UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made it clear that he believes all trade wars are ruinous and need to be avoided, his spokesperson said Thursday.

"This is disheartening news," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN chief, at a daily briefing, in response to a question about the imposition of US tariffs that went into effect Thursday.

The secretary-general wants to make sure that all governments are aware that at a time of trade wars, measures need to be taken to protect the poorest and most vulnerable sectors of society, who will certainly suffer as a result of the higher prices, said the spokesperson.

The new US tariffs on dozens of its trading partners took effect on Thursday, fueling global concerns that the new levy rates, ranging from 10 percent to 41 percent, will disrupt the international trade order.