António Guterres
Running active Middle East, Syria, and Cyprus diplomacy as his final term ends Dec 31, 2026, with the Council already polling his successor. Condemned new Israeli settlements, warned of nuclear risks at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and faces a US funding threat over UNHCR.
António Guterres is compressing a term's worth of diplomacy into its final months, with his second and final term ending December 31, 2026, and the Security Council already polling his replacement. A straw poll on August 9 put Rebeca Grynspan narrowly ahead of six other candidates, with a second informal vote set for August 21. Donald Trump is publicly backing FIFA President Gianni Infantino for the post, breaking the informal regional rotation toward a Latin American or Caribbean candidate.
Guterres spoke at both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki 81st anniversary ceremonies this month, warning that nuclear-arsenal modernization and tensions in Ukraine and the Middle East are driving up the risk of miscalculation. On August 9, he condemned Israel's approval of 627 settlement units at Kochav Yaakov and the opening of Emek Dotan as a "flagrant violation" of international law, reinforcing his earlier criticism of Israel granting city status to the Givat Ze'ev settlement.
His July travel was a farewell tour with substantive stops. He visited Damascus on July 25-27 for the first UN chief trip to Syria since 2009, meeting President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, touring Sednaya Prison, and demanding immediate removal of all remaining sanctions while condemning Israeli incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. He then flew to Cyprus for the first UN chief visit in 16 years, meeting both Cypriot leaders and aiming to convene a 5-plus-1 meeting of guarantor powers before his term expires.
Earlier in July, he opened the World AI Conference in Shanghai, calling for a Global Fund for AI and 100% renewable energy for data centers by 2030. He told the Security Council that producing countries must benefit "first and most" from their critical mineral resources and pressed governments to ratify the 2024 UN Convention against Cybercrime, calling forced online scamming the fastest-growing form of human trafficking. The Trump administration is weighing an $868 million cut to UNHCR after Guterres selected Tressa Rae Finerty as deputy over the US-backed candidate.
On their plate
Guterres demanded an immediate Middle East ceasefire on July 31, calling the Hamas-Trump Gaza agreement "good news." He visited Damascus July 25-27 for the first UN chief trip to Syria since 2009, meeting President al-Sharaa and FM al-Shaibani, touring Sednaya Prison, demanding sanctions removal, and condemning Israeli incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. He then flew to Cyprus for the first UN chief visit in 16 years, aiming to convene a 5-plus-1 meeting before his term ends Dec 31, 2026. On August 9, he condemned Israel's 627-unit Kochav Yaakov settlement and the Emek Dotan opening as a "flagrant violation" of international law, reinforcing his earlier criticism of Givat Ze'ev city status.
Guterres spoke at the Hiroshima (Aug 6) and Nagasaki (Aug 9) 81st anniversary ceremonies, warning that nuclear-arsenal modernization and tensions in Ukraine and the Middle East keep raising the risk of miscalculation and escalation. He called Hiroshima "an inspiring example of resilience, renewal and hope" and warned "the horror of nuclear weapons is just one lesson of Hiroshima."
Guterres's second and final term ends Dec 31, 2026. A Security Council straw poll on Aug 9 put Rebeca Grynspan narrowly ahead (10 encourage, 4 no opinion, 1 discourage), with a second poll set for Aug 21. Trump is backing FIFA's Infantino, breaking regional rotation. Separately, the Trump administration is weighing an $868M cut to UNHCR — about a quarter of its budget — after Guterres selected Tressa Rae Finerty as deputy over the US-backed candidate.
At the World AI Conference in Shanghai (July 17), Guterres called for a Global Fund for AI, urged major AI firms to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030, and warned governance must not stay concentrated among a few. He pressed governments to ratify the 2024 UN Convention against Cybercrime, calling forced online scamming the fastest-growing form of human trafficking, with Afghanistan a focal point due to mass forced returns from Iran and Pakistan.
Guterres told a Security Council debate that producing countries and communities must benefit "first and most" from resources in their own backyard and demanded "no more exploitation, no more plundering." He warned that illegal mining of rare earths, cobalt, and lithium benefits armed groups in eastern Congo, and that gum arabic and gold are fueling Sudan's conflict, backing WTO DG Okonjo-Iweala's call for local value addition.
Key relationships
Guterres met al-Sharaa in Damascus on July 25-27, discussing Israeli incursions, sanctions relief, and Syria's Golan Heights claim. Al-Sharaa told Guterres Damascus is seeking a security deal with Israel.
Guterres met the Greek Cypriot president during his Cyprus visit to discuss resuming reunification talks.
Guterres met the Turkish Cypriot president during the Cyprus visit, pressing for a comprehensive settlement. Erhurman signaled caution, insisting he wants results, not "negotiations for the sake of negotiations."
Guterres met the Syrian foreign minister during the Damascus visit; al-Shaibani told him "the priority now is reconstruction, and that requires lifting all remaining restrictions."
Guterres coordinated with the WTO Director-General at the Security Council debate on critical minerals, jointly pressing for supply-chain transparency and local processing in developing nations.
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