United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that rising global conflicts, growing impunity and the rapid spread of emerging technologies are increasing the risk of mass atrocities, urging the international community to act before humanitarian crises spiral out of control.
Addressing the UN General Assembly’s meeting on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), Guterres said the world witnessed more than 120 conflicts in 2025, many of which have become increasingly prolonged, complex and interconnected.
Rising conflicts and growing impunity
Guterres said widespread violations of international law and an increasing sense of impunity have made the global commitment to the Responsibility to Protect more important than ever.
“We see widespread violations of international law and a growing sense of impunity,” he said, adding that the international community must strengthen efforts to prevent atrocities before they occur.
‘Too often, warning signs are ignored’
The UN chief cautioned that governments and the international community frequently fail to respond to early indicators of violence, allowing situations to escalate into genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
“Too often, early warning signs are ignored. And responses are often too little, too late,” Guterres said, urging countries to act before “warning signs become mass graves.”
Renewed call for collective action
Recalling the Responsibility to Protect principle adopted by world leaders 21 years ago, Guterres said every state has the primary responsibility to protect its population from mass atrocities.
He added that when national authorities are unable or unwilling to safeguard their citizens, UN member states have a collective responsibility to take timely and decisive action in accordance with the UN Charter.
Strengthening global commitments
Guterres also urged countries to reinforce international legal frameworks, including the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and ensure that atrocity prevention becomes a permanent priority in global governance.
“Let’s ensure that atrocity prevention and protecting populations becomes a permanent and universal practice everywhere,” he said.
