At SCO summit In Kyrgyzstan, Guterres calls for more representative global governance
Guterres Urges SCO Leaders in Bishkek to Overhaul Global Governance for a Multipolar Age
Qinilo.com – Standing before the heads of state gathered at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a sweeping call to dismantle what he described as outdated institutional architectures still anchored to the geopolitical landscape of 1945. Speaking on Tuesday, the UN chief framed the shifting balance of global power not as a threat but as a constructive force — one that, properly harnessed, could deepen multilateral cooperation, correct historic inequities, and place developing nations at the centre of international decision-making.
Multipolarity as a Foundation for Justice
The central thesis of Guterres' address was that the world's accelerating move toward multiple centres of power represents an opportunity rather than a destabilising trend. He characterised multipolarity as both a prerequisite for equitable global governance and the strongest underpinning for functional multilateralism.
"Our world is increasingly multipolar. That is a good thing and must be strengthened."
He went further, describing the multipolar condition as "a condition for justice in global governance and international relations" and "the best support for effective multilateralism." The argument carries particular weight given that the SCO itself — a Eurasian political, economic, and security grouping established in 2001 — now counts ten member states among its ranks, spanning China, India, Pakistan, Russia, and several Central Asian republics. By population and territorial reach, it ranks among the largest regional bodies on the planet, making its leaders a natural audience for a reform agenda that challenges the post-war institutional order.
Guterres pointed out that while power relations have transformed dramatically over the past eight decades, the architecture of international institutions has largely failed to keep pace. He called for comprehensive reform of both the United Nations system and the Bretton Woods financial framework, insisting that developing countries must gain materially greater representation and influence within these bodies.
"We must reform our multilateral institutions, including the United Nations and the Bretton Woods system, to reflect today's realities, and increase the representation and influence of developing countries to build a just world order."
The Secretary-General also commended the SCO's role in the broader multilateral ecosystem, labelling the organisation "an important pillar of multilateralism" and praising the long-standing partnership between the two bodies. He outlined four specific domains in which UN–SCO collaboration could be deepened, though the summit communiqué did not itemise each pillar in his public remarks.
Middle East, Gaza, and the Two-State Imperative
Turning to the region's most acute crises, Guterres expressed alarm over the repeated violations of ceasefires and agreements across the Middle East. He issued a direct appeal for maximum restraint and for full respect of international law.
"I appeal for maximum restraint and for agreements and international law to be respected."
On Gaza specifically, he insisted the ceasefire "must be respected" and pressed for complete implementation of the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict. He demanded that obstacles blocking humanitarian aid be removed without delay and renewed his call to halt settler violence and the expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
"There will only be peace with a two-State solution."
He painted a vision of Israel and Palestine existing as "two independent, sovereign, democratic states" sharing the region in peace and security, with Jerusalem/Al Quds designated as capital of both entities. The framing underscores the UN's continued diplomatic commitment to a negotiated political outcome despite the erosion of that pathway on the ground.
Ukraine: Four Years of War Demand an End
Addressing the conflict in Ukraine, which has now persisted for more than four years, Guterres declared that "it is high time for a full and immediate ceasefire." He argued that such a step would create the necessary conditions for negotiations aimed at "a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in line with international law." The remark signals the UN's continued advocacy for a negotiated settlement even as battlefield dynamics and diplomatic postures among the principal parties remain deeply divided.
Debt, Climate, Critical Minerals, and Artificial Intelligence
In a section devoted to economic and environmental governance, the Secretary-General warned that developing nations remain strangled by unsustainable debt loads and called for a fundamental restructuring of the global financial architecture to inject "justice and equity" into lending and repayment frameworks.
"We must reform the global financial architecture to introduce justice and equity and seriously address the debt that is strangling so many developing countries."
He urged multilateral development banks to operate as "bigger, better and bolder" institutions, scaling up concessional finance and technical assistance for countries pursuing development pathways.
On climate, Guterres cautioned that current trajectories will push global warming beyond the 1.5 °C threshold unless emissions are cut rapidly and the transition to renewable energy accelerates. He linked climate action directly to climate justice, stressing that developing countries require substantially increased financial flows to adapt and decarbonise.
He also flagged the governance of critical minerals — the raw materials underpinning batteries, electronics, and clean-energy infrastructure — arguing that producing nations must capture a fairer share of the value generated from their own resources. Finally, he insisted that artificial intelligence must serve all countries rather than a narrow technological elite, a goal he said demands robust guardrails and more inclusive governance mechanisms.
Bilateral Meeting and Broader Implications
On the margins of the summit, Guterres held a bilateral meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, a contact that underscored the UN chief's ongoing diplomatic engagement with Tehran amid the broader regional tensions he had just addressed. The SCO summit in Bishkek thus served not only as a platform for institutional reform rhetoric but as a venue for quiet bilateral diplomacy among powers whose positions on several of the world's most volatile flashpoints remain sharply opposed.
The SCO's growing weight — both numerically and geographically — makes its summits increasingly significant fora where multilateral reform agendas intersect with the interests of states that have long felt marginalised within Western-led institutions. Guterres' Bishkek speech, delivered to precisely that audience, represents a deliberate attempt to convert the organisation's demographic and territorial heft into leverage for reshaping the rules of global governance.
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