United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently addressed misconceptions regarding the existence of an official 'UN map' that defines international borders. During his remarks, Guterres emphasized that the United Nations does not produce or recognize a singular, authoritative map that establishes or validates territorial boundaries between nations.

The statement serves as a formal rebuttal to the common belief that the UN acts as a cartographic authority for global borders. In international law, borders are typically established through bilateral treaties, historical agreements, and international arbitration, rather than by UN decree. By clarifying this, Guterres aims to manage expectations regarding the UN's involvement in territorial disputes, where parties often look to the organization for definitive rulings that it is not empowered to provide.

While the UN maintains various maps for humanitarian, peacekeeping, and administrative purposes, these documents are not intended to serve as legal instruments for defining sovereign territory. The Secretary-General’s comments highlight the distinction between the UN's role as a diplomatic forum and the role of sovereign states in negotiating their own recognized frontiers.