Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished colleagues, and esteemed guests,

This clock is a stark diagnosis of our reality. 

At 89 seconds to midnight, the Doomsday Clock stands closer to catastrophe than at any moment in its history. 

The Clock speaks to the existential threats that confront us, and the need for unity and bold leadership to turn back its hands. 

2024 was the hottest year on record, unleashing devastating climate shocks that destroyed lives and livelihoods across the globe. 

The only effective response is for nations to work together, which is why it is so alarming that President Trump has signalled his intention to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement. In this crucial year for climate action ahead of COP30 in Brazil, I urge all other signatories to double down and reaffirm their commitment to meeting the Paris goals.  

The climate crisis is a force multiplier for instability and insecurity, amplifying the likelihood and severity of all other existential threats.

The increase in outbreaks of infectious diseases we are already seeing is a dire indication that this deadly cascade effect has already begun to take hold.  

The US announcement that it will withdraw from the World Health Organization is another damaging decision that will have huge ramifications for global health security. We all need a strong, independent and accountable WHO to ensure successful reforms to pandemic prevention, preparedness and response measures worldwide. 

We also need urgent action to tackle the torrent of misinformation and the amplification of conspiracy theories that have become so prevalent in our hyper-connected online world. 

This alarming rise in distrust is being fuelled, in large part, by the malicious and reckless use of new technologies we do not yet fully understand. 

Artificial intelligence is racing ahead of our ability to govern it, despite the adoption of the Global Digital Compact at last year’s UN Summit of the Future. 

AI’s integration into military systems brings us to the precipice of new and unprecedented danger: automated warfare in a world where states locked in deep rivalry collectively possess over 12,000 nuclear warheads. 

As we prepare to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the threat of nuclear conflict is at its highest level ever. 

The New START treaty, the last remaining restraint on US and Russian nuclear deployments, is set to expire in February 2026.   

This is just one example of the erosion of the rules and norms underpinning the multilateral system, as nations prioritise self-interest and cynicism over the collective interest of humanity. 

I welcome President Trump’s remarks in Davos about his desire to engage in talks with Russia and China to reduce the nuclear stockpile. He is right that the destructive capability of these weapons does not bear thinking about, and that they cost a tremendous amount of money. I hope he follows through.

To those countries who want to see an end to the madness of nuclear proliferation, which has seen a 34% increase in spending in the last five years on nuclear weapons we are told will never be used, with trillions more planned that could be spent on saving our planet and reducing poverty, I urge you to sign the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Half of all countries have signed it. It has momentum. 

We also mark the 80th anniversary of the United Nations in 2025, and leaders must reflect on how far the world has strayed from the UN’s founding principles.

This is a bleak picture. But it is not yet irreversible. There is a big chance that, this time next year, we will be moving the hands of the Clock back, not forward. But this will only, only, happen if leaders engage in good-faith dialogue, recalling the words of Nelson Mandela, the founder of The Elders: “the most powerful weapon in the world is to sit down and talk”.

The solutions we need to confront the existential threats we face are all connected by a simple truth: we can only succeed if we act as one. 

It was with great sadness that just a few weeks ago, we said farewell to a true a champion of this ideal– President Jimmy Carter, a founding member of The Elders. 

President Carter was driven by a profound moral clarity, so sorely missing among many leaders today, and in the weeks since I attended his funeral here in Washington, I have often been reminded of his words: 

"The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices." 

To translate this vision into concrete reality, we need leadership that addresses even the most difficult and unpopular issues, not for short-term political gain but for humanity’s shared future. There is still time to make the right choices to turn back the hands of the Doomsday Clock. 

In Colombia, we say "Cada segundo cuenta" – every second counts. 

Let us use each one wisely.

Thank you.