GENEVA

The UN's top official on Friday urged countries to ease geopolitical tensions and enhance diplomacy, warning that failure to do so would prevent the resolution of the world's most significant problems.

"Our world cannot afford a future where the two largest economies split the globe into two opposing areas in a great fracture -- each with its own dominant currency and trade and financial rules, its own Internet and its artificial intelligence capacity and strategy," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Speaking from New York to take part virtually at the Munich Security Conference, an annual meeting of global leaders on international security policy, Guterres issued a warning that a "technological and economic divide risks turning into a geo-strategic and military divide."

"We must avoid this at all costs," said the UN chief, repeating a call he made last year for a global cease-fire.

"We have seen some encouraging signs in a few stubborn peace processes. But elsewhere, fighting continues. Everyone is losing."

Cyberspace, multilateralism

Underlining the need for digital technologies to be used "for good," Guterres noted that in cyberspace, all kinds of attacks happened every day.

"Digital technologies must be a force for good -- and that requires also a total ban on lethal autonomous weapons, the most dangerous dimension that artificial intelligence can bring to the future of war," said Guterres.

He said the world needs to strengthen multilateralism and respect the rights of future generations.

The globe needs "a networked multilateralism that links global and regional organizations, economic and political entities, and an inclusive multilateralism that engages businesses, cities, universities, and movements for gender equality, climate action, and racial justice."

Guterres said many people believe that growing multipolarity in the world would by itself guarantee peace.

"But, let us heed history. More than a century ago, Europe was multipolar -- but there were no multilateral governance mechanisms. The result was the First World War."

It is time to redefine global governance for the 21st century, said the UN chief.

"The collective security arrangements agreed more than 75 years ago have prevented a third world war."