Is the United Nations still relevant?
Is the UN still relevant? I'll weigh its current impact against today's critiques of its effectiveness.
The United Nations is still relevant, but its relevance is increasingly contested - it remains indispensable in some areas and paralyzed in others.
1. Why many say it IS still relevant
At 80 years old in 2025-2026, the UN remains the only universal platform where all 193 member states are equal.
> If turning up is what matters, then the sheer popularity of the forum with world leaders is a clear indicator that the United Nations is widely viewed to be politically relevant and an important platform for shaping international discourse
The General Assembly remains described as the premier global stage for debating armed conflict, climate change, and human rights and, according to the President of the General Assembly, this house is fulfilling that purpose – the United Nations is still relevant
Its functional role is broad:
Universal Declaration of Human Rights – 1948, decolonization, and a framework that has saved humanity from the scourge of a new world war, a nuclear holocaust, prevented or settled numerous conflicts, advanced human rightsUN peacekeeping created – 1948 - authorizing 71 international peacekeeping missions. Peacekeepers are protecting millions of displaced people and supporting the delivery of life‑saving humanitarian aidUNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP), and UNHCR provide critical assistance to millions affected by conflict, natural disasters, and poverty, plus Eradication of smallpox – 1967 – 1980, The Millennium Development Goals – 2000 and The Sustainable Development Goals – 2015 and The Paris Agreement on Climate Change – 2015Public opinion still supports it:
as of 2025... support for the UN remained relatively high around the world, with 61% having a favorable opinion, according to the Pew Research Center57 percent of Americans overall view the United Nations favorably, and 63 percent of U.S. respondents said that their country benefited from UN membershipA median of 55% have a favorable opinion of the UN, according to a spring Pew Research Center survey across 37 countries.In that sense, speakers at the General Assembly have called the UN Still Essential but Needs Reform to Be ‘Fit for Purpose’ in Coming Decades and an indispensable “family of nations” that had nurtured countries in search of equality, peace and prosperity
2. Why many say it is NOT relevant / is in crisis
Experts say as leaders gather for the 81st General Assembly, the institution is battling an existential crisis of funding, relevance and Security Council gridlock
The core structural problem is the Security Council:
With no army of its own, no independent financial base, and with routine gridlock among the five permanent veto-wielding members of the Security Council, it may not be entirely untrue to infer that the United Nations is largely toothless and often ineffectivefive permanent members hold veto power that routinely blocks action when their interests are involvedno longer represents the modern world and faces problems of legitimacy and efficiency due to the veto systemMajor conflicts appear intractable, and powers like the United States and Russia can bend the UN’s Security Council to their willThat paralysis has been visible in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Myanmar and Iran:
> “From Ukraine, to Gaza, and Sudan, and also with what’s happening now in Iran, the veto problem leaves the UN hamstrung,”
> In Gaza, the UN has struggled to exercise real agency. Security Council resolutions have been repeatedly vetoed
The consequence, according to Guterres, is creating an “environment of impunity”, where the behaviour of major global powers was inspiring middle powers and others to “believe that they can do whatever they want because nothing will happen to them”
> The most fundamental challenge to the relevance of the United Nations is intimately linked to perceptions of its legitimacy. For many, this has been irretrievably compromised, with one permanent member blatantly violated the sovereignty of Ukraine and others seen as hypocritical over Gaza
Added to this is a financial crisis:
> It has been radically diminished by the United States’ decision to delay critical budgetary support and put caps on its contributions to UN peacekeeping, with the result that the United Nations’ ability to tackle climate change, global health risks, humanitarian disasters, technological change, and longer-term development goals is shrinking, and it is shrinking rapidly
The US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organization has disrupted progress on two of the greatest challenges for the 21st century
Public views are also softening: After registering an uptick in favorable views of the UN in 2025, Pew’s annual Global Attitudes Survey showed an overall drop in 2026. While favorable views still predominated (a median of 55% favorable to 37% unfavorable), 10 countries registered a statistically significant drop in favorability since the previous year
3. Verdict: Relevant but in need of reform
The debate is no longer whether to have a UN, but what kind of UN:
> “If the United Nations is to remain relevant in this century, it must reflect today’s realities, not the postwar power arrangements of 1945,”
Proposals include:
forcing any permanent council representative ... to come before the UNGA and explain when it uses the vetothe vast majority of leaders ... recognise the importance of a UN that is a global conversation platformAs one analysis put it as the UN turned 80: Undercut by financial shortfalls, US retrenchment, and growing geopolitical divides, can the UN remain a vital stage for global diplomacy or will competing powers shape a world order that sidelines it?
In short: The UN is still the only forum that brings nearly every country together, sets global norms, coordinates climate talks like the COPs, and delivers humanitarian aid at scale. But without reform of the Security Council, stable funding, and the willingness of major powers to act multilaterally, its ability to prevent wars and enforce its own resolutions will continue to be doubted.
Citations (2)
- The UN is Turning 80. Is It Still Relevant?
Backs: “At 80 years old in 2025-2026, the UN remains the only universal platform where all 193 member states are equal. If turning up is what matters, then the sheer popularity of the forum with world leaders is a clear indicator that the United Nations is widely viewed to be politically relevant and an important platform for…”
- As major powers act unilaterally, experts say UN faces crisis in New York
Backs: “In that sense, speakers at the General Assembly have called the UN Still Essential but Needs Reform to Be ‘Fit for Purpose’ in Coming Decades and an indispensable “family of nations” that had nurtured countries in search of equality, peace and prosperity. 2. Why many say it is NOT relevant / is in crisis. Experts say…”