World leaders meet under shadow of wars and global divisions

Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, speaks to the United Nations General Assembly during the Summit For The Future (Frank Franklin II/AP)

World leaders will open their annual meeting at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday under the shadow of increasing global divisions, major wars in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan and the threat of an even larger conflict in the wider Middle East.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres previewed his opening State Of The World speech to presidents, prime ministers, monarchs and ministers at a previous Summit Of The Future, saying “our world is heading off the rails — and we need tough decisions to get back on track”.