Interview
How to fix the United Nations
- The UN marks 75 years against a backdrop of "dark days" characterized by nationalist agendas and dysfunctional great power relations.
- UN Secretary-General António Guterres identifies two primary categories of challenge:
- Intergovernmental dysfunction among the three major powers (US, China, Russia), which hampers Security Council decision-making on crises like COVID-19 and climate change.
- The need for internal reform to make the UN Secretariat more nimble, effective, and cost-efficient.
- Guterres distinguishes the current geopolitical landscape from historical precedents:
- The Cold War pattern was predictable with two superpowers.
- The 1990s saw a period of American supremacy with clear rules.
- The current era is defined by a "messy" and unpredictable relationship among three relevant powers, making it difficult to enforce international rules.
- The US retreat from global engagement, exemplified by the withdrawal from the World Health Organization under Donald Trump, creates significant difficulty for the UN's ability to promote democracy and human rights.
- Guterres maintains a strategy of avoiding personal confrontations with leaders to preserve functional relationships with key partners, including the US.
- Regarding China and human rights, Guterres asserts that minority identity must be respected and confirmed in discussions with Chinese authorities, specifically referencing the Uyghur situation.
- The UN strategy toward Russia involves "telling the truth" and proposing sensible measures, such as demanding cross-border humanitarian aid for Syria, while pressing Moscow to enable the Syrian Constitutional Committee.
- Security Council paralysis is attributed to the veto power of the five permanent members:
- The US frequently vetoes resolutions regarding Israel-Palestine.
- Russia vetoes resolutions concerning Syria and Ukraine.
- China is expected to veto resolutions related to the South China Sea.
- Guterres argues the UN is judged more by its humanitarian and development successes than its security council deadlock, citing:
- A global COVID-19 response package supporting 110 million people across 64 countries.
- Food assistance provided to 87 million people.
- The UN maintains active engagement in conflict zones despite Security Council gridlock, including efforts to secure a global ceasefire in Yemen, supporting the Afghanistan peace process, and facilitating the Constitutional Committee in Syria.
- A recent alignment between Russia and China resembles Cold War dynamics but is defined by current circumstances rather than a permanent ideology-driven bond.
- Guterres emphasizes that Russia, China, and the US must cooperate to mobilize the international community against shared challenges like climate change and pandemics.
- The 75th anniversary was utilized to launch a global listening campaign rather than a self-promotion campaign, gathering 222,000 responses from 193 countries.
- The survey results highlight a massive global demand for accountability and transparency within the UN, governments, and institutions.
- Future UN priorities will focus on establishing governance mechanisms for two critical areas:
- Climate change.
- The digital world, including the governance of cyberspace and artificial intelligence where current "lawlessness" exists.