The UN at Eighty: Multilateralism in Crisis
Originally published in Global Memos on Council of Councils
As world leaders meet at the UN General Assembly in New York this September, the United Nations marks its eightieth anniversary amid a deepening crisis of multilateralism.
Founded to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,” the United Nations now finds itself sidelined as conflicts rage in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and tensions between major powers escalate. Legal scholars warn of a “catastrophic collapse of norms against the use of force.” Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump’s erratic tariff policies have fractured decades of broad consensus on rules-based trade. Foreign aid budgets are shrinking, military spending is rising, and global momentum to act on climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has slowed.
The United Nations has played a limited role in efforts to end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, hamstrung by entrenched divisions among the five permanent members (P5) of the UN Security Council. Yet those conflicts will dominate attention at UNGA. European countries will take the lead in rallying support for Ukraine against Russia’s aggression, even as Trump pursues a peace deal outside the UN framework.
On Gaza, mounting international alarm over the dire humanitarian situation is fueling a renewed push for Palestinian statehood. Western countries including Australia, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom plan to add their weight to that push in September, alongside ongoing demands for a ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages, and full access for aid.
Amid those geopolitical rifts, the United Nations is under severe financial strain. The United States, its largest donor―contributing some 22 percent of the regular budget―is expected to announce further funding cuts following a review of international organisations ordered by Trump.
In anticipation, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has launched a drastic cost-cutting drive that aims to reduce the UN budget and workforce by up to 20 percent. While that could force some long-overdue efficiencies, austerity also threatens critical programs that support the world’s most vulnerable populations, often in neglected corners of the world.
The United Nations undoubtedly needs reform. But its perceived ineffectiveness stems largely from member states’ unwillingness to compromise. If countries turn away from the ideals that once brought them together to create the United Nations, no amount of reform will be enough to save it.
And it is those with the smallest voices—malnourished children awaiting food and medicine, or civilians protected by peacekeeping missions—that will bear the cost of a diminished United Nations.
