When Guterres assumed office one year ago, the world was in the midst of a hopeful moment. Negotiations to end more than four decades of division on the island of Cyprus appeared to be moving toward a successful resolution.
Guterres jumped into the fray and worked to produce that outcome but the Greek and Turkish Cypriots were unable to bury their differences and live as one nation together.
The UN chief acknowledged that his hopes for a peaceful 2017 have not materialized. The world in many ways has gone in reverse, he said.
Reflecting this darkened mood on the eve of the New Year, Guterres said he was issuing what he called a red alert for our world.
"Conflicts have deepened and new dangers have emerged. Global anxieties about nuclear weapons are the highest since the Cold War and climate change is moving faster than we are. Inequalities are growing and we see horrific violations of human rights. Nationalism and xenophobia are on the rise and as we begin 2018, I call for unity,” he said.
During this past year, Guterres has had many catastrophic events landing on his desk begging for resolution.
Yemen is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis with some eight million people on the brink of famine, and one million infected with cholera.
Persecution and violence in Myanmar has forced more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees to flee for their lives to neighboring Bangladesh.
Syria is approaching its seventh year of war, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced more than 11 million.
Conflicts in South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Iraq and many others continue to take a heavy toll in lives and property.