UN Secretary-General António Guterres tells the UN Security Council that the UN Charter is facing one of its gravest tests in decades. Speaking on Tuesday, he warns that a combination of ongoing wars, intensifying geopolitical divisions, and renewed arms races are undermining the multilateral system designed to prevent a third world war. Guterres also links the strain on the international order to climate shocks, which he says add further pressure to countries and institutions already under stress. According to his remarks, the erosion of international law is compounding these risks, weakening the rules and mechanisms meant to manage conflict and maintain global stability. He frames the current environment as a “dangerous erosion” of world order, emphasizing that multiple drivers—security, political, environmental and legal—are reinforcing one another. The UN chief’s message centers on the need to uphold the Charter and international law as major tools for cooperation and conflict prevention.