The United Nations is 80. It has never been more fragile – or so necessary

As the United Nations turns 80 on October 24, we stand at a paradoxical moment. Never has the world been in greater need of a universal forum of diplomacy, mediation, coordination and norm-setting. And yet, never has that same forum looked so strained, divided, fragile and contested.

In a world convulsed by climate breakdown, migration surges, pandemics, food insecurity and escalating war, the United Nation’s mandate is still indispensable. Yet its capacity is badly weakened by great power rivalry, nationalist backlash, financial shortfalls and institutional inertia.

On this milestone birthday, it is time to restate not only why the United Nations must be defended, but how we must act if it is to matter for the next 80 years.

From its founding, the United nations was conceived as humanity’s insurance policy against global catastrophe, a place where sovereign states could convene, negotiate and bind themselves to rules. Its achievements have been real: peace treaties, humanitarian relief, global standard setting on human rights, climate frameworks, and agencies like the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children’s Fund or Unicef, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees that reach into the world’s worst crises. The United Nations is more than an association of governments: it is a...

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