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In an interview with Al Jazeera, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed whether the United Nations remains capable of meeting today's array of global crises, from armed conflicts to humanitarian emergencies. The conversation comes as the UN General Assembly's 81st session gets underway amid mounting criticism of the institution's effectiveness. Guterres further warned that the state of the world is getting worse as the UN Security Council remains paralysed by division among its permanent members, hampering collective responses to crises. He noted that his mandate as Secretary-General ends on December 31 this year, with no successor yet named, adding uncertainty to the UN's leadership at a critical juncture.