(UNITED NATIONS) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is telling leaders from around the world that it “is suffering from a bad case of ‘Trust Deficit Disorder.’”
The U.N. chief is painting a bleak picture in his speech as the General Assembly’s top-level gathering opens Tuesday. He points to rising polarization and populism within nations, ebbing cooperation among them and “fragile” trust in international institutions.
And Guterres says “democratic principles are under siege.”
Presidents, prime ministers, monarchs and high-ranking ministers from 133 countries have signed up to attend the weeklong session. Among them are many defenders of the international order, but also such populist leaders as U.S. President Donald Trump, Polish President Andrzej Duda and Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte.
