Each September, the heads of state and the government meet in New York for a high -level week, where managers present their global priorities. The secretary general’s opening address traditionally sets the tone.

This year, while the UN marks its 80th anniversary, António Guterres recalled the institution’s foundation after the Second World War, when the Nations created the United Nations “as a practical strategy for the survival of humanity”.

“Eighty years later-we will once again face the question of which our founders were confronted-only more urgent, more intertwined, more ruthless,” he told delegates.

A besieged world

The UN chief described a landscape marked by violence, hunger and climate disaster.

“” We have entered an era of reckless disruption and relentless human suffering,“He said, warning that” pillars of peace and progress are to complete under the weight of impunity, inequalities and indifference. »»

He cited military invasions, armed hunger, disinformation lower than truth, smoke rising from bombed cities, anger that is tearing out on the social fabric and the seas swallowing entire coasts.

Everyone was a warning – and a question about the choices that governments are now confronted.

The unit counts

In this context, Mr. Guterres argued that the UN remains essential.

“” To its best, the United Nations is more than a meeting place, it is a moral compass, a force for peace … A guardian of international law and a rescue buoy for people in crisis.“”

He noted that today’s multipolar world could bring dynamism, but without cooperation, this risks instability.

“Multipolarity without effective multilateral institutions runs chaos-as Europe has learned the hard way of the First World War,” he said.

International cooperation, he insisted, is not naive but a necessity.

“” No country can stop a pandemic alone. No army can stop growing temperatures. No algorithm can rebuild confidence once it is broken.“It is,” he said, “pragmatism with a hard head” in the face of shared global threats.

At this time of crisis, the United Nations has never been so essential, the Secretary General said.

“The world needs our unique legitimacy. Our competition power. Our vision to unite nations, bridge divisions and confront the challenges we are seized. ”

Five urgent choices

The secretary general set out “five critical choices” for governments:

Peace on war: Sudan’s conflicts in Ukraine in Gaza show the cost of ignorance of international law. “” The charter is not optional. It is our foundation,“He said, urging ceasefires, responsibility and diplomacy.

Dignity and rights: human rights are “the foundation of peace”, He continued. The protection of civic freedoms must go hand in hand with the financing of development so that countries can invest in health, education and opportunities.

Climate justice: “fossil fuels are a losing bet”, ” He declared, urging a faster investment in renewable energies, the promises of stronger national climates and more funding for vulnerable nations. “Science says that limiting the rise in temperature to 1.5 degrees is still possible … but the window is closing.”

Technology for humanity: Artificial intelligence and other tools must be regulated responsible. “” No machine should decide who lives or dies,He said, calling for global standards to maintain technology at the service of people.

One more strongly: The crises multiplying, Mr. Guterres said that the UN must adapt and that the member states should finance it properly. He criticized the imbalance where “For each dollar invested in the construction of peace, the world spends $ 750 in weapons of war.“”

‘We must never give up’

Mr. Guterres ended with a personal note, remembering to have grown “in the darkness of the dictatorship, where the fear of voices and hope would have been almost silent.

This experience that matures under the authoritarian regime of Portugal, taught him that “The real power rises from people – from our shared determination to maintain dignity.“”

His primordial message was simple: leaders cannot go to despair.

“In a world of many choices, there is a choice that we must never make: the choice to abandon. We must never give up, ”he swore. “It’s my promise to you.”

The quotas law requires that at least a third of the seats In Boards of directors of listed companiesautonomous public enterprises and the national lottery are occupied by a member of under-represented sex. Since the entry into force of the law in 2011, the proportion of women administrators has increased sharply.

In 2024, women occupied an average of 37.3% of seats, compared to only 9.2% in 2008, an increase of more than 28 percentage points in 16 years. This increase confirms that quotas are a powerful lever to develop female representation.

A positive but insufficient dynamic in the steering committees

Although the law of July 28, 2011 does not apply to management committees, their composition has also been analyzed to better understand the global development of corporate governance.

Between 2020 and 2024, the share of women in management committees From all the companies studied increased from 14.8% to 21.1%. At the same time, progression in listed companies is also very marked, with a rate that has almost doubled, from 13.9% to 20.6%.

This development is encouraging, but it remains insufficient to guarantee a balanced representation of women in decision -making processes. Michel Pasteel, director of the institute confirms: “Experience shows this: without binding framework, progress in equality remains limited and too slow. Quotas are not a purpose in itself but an effective tool to put into practice gender equality in companies. It is time to expand the scope of the law to management committees, so that management respects the principle of equality between women and men. »»

The Institute calls for an ambitious transposition of the “Women on Boards” directive

97.1% of companies already comply with the quotas law and there is an average of 37.3% of women on the boards of directors. Belgium therefore has a solid basis for transposing the objectives of the European directive ” Women On Boards By June 2026.

