UN chief Antonio Guterres cites India-EU trade agreement as he underlines need to support 'multi-polarity'

United Nations,: UN chief Antonio Guterres cited the FTA between India and the EU as he underlined the need to support “multi-polarity”, emphasising that global problems will not be solved by "one power calling the shots", in a veiled reference to the US and China.

"In the present moment, it is clear that the most powerful country in the world is the US. Obviously, we see - and many see in relation to the future - the idea that there are two poles, one centred in the US and one centred in China,” Guterres said Thursday at a press conference here outlining his priorities for 2026.

He added that “if we want a stable world, if we want a world in which peace can be sustained, in which development can be generalised, and in which, in the end, our values will prevail, we need to support multi-polarity.

"We need to support a dense set of relations among different countries. And I see with a lot of positive expectations, recent trade agreements: You had the EU with Mercosur. You had EU with Indonesia. EU with India," Secretary General Guterres said.

"You had Canada with China. You had UK with China. So, it is this network in trade, this network in technology, this network in international cooperation among a progressively larger group of countries and entities in a true multipolar world that, in my opinion, can create the conditions for strong multilateral institutions and for a world in which the values that are the values of the Charter of United Nations can prevail,” Guterres said.

India and the European Union on Tuesday sealed a landmark free trade agreement-- billed as the "mother of all deals" -- to create a market of two billion people, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Antonio Costa unveiling a transformative five-year agenda to largely leverage trade and defence in protecting the rules-based world order.

The two sides also inked two crucial pacts -- one on security and defence collaboration and another on mobility of Indian talents to Europe -- after Prime Minister Modi hosted von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa for summit talks amid frosty ties with the US.

Guterres emphasised that global structures and institutions must reflect the complexity and the opportunity of the "new times and realities” where the share of global economic activity by the traditional group of developed economies is receding and emerging economies are expanding in scale, influence and confidence.

"Global problems will not be solved by one power calling the shots. Nor will they be solved by two powers carving the world into rival spheres of influence,” the UN chief said, in an apparent reference to the US and China.

He said that it is important to “accelerate, deliberately and with determination, multipolarity -- one that is networked, inclusive by design, and capable of creating balance through partnerships. Partnerships in trade, in technology and in international cooperation.” Responding to a question on the Board of Peace on Gaza launched by US President Donald Trump, seen as a rival to the UN Security Council, Guterres said the basic responsibility for international peace and security lies with the UN and the Security Council.

“We are talking about the Security Council, and the Security Council only talks about Gaza. Everything else is something that is different,” he said.

“The Security Council stands alone in its Charter-mandated authority to act on behalf of all members in questions of peace and security. Only the Security Council can adopt decisions binding on all, and no other body or ad hoc coalition can legally require all Member States to comply with decisions on peace and security. Only the Security Council can authorise the use of force under international law, as set out in the Charter.

“So, the centrality of the peace and security system lies in the UN and within the UN in the Security Council, and that is the reason why it is so important to reform the Security Council. And it's very interesting to see that some who criticise the UN for not effective are the ones opposing the reform of the Security Council. That is the reason why the UN can sometimes not be as effective as we all want,” he said.