Is the United Nations still relevant?
Yes, the United Nations remains relevant—and in many ways indispensable—despite serious flaws, structural weaknesses, and periods of paralysis. It is imperfect, often frustrating, and frequently blocked by great-power rivalries, but no other institution matches its universal membership, convening power, humanitarian reach, or role in setting global norms. Abandoning or sidelining it would leave the world worse off in addressing challenges that no single country can solve alone.[1]
Major Challenges and Criticisms
The UN faces significant headwinds that fuel questions about its relevance:
These problems are real and longstanding. The UN was never designed as a world government with independent coercive power; it depends on the political will of its 193 members.
Why It Remains Relevant and Valuable
Despite the flaws, the UN delivers tangible results and fills unique roles:
Public opinion largely backs this view. Recent Pew Research finds a median of around 55% favorable views across dozens of countries (higher in many places in Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe; lower in Israel and some others). Gallup data across 137 countries shows a median 50% approval of the UN’s job performance versus 26% disapproval. Many see multilateralism as essential even without full great-power buy-in.[8]
The Path Forward: Reform, Not Abandonment
The UN is in a period of simultaneous decline (in security crisis management and resources) and renewal (General Assembly activism, ICJ engagement, the 2024 Pact for the Future calling for reforms including Security Council expansion and better veto restraint). Calls for a more representative, efficient, and accountable UN are widespread—from African leaders seeking permanent seats to proposals for a stronger next Secretary-General focused on core mandates.[2]
Its effectiveness ultimately depends on member states’ willingness to cooperate and fund it. Great powers still use it when interests align (e.g., certain peacekeeping or sanctions regimes requiring US-China cooperation) and value it as a status symbol or talking shop. Smaller and medium powers especially need it as a platform.[9]
In short, the UN is “broke, blocked, and still indispensable.” It is not a savior and cannot end every conflict or override sovereignty. But for diplomacy, humanitarian response, norm-setting, and collective action on shared threats, it remains the best (and often only) available tool. Global challenges have grown more complex and interconnected; the answer is strengthening multilateralism through reform, not retreating into fragmentation.
Citations (9)
- https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/un-80-broke-blocked-still-indispensable
Backs: “Abandoning or sidelining it would leave the world worse off in addressing challenges that no single country can solve alone.”
- https://www.crisisgroup.org/global/un-between-decline-and-renewal
Backs: “This reflects an outdated 1945 power structure that underrepresents Africa, India, Brazil, and other rising powers.”
- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/07/31/how-the-united-nations-is-funded-and-who-pays-the-most/
Backs: “The US has historically been the largest contributor (around 22% of the regular budget and higher for peacekeeping), with China rising as the second.”
- https://fpc.org.uk/long-read-the-state-of-the-un/
Backs: “Geopolitical fragmentation, nationalism, and great-power competition (US-China-Russia dynamics) exacerbate this.”
- https://www.un.org/en/annualreport2024
Backs: “Agencies like the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, UNHCR, and others operate in the hardest places—combating Ebola, feeding starving children in Somalia, distributing aid in Gaza, and more. Without them, millions more would suffer or die each year.”
- https://peacekeeping.un.org/en
Backs: “They reduce violence and increase chances of lasting peace, even if imperfect and sometimes drawn down at host-country request.”
- https://globalaffairs.org/commentary/analysis/un-turning-80-it-still-relevant
Backs: “It helps prevent escalation to great-power war—the absence of a third world war since 1945 is partly attributable to the postwar order it anchors.”
- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/08/27/many-across-37-countries-view-the-un-favorably-but-opinions-have-become-more-negative-in-some-places/
Backs: “Many see multilateralism as essential even without full great-power buy-in.”
- https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/why-united-nations-still-matters
Backs: “Great powers still use it when interests align (e.g., certain peacekeeping or sanctions regimes requiring US-China cooperation) and value it as a status symbol or talking shop. Smaller and medium powers especially need it as a platform.”