UN in a struggle for survival as it turns 80

Chris Doyle

As the 80th session of the UN General Assembly opens on Tuesday, surely it is time to take stock as to where this gargantuan organization stands eight decades on from its founding.

Born out of the ashes of two world wars, the UN today looks anything but united. The direction of travel is every nation for itself and the law of the jungle trumps international law at every juncture.

The relations between Europe and Russia are at their lowest point since the height of the Cold War. Exactly where the US-Russia relationship is in the Trump era is hard to determine. Populist leaders have been thriving, as have far-right movements that are mostly characterized by racist anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim and, yes, anti-UN stances.

In the past, one would have conceived of a momentous surge to save the UN — that leaders would proclaim its huge value and back it up with meaningful action and, of course, funding.

Yet, UN humanitarian appeals go massively underfunded. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will try to push financial reforms and get richer countries to contribute more, but the environment could not be tougher for such a mission.

This year, it will be the host nation under scrutiny. The US has, since an agreement signed in 1947, hosted the main UN headquarters in New York. It was in San Francisco in 1945 that the UN was formally created. America has always been the largest donor, providing about a quarter of all contributions — a total of almost $13 billion in 2023.

President Donald Trump wants to slash those US contributions. In his first term, he targeted voluntary contributions to UN agencies. He ended UNRWA funding in his first term. No president has been more anti-UN.

But this assault on funding may not find its way to the headlines. In the run-up to this annual jamboree, it has once again been Palestine in the spotlight. The Trump administration has banned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from attending, as well as a coterie of other Palestinian officials. This would appear to be in violation of the UN headquarters agreement, under which the US must grant visas to officials so that they can go to the UN.

There is a precedent for this. Back in 1988, the US, then under the presidency of Ronald Reagan, denied a visa for Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat, meaning he was unable to address the UN in New York. The UNGA was shifted swiftly to Geneva by a vote of 154 to two. The difference in 2025 is that more than 150 states recognize Abbas as president of a state.

All this is largely because the Trump administration opposes the actions of an increasing number of states that are likely to recognize a state of Palestine this month. These include France, the UK, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Malta and Portugal. Others may join the trend. This issue may turn out to be the most heated of the whole assembly.

Wedded to this will be how to stop the genocide in Gaza, as recognizing Palestine will not do so. It has been an alarming mistake to link Israel’s conduct to recognition. It is hard to expect much to materialize on this front in New York. Many leaders will not wish to anger Trump on too many fronts right under his nose. If actions are taken, they may be outside the New York bubble or restricted to yet more votes at the UNGA, which sadly, as history shows, will achieve little.

The Ukraine-Russia war is unlikely to be played out much, except in speeches. Ukraine might wish to internationalize this, but Trump and Vladimir Putin will want to control the agenda. Trump despises multilateral institutions like the UN and prefers one-on-one summits.

Other matters, including generational catastrophes, may get some attention, though probably not enough. Sudan needs effective attention, not least with famine breaking out there and the failure to procure unimpeded humanitarian access

Climate change may struggle to get a proper look in. Yet again, it may be a case of trying to avoid putting the issue into reverse.

For all these vital issues, much of the media focus will inevitably zoom in on whatever Trump comes out with in his oration. You do not need to be Nostradamus to predict that it will not be bland or that the American leader will take to the podium with some strident messages, both about what he claims to have achieved and what he will do. He will not be seeking popularity among other world leaders — his domestic audience will be front and center.

But the focus must go beyond that. Wars have to be resolved, not least in Sudan and Ukraine, and the genocide in Gaza ended. The UN does require root and branch reform, but perhaps at this moment a more realistic ambition is to find ways for it to be seen as relevant. More than ever, it is a struggle for survival. This fight will have to be fought, but at the same time preparations must be put in place for how it will survive for another 80 years.

Courtesy: arabnews