Press Release

• Secretary-General
• Statements and Messages

SG/SM/23322

7 October 2026

Addressing Foreign Service Academy in Islamabad, Secretary-General Hails Pakistan's Contributions to UN Peacekeeping, Climate Action

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres' address to the Foreign Service Academy, in Islamabad today:

It is a joy to be back in Pakistan. I have a very special place in my heart for the people of this great country. When I reflect on my relationship with Pakistan, I think the Urdu language puts it best: Dil khush ho gaya. ("It warms my heart.")

Through the years, first as High Commissioner for Refugees and then as Secretary-General, I have seen the true face of Pakistan. The Pakistan of generosity - hosting millions of refugees in times of great distress.

And I will never forget seeing Pakistani families and communities open their doors and their hearts and sharing whatever they had, sometimes I would say even what they did not have, with Afghan refugees. The Pakistan of resilience - taking on the challenges of terrorism despite being one of the world's biggest victims.

And I also will never forget the courage and solidarity of communities attacked and displaced by terrorism that I visited during some of the most difficult moments. The Pakistan of peacemaking and bridge building - including as a critical member of the Security Council for the past two years.

Few countries have contributed more consistently to United Nations peacekeeping. For generations, Pakistani peacekeepers have served in some of the world's most dangerous places, protecting civilians, supporting fragile peace processes and representing the very best of international cooperation.

Today Pakistan is once again demonstrating that commitment to peace. At a moment of profound and complex geopolitical tension, Islamabad emerged as a vital centre for dialogue and de-escalation. I commend Pakistan's efforts to help forge peace between the United States and Iran.

Pakistan is also on the front lines of other issues - not least the climate crisis. My visit during the 2022 floods will stay with me forever. I called it a monsoon on steroids - with flooded areas three times the size of my own country of Portugal. That tragedy showed the world a profound injustice.

Pakistan contributes around 1 per cent of global emissions, but it is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate disasters. Millions suffered catastrophic losses from a crisis they did not create.

And in the face of that tragedy, I will forever remember the humanity of an extraordinary group of women and men with whom I met. As the waters rose, they told me they faced an impossible choice. They could spend those precious moments trying to save what little they possessed.

Instead, they chose to leave it all behind to help their neighbours, to pull people from the waters, to carry children, older people and those with disabilities to safety.

I have visited many places marked by war, disaster and suffering. But I have rarely been more moved. Because those humble Pakistanis demonstrated a truth that is increasingly absent from international affairs. Again and again, it is those with the least who are often the first to understand our deepest reality: that our security is bound together.

Today, humanity faces challenges on a scale no nation can solve by itself: climate disruption; conflict; inequality; and now transformative technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).

The people I met in Pakistan understood something instinctively: when danger threatens everyone, the answer cannot be every person for themselves. In moments of crisis, saving ourselves begins with helping each other.

This is my first visit outside of New York after the General Assembly. In recent days, I met leaders from every region of the world: presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers, representatives of large Powers and small nations.

I heard many different voices. But there was a common soundtrack: a growing anxiety about the state of our world, a sense that risks are moving faster than solutions. The contexts differed. The concerns varied. But the underlying themes were remarkably similar. And so was the uncertainty about the future.

We are moving irreversibly towards a multipolar world. But multipolarity by itself does not guarantee stability. Europe was multipolar at the beginning of the twentieth century. But it lacked strong and effective multilateral institutions. The result was World War I.

So perhaps the biggest question of our time is this: Will we be a world of fragmentation and shrinking cooperation - as we increasingly see today? Or will we work towards a networked world with multiple centres of power sustained by a dense web of economic, political, social and technological connections?

A world of networked multipolarity requires a multilateral system centred in the UN that is balanced, representative and reflective of today's world - not the world of 80 years ago. And yet, at precisely the moment when cooperation is most necessary, divisions are making cooperation more difficult.

I see major tests for multilateralism in four areas: peace and security, inequalities, the climate crisis and the technological revolution. Let's start with war and peace. The number of conflicts is growing. Human suffering is deepening. International law is being cast aside.

As Pakistan knows so well - whether it is armed conflict, terrorism, economic shocks or displacement - the effects know no borders. We see the impacts from Ukraine to Sudan and to, of course, the horrors in Gaza.

Today is 7 October - and I condemn once again the terror attacks by Hamas on this day three years ago. Nothing can justify those abhorrent acts. And nothing can justify the scale and intensity of the death and destruction that followed for Palestinians in Gaza.

And now the spectre of ethnic cleansing is stalking the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The peace plan for Gaza must be fully implemented - and we cannot allow the two-State solution to be bulldozed away.

