Guterres in Al Jazeera interview: Can the UN still meet today's global crises?

Al Jazeera journalist James Bays has sat down with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres for the network's "On the Record" program. The interview was published on September 21, 2026, and centers on the question of whether the UN, as an organization, is currently able to adequately respond to the crises unfolding around the world.

About the interview

"On the Record" is a recurring Al Jazeera format in which journalists interview senior political and international officials about current global events. This time, the subject of the conversation is António Guterres, who has served as UN Secretary-General for several years and, during that time, has represented the organization in numerous international conflict and crisis-response efforts.

The title of the interview itself points to its central theme — the question of whether the UN, as an institution established after World War II, remains an effective enough tool for addressing today's challenges. This kind of question has been raised with growing frequency in international discourse in recent years, as the organization operates within an increasingly complex geopolitical environment.

The source material does not include a detailed account of Guterres's answers or specific quotes from the conversation — the published information is limited to the interview as a video format and its general topic. The full conversation can be viewed on Al Jazeera's video platform.

Interviews of this kind with UN leadership are considered an important way for the wider public to gain insight into the organization's leader's perspective on current global challenges and the UN's role in addressing them.