UN Secretary-General Antonio New Year message issued in Hindi, Urdu

In a first, UN chief has issued his New Year’s message for the year 2026 in Hindi, among other languages, calling on world leaders today to invest in development, not destruction.

Antonio Guterres’ New Year message has been issued in 11 languages, including in the six official UN languages of Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish as well as Hindi and Urdu.

His video message on the occasion has been issued with Hindi subtitles as well.

In an urgent appeal for the new year, Secretary-General Guterres called on world leaders today to get “priorities



straight” and invest in development, not destruction.

“As we enter the new year, the world stands at a crossroads. Chaos and uncertainty surround us,” Guterres said in his message for 2026 Monday. “People everywhere are asking: Are leaders even listening? Are they ready to act?” He said the scale of human suffering in the world today is staggering – over one-quarter of humanity lives in areas affected by conflict.

More than 200 million people globally need humanitarian assistance, and nearly 120 million people have been forcibly displaced, fleeing war, crises, disasters or persecution.