The Institute calls for an ambitious transposition of this European directive in order to bring the quota to 40% in the boards of directors and establish a quota of 33% in the management committees, which will cover all the executive and non -executive positions.

Kenya president William Ruto, who directs the multinational security support mission (MSS), noted limited progress since the deployment of police forces 15 months ago with the UN Security advice approval.

“When we arrived, the airport was surrounded by gangs. Today, it works perfectly, “he said, also pointing to the security of the presidential palace and the reopening of key access roads to the capital Port-au-Prince.

However, gangs still control 85% of the city, he recognized. The MSS, hampered by insufficient resources, could not break their grip as its mandate approaches expiration.

The United States, echoing the concerns of Kenya, has urged a stronger uncommapable presence. “Haiti is at the crossroads,” warned Secretary of State Christopher Landau under Secretary of State.

Washington is pressure for the transformation of the MSS into a so -called gang suppression force of 5,500 members, operating under chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nationswhich authorizes military action to counter threats to peace.

“The moment to act is now. The Haitian people cannot wait, “he said, calling on the Member States to support a draft resolution submitted in Panama.

Haiti cannot go rider alone

For the Haitian authorities, international support is essential. “Haiti cannot and will not be able to face this security crisis, fueled by transnational criminal networks, alone,” said Laurent Saint-Cyr, president of the country’s presidential transition council.

The Security Council should shortly decide the future of international engagement in Haiti, where hunger, travel and sexual violence continue to worsen alongside insecurity.

Ukraine war: Russian forces “used drones to continue and bomb the victims”

The UN Human Rights Council In Geneva, on Monday, was informed of the continuous and devastating impact of the Russian invasion on a large scale on Ukraine.

In an update, independent investigators of the Commission of inquiry On Ukraine created by the Council, expressed a deep concern in the face of the growing number of civilian victims of the Russian attacks.

“Relacable attacks’

Erik Møse, president of the panel, said that “relentless attacks with long -range weapons … intensified” throughout Ukraine.

Civilians’ attacks have also increased, using short -range drones in front line areas: “The Russian armed forces have carried out position attacks on the left bank of the Dnipro river with drones that allow real -time observation and the monitoring of targets.

“They continued the victims with drones and dropped explosives on them, causing deaths and injuries. Drones have also struck ambulances and other emergency services, preventing them from reaching the victims. ”

Mr. Mose, who is not a member of the UN staff and works independently, said that the investigation had not been able to verify the Russian allegations of drone attacks by the Ukrainian armed forces, citing a lack of access to the affected territory and a lack of Russia’s commitment.

The Sudan crisis deepens: violence, famine and cholera threaten millions in Darfur

In Sudan, conditions quickly deteriorate in El Fasher, the besieged capital in northern Darfur.

Between September 17 and 19, more than 7,500 people fled the Abu Shouk travel camp and parts of El Fasher, according to reports from the United Nations International Migration Organization (Iom).

After an increase in deadly attacks in El Fasher, Secretary General António Guterres And the chief of the rescue Tom Fletcher has raised urgent concerns concerning the climbing of the crisis, warning that civilians remain trapped and that many face famine conditions.

Over 70 killed in a mosque attack

Warnings follow the attack on the Mosque on Friday, which would have been led by the militia of the rapid support forces, which killed more than 70 people – including at least 11 children – according to the first reports of the United Nations Children’s Agency Unicef.

Humanitarian response efforts were also seriously disrupted by the increase in violence, a local organization would have been forced to suspend operations in the city of Darfuri held by the government of El Fasher.

These challenges are still aggravated by seasonal floods and an epidemic of cholera nationwide.

In the state of southern Darfur, “more than 5,200 alleged cases and 250 deaths have been reported since May,” said Dujarric. From Sunday, the UN and its partners launched a large -scale cholera vaccination campaign across Darfur, targeting around 1.9 million people in the region.

At the start of the high -level week, “Mr. Guterres once again calls for a concerted international action in support of the people of Sudan, “said the United Nations spokesperson.

Prison sentence for Chinese blogger Zhang Zhan “deeply disturbing”: ohchr

The United Nations Human Rights Office, Ohchr,, described The imprisonment in China of citizen journalist Zhang Zhan is deeply disturbing.

Development comes after Ms. Zhan was sentenced to four more prison on what the OHCHC calls “the vague and ill -defined accusation of” choosing quarrels and provoking problems “.

More details on this last charge have not been disclosed, but it is supposed to be based on its social media activity, said the United Nations Rights Office. This also expressed his concerns about the conduct of his trial, saying that independent observers were not allowed to attend his hearing.

According to Ohchr, this is the second time that Ms. Zhan has been condemned and imprisoned for this offense.

He called for his “immediate and unconditional release”.