The United Nations has scheduled interactive dialogues for the four declared Secretary-General candidates at UN Headquarters in New York, moving the race from quiet lobbying into a more public and closely watched phase.

Chile’s withdrawal from Michelle Bachelet exposed the realpolitik behind the UN Secretary-General race. The Maldives’ withdrawal from Virgin

The Security Council’s elected members are no longer just rotating through the chamber. Quietly, the E10 are coordinating, drafting, and shaping outcomes in ways rarely seen before. As paralysis grips the Council, a subtle shift is underway—one that could redefine how power works inside the UN.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivered a blunt warning at the Security Council stakeout, saying the Middle East war is “out of control” and threatening wider regional and global fallout. He urged an end to escalation, announced a new UN envoy, and linked the conflict directly to rising risks for energy, food security and civilian lives.

As artificial intelligence reshapes power, the United Nations is struggling to keep pace. In a candid exchange, the Secretary-General acknowledged that global institutions lack leverage over technology powerful enough to influence elections, conflicts and societies. The result is an ambitious effort to set norms and warn of risks, even as enforcement remains beyond reach.

As António Guterres opens his final year as U.N. chief, the press corps turns the daily briefing into a test of credibility — pressing officials on Iran contacts, Gaza demolitions and internal accountability. The result is a sharper, more skeptical exchange that exposes the widening gap between diplomatic language and on-the-ground realities.

A routine U.N. briefing turned into a sharp exchange as journalists pressed officials on Gaza’s fragile ceasefire, rising violence in Iran and the politics of humanitarian funding. The questioning exposed growing skepticism toward diplomatic language and highlighted the widening gap between official optimism and realities on the ground.

The president of the U.N. General Assembly warned Wednesday that the multilateral system faces an existential moment as she fielded sharp questioning from journalists on the next secretary-general race, U.N. funding shortfalls and Israel’s restrictions on UNRWA. The sustained exchange revealed a press corps increasingly focused not on ceremony, but on whether the institution’s processes still carry real credibility.

At the Jan. 13 U.N. briefing, journalists sharply challenged officials over Iran’s protest death toll, Trump’s rhetoric, and the limits of U.N. action, turning the room into a test of credibility. Grim updates from Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza underscored the scale of global crises — and the widening gap between humanitarian need and political leverage.

The U.N. Secretary-General has condemned the deadly crackdown on protests in Iran, calling for restraint and the restoration of communications as reports mount of deaths, injuries, and widespread use of force against demonstrators.