UN Assembly challenges Security Council veto
20/11/2025: The President of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, has warned that repeated use of the veto in the UN Security Council is undermining the UN's mandate of world peace, together with trust in multilateral institutions. She has urged the Assembly to consider expanding its response to veto blockages.
What are the key issues at the G20 summit in South Africa?
17/11/2025: As current president of the G20, South Africa has been successful in securing a high profile for issues of debt relief and inequality. But the US president has declined to attend, claiming that white people experience discrimination in South Africa.
Source: Devex
Restoring free trade in post-US economic order
7/11/2025: As the US retreats from free trade leadership, plurilateral groupings in Asia-Pacific and European regions are moving to restore a rules-based multilateral trading system. The best solution lies with a reformed World Trade Organization, even if that means reviving it without the US.
Source: East Asia Forum
Guterres calls for urgent reform of the Security Council
24/10/2025: UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the “fragile” legitimacy of the Security Council could endanger global peace if it remains gridlocked. The body’s structure is viewed by many countries as unrepresentative and its veto system has often stalled action and sparked criticism.
Source: UN News
How much power does the UN secretary-general have to reform the body?
20/10/2025: The UN Charter grants the secretary-general powers to administer the work of the Secretariat but many of the UN's agencies answer to their own executive boards, donors, and beneficiaries. Decisions to merge or close UN agencies ultimately lie with the member states that fund them.
Source: Devex
UN unveils sharply reduced 2026 budget
17/10/2025: High arrears of contributions from UN member countries totalling $760 million have forced the Secretary-General to announce further cuts in the budget for 2026.. Staffing levels may be reduced by almost 20%.
Source: UN News
UN ends high-level week with calls for action on peace, climate and UN reform
29/9/2025: At the close of its 80th session, UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock called on nations to convert the week’s momentum into concrete action. She invoked the UN’s founding in the wake of World War Two and its mission “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.”
Source: UN News
UN at 80: a mixed legacy of highs and lows
23/9/2025: As the UN commemorates its 80th anniversary, the celebrations are muted. Failure in creating a world of peace and security contrasts with the UN's performance as a massive global relief organization, providing humanitarian aid to millions of people caught in worldwide conflicts.
Source: Inter Press Service
Look to Myanmar for a terrifying vision of authoritarian rule
21/9/2025: The brutality and repression in Myanmar highlight the failings of a dysfunctional world order. Unless we do better, this is the future.
Source: The Guardian
Electing the next UN Secretary-General: a test for multilateralism
21/9/2025: The election of the UN’s 10th secretary-general, in 2026, for the 2027-2031 term, is one of the most consequential in its history. The choice is not only about who leads the UN. It is also about whether multilateralism is reinvented or fades, critical for the rules-based world order.
Source: PassBlue