remarks.

He identified four major challenges facing international cooperation: peace and security, inequality, climate change and artificial intelligence.

“Today, humanity faces challenges on a scale no nation can solve by itself,” Guterres said.

Pakistan’s peacekeeping and humanitarian contributions

Guterres described Pakistan as a country whose generosity and resilience he had witnessed during his service as UN high commissioner for refugees and secretary-general.

He recalled Pakistani families sharing their homes and limited resources with Afghan refugees, as well as communities supporting people displaced by terrorism.

Pakistani peacekeepers, he said, have served for generations in dangerous environments, protecting civilians and supporting fragile peace processes.

He also praised Pakistan’s role on the UN Security Council and its diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions between Washington and Tehran.

“I commend Pakistan’s efforts to help forge peace between the United States and Iran,” he said.

Climate funding and the legacy of the 2022 floods

Recalling his visit during Pakistan’s devastating 2022 floods, Guterres said the disaster illustrated the unequal burden of climate change.

Pakistan contributes around 1% of global emissions but faces severe climate risks, he said. Millions of people experienced catastrophic losses from a crisis they did little to create.

He described meeting residents who abandoned their possessions to rescue neighbors, children, older adults and people with disabilities.

“In moments of crisis, saving ourselves begins with helping each other,” Guterres said.

He credited Pakistan’s leadership of the Group of 77 and China with helping secure the Loss and Damage Fund, which is intended to assist developing countries facing climate-related losses.

However, he said less than $500 million had been transferred to the fund’s trust fund nearly four years later, compared with an annual global climate disaster bill of about $200 billion.

“A crisis costing billions cannot be answered with funding counted in the millions,” he said.

Guterres also highlighted Pakistan’s solar energy expansion, calling for greater support for renewable energy, resilient infrastructure and climate adaptation.

Debt, development and financial reform

Guterres warned that rising debt burdens and inadequate development financing are limiting opportunities in developing countries.

He called for changes to the international financial system to give those countries greater representation and access to financing for sustainable growth.

“Developing countries should not have to choose between servicing debt and investing in their future,” he said.

Pakistan’s young, entrepreneurial population offers substantial potential, he said, but realizing it requires economic opportunity, respect for human rights, the rule of law and protection of civic space.

Artificial intelligence: Opportunity and risk

Guterres said artificial intelligence could improve health care, education, agriculture and disaster preparedness.

He also warned that AI could deepen inequality, concentrate power, spread disinformation and disrupt employment.

Developing countries must help shape the rules and institutions governing the technology, he said, rather than serve only as consumers of systems developed elsewhere.

“The governance of AI must reflect the interests of all humanity,” Guterres said.

He identified the United Nations as a forum where every country can participate in shaping that future.

Conflict, Gaza and international cooperation

Marking the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, Guterres condemned the attacks and said nothing justified the scale of death and destruction that followed for Palestinians in Gaza.

He warned of the threat of ethnic cleansing in the occupied Palestinian territory and called for full implementation of the Gaza peace plan and preservation of a two-state solution.

More broadly, he said a world with multiple centers of power needs effective international institutions to prevent fragmentation and instability.

He called for a UN-centered system that better reflects today’s distribution of countries, economies and influence.

A closing message of dialogue and mutual respect

Guterres concluded by describing a painting by Pakistani artist Abdur Rahman Chughtai displayed between his personal office and conference room.

The artwork, a gift from Pakistan to the United Nations more than 60 years ago, depicts Mughal Emperor Jehangir and his wife, Nur Jehan.

He said it symbolizes Pakistan’s cultural heritage and the value of wisdom, listening and exchange among civilizations.

“Dialogue, understanding, cooperation — that is the spirit reflected in that magnificent Pakistani painting,” Guterres said.

Source attribution: This article is based on the United Nations release of Secretary-General António Guterres’ Oct. 7, 2026, address to the Foreign Service Academy in Islamabad. All direct quotations are attributed to Guterres.

The UN secretary-general condemned the 2023 Hamas-led attacks, honored victims and former hostages, and urged an end to Palestinian suffering through a permanent ceasefire and expanded humanitarian assistance.

UNITED NATIONS (FNN) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a permanent ceasefire and expanded humanitarian assistance in Gaza in a message marking the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.

According to a United Nations press release, Guterres urged all parties to fulfill their commitments and advance to the next phase of the ceasefire under the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict.

“It is time for the ceasefire to become permanent,” Guterres said. “It is time to allow humanitarian assistance at scale. And it is time to respect international law.”

Remembering victims of the Oct. 7 attacks

Guterres condemned the attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups, which he said killed more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals. He said civilians were deliberately targeted in their homes, communities and at a music festival.

A total of 251 people were abducted and taken into Gaza, including women, children and older adults, according to his message.

Guterres said hostages endured torture, sexual violence and other forms of abuse. Some were killed by their captors or during the subsequent hostilities, he said.

“Nothing can justify these atrocities,” Guterres said.

Honoring survivors, former hostages and grieving families

The secretary-general described meetings with Israeli families, survivors and former hostages who shared accounts of lasting physical and emotional trauma.

He expressed relief for those who regained their freedom and reunited with loved ones, while mourning people killed in the attacks and those who died in captivity.

“Their suffering, and the enduring grief of their families, must never be forgotten,” he said.

Guterres emphasized that the horrors of Oct. 7 must never be repeated.

Calling for an end to suffering in Gaza

Guterres also addressed the devastating consequences of the hostilities for Palestinians in Gaza, citing widespread loss of life, displacement and destruction.

He said civilians continued to face intolerable conditions and called for their suffering to end immediately.

“Their suffering, too, demands an end — now,” he said.

Although the ceasefire reached in 2025 brought some relief, Guterres said it had not yet delivered security, sufficient humanitarian assistance or a credible route toward recovery and peace.

Making the ceasefire permanent

Guterres urged all parties to implement their commitments fully and move forward under the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict.

His message called for a permanent ceasefire, humanitarian assistance at the scale needed and respect for international law. He also emphasized the need for a political process that supports lasting peace throughout the region.

“The United Nations remains unwavering in its commitment to these imperatives,” he said.

A future of peace, security and dignity

Guterres urged leaders to make the anniversary a turning point toward a different future for Israelis and Palestinians.

“Let this anniversary mark not only another year of mourning, but also a renewed determination to build a different future,” he said.

He envisioned Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace and security, with their rights, dignity and aspirations fulfilled.