UN struggling for relevance in today's fragmented world Glancing behind curtains of 80th UNGA

Financial strains, failures to uphold peace amid shifting geopolitics, and a structure seen as unrepresentative — these are the challenges overshadowing the 80th General Assembly as it begins. Opening the general debate in New York, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres acknowledged that the UN is struggling to cope with today’s global divisions.

Germany’s former foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, now serving as President of the General Assembly, echoed that warning, declaring, “this is not an ordinary year.” She pressed the UN to “do better and not let cynics weaponize these failures” to brand the institution outdated or irrelevant.

For Baerbock, the issue is not the founding Charter but political will: “It is not the Charter which fails, nor the UN as an institution. The Charter is only as strong as Member States’ willingness to uphold it.”

The United Nations is facing unprecedented strain, according to the Deutsche Welle’s analysis of the organization’s troubles in an ever-divided world. Divisions on the Security Council over Israel’s war in Gaza and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have hampered its authority, while peacekeeping missions — particularly in Africa — face sharp criticism.

Last year, a group of climate leaders including Christiana Figueres, Ban Ki-moon, and Johan Rockström even declared the COP climate summits “no longer fit for purpose.”

Guterres insisted that the UN remains indispensable for addressing global challenges: “No country can stop a pandemic alone. No army can halt rising temperatures.” Yet geopolitical rifts, climate emergencies, and doubts about the rules-based order cast a somber mood over the gathering.

“We have no carrots and no sticks,” Guterres admitted when reflecting on the UN’s limited leverage in security matters. General Assembly resolutions amount largely to statements of intent without legal force. 

“And, as we have no carrots and no sticks in a world in which we have the geopolitical divides that we have, it’s extremely difficult to make the protagonists of the present conflicts understand the need to come to peace.”

The limits of the Security Council

The UN Security Council (UNSC), tasked with preserving peace and security, has long faced accusations of being outdated and exclusive. As the article explains, it is composed of five permanent members — the UK, US, Russia, China, and France — all nuclear powers, alongside 10 rotating members elected for two-year terms by region.

The veto power of the permanent members is decisive: one country can block any resolution, while seven of the 10 rotating members would need to object collectively to halt one.

This power has repeatedly been used to shield national interests, such as when the US vetoed ceasefire resolutions on Gaza or Russia blocked condemnations of its war in Ukraine. With no permanent seats for Africa or South America, critics argue the UNSC fails to represent today’s global balance.

Daniel Forti, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, noted to Deutsche Welle that “the permanent five members are reluctant to agree on any changes that would dilute their influence.” 

“Few would suggest that the Security Council is functioning well right now. Geopolitical clashes between the US, China and Russia have made it all but impossible for the Council to respond to the world’s worst conflicts over the past decade. This has seriously dented the Council’s — and by extension, the UN’s — credibility," he added.

Funding troubles

The UN is funded through mandatory contributions scaled by members’ size and wealth, as well as voluntary donations, usually from richer nations. The US remains its largest contributor, but Donald Trump’s withdrawal from key UN bodies, including the WHO, weakened its finances.

Earlier this month, Guterres proposed a $500 million cut to next year’s budget, reducing core spending from $3.7 billion to $3.2 billion.

“The aid cuts and freezes that Washington has put into place are forcing the organization into a period of considerable retrenchment,” Forti said. “No other country is stepping up to fill all of the funding gaps left behind. This means that the UN will need to make very difficult cuts, not only within the system but also in the support it provides people around the world. This means less vaccination campaigns, less education initiatives, and less support for refugee resettlement.”

The call for reform

Reform debates have trailed the UN since its founding, but pressure is mounting. Irish President Michael D. Higgins urged that the UN be “remodelled for the future, giving agency to Africa, Asia and Latin America.”

Trump also weighed in, remarking in February: “I’ve always felt that the UN has tremendous potential. It’s not living up to that potential right now.” He repeated the claim at this week’s assembly.

Forti acknowledged both the need and possibility for reform.

“The organization can reform. But it will be a bumpy road along the way. Serious reform will take time and will likely be a painful exercise for countries that rely on the UN for support,” he said.

“Getting the UN to its next era will require a clear vision of reform from the next secretary-general, and considerable diplomatic backing from many UN members. The organization has survived turbulent periods at other points in its history. Doing so again will require countries to make a strong case for why the UN matters to their people,” he added.

By Nazrin Sadigova