World is in a mess

Former UN chiefs Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon have lashed out at the state of global leadership in the age of Donald Trump, warning a nuclear war could be triggered by accident.

"Honestly speaking, we are in a mess," Annan told AFP in an interview ahead of yesterday's climate talks in Paris.

"In the past when we went through this sort of crisis, you had leaders who had the courage and the vision to want to take action, to understand that they needed to work with others," he said.

At a time of growing US isolationism, Annan urged leaders to cooperate better on fighting terrorism, migration and climate.

"Today, leaders are going in the wrong direction," he said. "Leaders are withdrawing."

He expressed particular concern over escalating tensions with North Korea, warning: "One miscalculation, one mistake and we are all victims".

"It may not be a deliberate decision to start a nuclear war," he added.

Ban, who like Annan spoke to AFP as part of The Elders group of senior statesmen and women, blasted Trump's climate stance as "politically short-sighted and misguided". "The richest and most powerful country" in the world is disengaging from a historic deal that "even countries like Syria" have signed, Ban said.

"We are seeing more and more troubles and conflicts still continuing, because of the lack of global commitment and global vision," he added.