Global problems are moving faster than the institutions designed to solve them — UN Secretary-General

The United Nations Secretary-General has observed that global problems are outpacing the world's ability to address them, as international institutions struggle to keep up with an increasingly complex and fast-changing landscape of challenges.

In an op-ed published ahead of this month's Summit of the Future, Antonio Guterres said the global systems designed to solve problems after World War II are now stuck in a "time warp" and fail to reflect today's world.

"The solutions to all these challenges are in our hands. But we need a systems update that only global leaders can deliver," Mr. Guterres wrote.

The UN chief noted ferocious conflicts continue to inflict suffering around the world while geopolitical divisions have intensified.

At the same time, he said risks like runaway climate change, environmental degradation, and rapidly advancing technologies like artificial intelligence are exacerbating older issues of poverty, hunger, and discrimination.

He said international decision-making remains weighted towards the post-war victors and fails to adequately represent new powers or critical issues like the existential threat of climate change.

"The message is clear: we cannot create a future fit for our grandchildren with a system built for our grandparents," Mr. Guterres stressed.

The Summit of the Future this month aims to reboot global cooperation and reform international institutions to better address 21st-century challenges.

Crucially, Mr. Guterres is pushing world leaders to update organizations like the UN Security Council and global financial systems to make them more equitable, inclusive and prepared to confront modern issues.

Only a retooled multilateral order can hope to keep pace with rapid global change and growing complexities on issues ranging from conflict, poverty and human rights to climate change, disruptive technologies and global security, according to the Secretary-General's analysis.