UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (Photo: UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré)

The UN chief made the statement during the general debate of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly. He said, “The world needs a global ceasefire to stop “hot” conflicts and needs to avert a new Cold War. We are moving in a very dangerous direction.  Our world cannot afford a future where the two largest economies split the globe in a Great Fracture — each with its own trade and financial rules and internet and artificial intelligence capacities.”

Mr. Guterres called on the international community to exert efforts to end conflicts and focus on the fight against COVID-19.