The relevance of the United Nations is a matter of ongoing debate rather than a settled fact, so I'll give you a balanced picture rather than a search-based answer, since this is fundamentally a question of interpretation and values rather than something with a factual "yes/no" answer.
Arguments that it remains relevant:
•Near-universal membership and legitimacy: With 193 member states, the UN is the only forum where virtually every country in the world has a seat at the table, giving it unmatched convening power and legitimacy for global problems.
•Humanitarian and development work: Agencies like the WFP, UNHCR, UNICEF, and WHO deliver food aid, refugee protection, vaccines, and disaster relief to hundreds of millions of people annually—work that continues regardless of Security Council gridlock.
•Peacekeeping: UN peacekeepers are deployed in numerous conflict zones, and while imperfect, these missions have helped stabilize situations in places like Liberia, Sierra Leone, and parts of Africa and the Middle East.
•Norm-setting: Treaties and frameworks on climate (Paris Agreement), human rights, nuclear non-proliferation, and international law largely operate under UN auspices.
•Specialized technical bodies: Organizations like the WHO, IAEA, and ICAO provide critical coordination on health, nuclear safety, and aviation that no other body replicates.
Arguments that its relevance is limited or declining:
•Security Council paralysis: The five permanent members (US, UK, France, Russia, China) hold veto power, which has repeatedly blocked action on major crises—Syria, Ukraine, and others—when a permanent member's interests are at stake.
•Enforcement problems: The UN has no independent military force and relies on member states for enforcement, meaning resolutions are often symbolic rather than binding in practice.
•Bureaucracy and funding issues: Critics point to inefficiency, and major funders (especially the US) have periodically withheld dues or threatened to, straining operations.
•Failure to prevent major conflicts: Wars in Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, and elsewhere have continued despite UN involvement, fueling perceptions of irrelevance on the "hard" security issues.
•Shifting geopolitical power: Some argue that rising multipolarity (with blocs like the G20, BRICS, or regional bodies) increasingly bypass the UN for real diplomatic action.
Bottom line: The UN is generally seen as most effective in humanitarian aid, development, health, and technical coordination, but weakest in preventing or resolving major-power conflicts due to structural issues like the veto system. Whether it's "relevant" often depends on which function you're evaluating—it's simultaneously indispensable for global coordination on many issues and frustratingly limited on the biggest security crises of the day.
If you want, I can look into recent specific events or debates (e.g., its role in a particular ongoing conflict or reform proposals) to give a more current, evidence-based view.