The second great challenge shaping our future is inequality. The world economy has generated remarkable wealth. Yet, many developing countries feel increasingly left behind. Debt burdens are rising. Development finance is falling far short. The Sustainable Development Goals are off track.

Here in Pakistan as everywhere around the world, progress depends not only on economic opportunity, but also on respect for human rights, the rule of law, and the protection of civic space.

Meanwhile, too many young people look ahead and see opportunity concentrated elsewhere. This challenge is particularly important in a country such as Pakistan. More than anything else, Pakistan's future will be shaped by its people. A young, entrepreneurial and increasingly connected population.

The question facing leaders everywhere is whether they will create the conditions that allow that potential to flourish. Or whether it is acceptable to allow inequalities between and within countries to widen further.

That is why I will keep pushing for reform of the international financial architecture. This is not a technical issue - it is a question of representation, fairness and power to better reflect the weight of countries and economies in today's world.

Developing countries should not have to choose between servicing debt and investing in their future. And they should not be denied access to the finance needed to achieve sustainable growth. I salute Pakistan for its leadership in helping to keep these issues on the global stage.

That takes us to the third challenge, the climate crisis. Climate change is accelerating. Its impacts are intensifying. And developing countries are bearing disproportionate costs.

This is fundamentally unjust. But it is also profoundly dangerous. Climate change is a threat multiplier, driving displacement, exacerbating resource pressures, undermining food security and increasing instability.

As I have said - and I have seen - Pakistan knows this well. Yet Pakistan also understands something else. The response to climate change represents one of the greatest economic opportunities of our time. The renewable energy revolution is under way. The economics are moving decisively in its favour. Look no further than the solar boom here in Pakistan.

Countries that invest in clean energy, modern infrastructure and innovation will win the economy of the future. But they need support on all fronts, support to accelerate the renewables revolution, and, crucially, support to develop the adaptation and resilience plans needed for countries to protect their populations as climate impacts become ever more frequent, severe and devastating - as the people of Pakistan have experienced first-hand.

Almost four years ago, Pakistan's leadership of the Group of 77 and China was essential for securing the Loss and Damage Fund. This was a giant step for climate justice and solidarity. But the Fund must be urgently operationalized and capitalized.

Nearly four years on, less than $500 million has been transferred to the Trust Fund. Yet the global bill for climate disasters is around $200 billion a year and counting. The math is inescapable: a crisis costing billions cannot be answered with funding counted in the millions.

A final challenge deserves special attention: artificial intelligence. AI can accelerate development, improve healthcare, expand educational opportunity, transform agriculture, strengthen disaster preparedness and help countries overcome traditional constraints.

But it can also deepen inequalities, concentrate power, spread disinformation, disrupt labour markets and create entirely new forms of risk.

For developing countries, the stakes are especially high. The AI revolution cannot become another chapter in a story where technology is designed by a few, benefits a few, and leaves many behind. The governance of AI must reflect the interests of all humanity. Its benefits must be shared broadly. And its risks must be managed collectively.

Countries such as Pakistan must be active participants in shaping that future, not merely consumers of technologies developed elsewhere, but contributors to the frameworks, principles and institutions that will govern their use.

And there is only one place where every country has a voice in shaping that common future: the United Nations.

When I look at the world today, I see immense dangers - but also immense possibilities. I see countries that continue to choose dialogue over confrontation, societies investing in resilience, young people demanding solutions.

Now more than ever, we need that spirit of solidarity and solutions. And I have every confidence that the people of Pakistan will continue to be on the front lines in helping to shape them.

Allow me to conclude on one final note. People may sometimes exaggerate the power of the Secretary-General. But there are some choices over which a Secretary-General has total power.

One of them is choosing the art throughout my office. And there is one work of art that I chose to place at perhaps the most strategic location - just between my personal office and my conference room. Every day for the past 10 years, Kings and Queens, Presidents and Prime Ministers have passed before it.

The art I chose in that most prominent of spaces is a gift presented to the United Nations by Pakistan more than 60 years ago. It is a beautiful painting by the legendary Pakistani artist Abdur Rahman Chughtai. It depicts the Mughal Emperor Jehangir and his wife Nur Jehan - or "Light of the World". She was known not only for her grace - but for her wisdom, judgment and influence.

This artwork reflects the rich cultural heritage of Pakistan, but it speaks a universal language. I see it as a quiet reminder that leadership is strengthened by wisdom and guided by the ability to listen. It is a concrete symbol that civilizations advance through exchange, curiosity, creativity and mutual respect.

Dialogue, understanding, cooperation - that is the spirit reflected in that magnificent Pakistani painting. It is the spirit I feel among the people of Pakistan. And it is the spirit the world needs more than ever today.