Is the United Nations still relevant?

The relevance of the United Nations (UN) is one of the most hotly debated questions in modern geopolitics. As the UN marks its 80th anniversary—with the "UN80" initiative underway to revitalize the institution and a new Secretary-General being selected to succeed António Guterres—the consensus among international analysts is that the UN is simultaneously indispensable and deeply dysfunctional.

To understand if the UN is still relevant, it is helpful to look at the arguments for its vital importance, the stark realities of its failures, and how the institution is trying to adapt to the 21st century.

Why the UN Remains Indispensable (The Case for Relevance)

Despite widespread criticism, supporters argue that if the UN did not exist today, the world would have to invent it. Its relevance is sustained by several critical functions:

The UN is the only platform where all 193 sovereign nations can sit at the same table. Even during periods of intense geopolitical rivalry, the UN serves as a vital diplomatic safety valve. As António Guterres famously noted, "The United Nations exists because power requires rules – and humanity needs a place where power answers to principle." It remains the primary venue for great powers to deconflict and prevent local crises from escalating into a catastrophic World War III.

While the political arms of the UN grab headlines, its operational agencies do the heavy lifting of saving lives. On any given day, the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) feed, vaccinate, shelter, and protect tens of millions of the world’s most vulnerable people in conflict zones like Sudan, Yemen, and Gaza. No other global network has the logistics, neutrality, or mandate to replicate this work.

The UN provides the legal and regulatory framework that keeps the modern global economy moving. Treaties on maritime boundaries (Law of the Sea), civil aviation, postal services, telecommunications, and human rights are all negotiated and maintained under the UN umbrella. Additionally, the UN is the primary forum for crafting global rules on emerging frontier threats, such as artificial intelligence governance and climate change.

Why the UN is Facing a Crisis of Relevance (The Case for Irrelevance)

Critics argue that the UN is increasingly a relic of 1945, structurally paralyzed and unable to handle the complexities of the modern world.

The UN's primary mandate is to maintain international peace and security. However, the veto power held by the Permanent Five (P5) members—the US, Russia, China, the UK, and France—has rendered the Security Council powerless in the face of major global conflicts. Whether it is Russia's war in Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza, or civil war in Sudan, the geopolitical rivalry among the P5 means the Security Council is routinely deadlocked, leaving it unable to enforce its own resolutions.

There is a growing perception, particularly in the Global South, of double standards and "selective compliance" with international law. Powerful nations routinely ignore International Court of Justice (ICJ) rulings or General Assembly resolutions when it suits their national interests, leading to an erosion of trust in the multilateral system.

Because the UN is often slow and gridlocked, major powers are increasingly bypassing it. Countries are turning to smaller, more agile coalitions—like the G7, G20, BRICS, NATO, or regional alliances—to make economic and security decisions, leaving the UN marginalized on the most pressing global issues.

The UN is currently gripped by a severe budgetary crisis. Bureaucratic bloat, overlapping mandates, and funding cuts by major donors (such as a 15% budget slash and thousands of job cuts imposed by the United States) have weakened the UN’s operational capacity. Critics argue that the UN has become more focused on internal bureaucratic survival than delivering results on the ground.

The Current Turning Point

As General Assembly President Khalil Rahman put it: “Outside these walls, people are not asking whether the United Nations still exists. They are asking whether it works.”

The debate over the UN's relevance has forced several major reform efforts:

Conclusion

Is the United Nations still relevant? Yes, but its relevance is shifting.

If you measure the UN by its ability to prevent wars between major powers or enforce peace in complex conflicts, it is failing. However, if you measure it by its quiet, day-to-day work—keeping global diplomatic channels open, coordinating international law, and providing a humanitarian lifeline to millions of people who would otherwise have no one—it remains absolutely essential. The challenge is no longer defending the UN's right to exist, but reforming it so that it actually works.