Published: 11:05 AM, 30 September 2026
Is the United Nations Losing Its Efficacy?
Nazrul Haque Chowdhury
When the United Nations was established in 1945, it carried an ambitious promise: to prevent another world war, promote international cooperation, protect human rights, and provide a forum where nations could resolve disputes through dialogue rather than force. More than eight decades later, however, the organization faces a difficult question: Is the United Nations losing its efficacy?
The question has become particularly relevant as wars, humanitarian emergencies, geopolitical rivalries, climate change, economic instability, and global inequality continue to test the international system. The UN remains the world's largest multilateral organization, with 193 member states represented in the General Assembly. Yet its ability to act decisively is frequently constrained by disagreements among powerful countries.
The answer, however, is not simply yes or no. The United Nations has achieved significant results in humanitarian assistance, peacekeeping, development, international law, public health, and diplomacy. At the same time, its limitations have become increasingly visible when major powers disagree.
A World of Conflicting Interests
The central difficulty facing the United Nations is that it is an organization of sovereign states. It cannot operate independently of the political will of its members.
The Security Council, which has primary responsibility for international peace and security, has 15 members, including five permanent members-the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom. These five countries possess veto power.
The veto was designed to ensure that major powers would remain within the international security system. But it can also prevent collective action when a permanent member opposes a proposed resolution.
This problem has become especially visible during major conflicts. When powerful states have opposing interests, the Security Council can struggle to produce binding decisions. A resolution may receive broad international support but fail because of a veto.
The result can create a perception that the organization is unable to respond effectively to some of the world's most serious crises.
The Crisis of Credibility
The issue is not merely whether the UN can pass resolutions. It is also whether governments and populations believe those decisions can be implemented.
The Security Council has repeatedly faced criticism over its inability to prevent or stop wars. Debates at the Council have highlighted concerns that repeated use or threat of the veto can undermine the body's effectiveness and credibility. At a January 2026 Security Council meeting, member states again discussed the need for institutional reform and concerns about the impact of veto power on international peace and security.
This has led to renewed calls for Security Council reform.
Countries from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and other regions have argued that the structure created in the aftermath of World War II does not adequately reflect today's distribution of population, economic influence, and political power.
India, Brazil, Japan, Germany, and African states have been among those advocating various forms of reform, although governments differ over exactly how the Council should be changed.
The General Assembly: A Different Source of Power
The UN General Assembly operates differently. All 193 member states have one vote, making it the organization's most representative political forum.
The General Assembly can debate international issues, adopt resolutions, approve the organization's budget, and express the collective position of member states. However, most General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding in the same way as Security Council decisions.
This distinction is crucial.
The Assembly can demonstrate overwhelming international support for a particular position, but it cannot necessarily compel a government to change its behavior.
Nevertheless, its political influence should not be underestimated. General Assembly debates can shape international opinion, establish diplomatic pressure, and contribute to the development of international norms.
Bangladesh's role in the current General Assembly provides an example. Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman was elected president of the 81st session in June 2026, and the session opened in September under the theme "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All."
The theme itself reflects the central challenge facing the organization: restoring confidence in multilateral institutions while adapting them to a rapidly changing world.
Peacekeeping: An Important Achievement
The UN's record should not be judged only by its performance in headline-making wars.
UN peacekeeping has helped monitor ceasefires, protect civilians, facilitate political transitions, and create conditions for peace in numerous countries. Peacekeepers from countries around the world-including Bangladesh-have served in international missions.
Yet peacekeeping also faces serious financial and operational difficulties. The UN has reported significant funding shortages that have forced some peacekeeping operations to reduce their activities. The approved peacekeeping budget for 2024-25 was approximately $5.6 billion, a relatively small amount compared with global military spending.
In 2025, the UN reported that funding gaps were forcing peacekeeping missions to reduce operations by around 25 percent.
This highlights an important contradiction. Member states often expect the United Nations to respond to crises, but the organization can only implement mandates when governments provide the necessary financial resources and personnel.
Humanitarian Work Remains Vital
The United Nations continues to play a major role in humanitarian assistance.
Through agencies and programs working around the world, the UN provides or coordinates food assistance, refugee protection, health services, education, shelter, disaster relief, and support for vulnerable populations.
These activities rarely receive the same international attention as Security Council disputes, but they represent a significant part of the organization's practical work.
In conflict zones and countries affected by disasters, UN agencies frequently remain among the few international organizations capable of operating at scale.
This means that judging the UN solely by whether it can stop wars would provide an incomplete picture of its effectiveness.
Development and Global Cooperation
The UN's contribution extends to economic and social development. The Sustainable Development Goals provide a common framework for addressing poverty, hunger, education, health, gender equality, climate change, and other global challenges.
Progress has been uneven, and many targets are behind schedule. Nevertheless, the framework has helped governments, international organizations, businesses, and civil society establish shared objectives.
The UN also provides platforms for international cooperation on issues that no country can solve independently.
Climate change is one example. Pandemics, migration, cyber threats, artificial intelligence, food security, and environmental degradation similarly require cooperation across borders.
No single government can manage these challenges alone.
The Problem of Funding
Financial pressure is another serious concern.
The UN depends heavily on contributions from member states. When countries delay or fail to meet their financial obligations, the organization faces difficulties in maintaining operations.
In June 2026, the General Assembly adopted a financial resolution intended to address a liquidity crisis and modify a long-standing financial rule. The measure was described by the Assembly presidency as preventing an imminent financial crisis, while also acknowledging that reform cannot solve the underlying problem unless member states consistently meet their financial obligations.
Financial uncertainty can affect everything from peacekeeping to development programs.
An organization cannot be expected to deliver ambitious global programs without reliable resources.
Bureaucracy and Reform
The UN is also criticized for bureaucracy, slow decision-making, administrative complexity, and overlapping programs.
Some criticism is justified. A large organization involving 193 countries, numerous agencies, multiple languages, and complex political negotiations will inevitably be slower than a national government.
But reform is difficult because every change affects the interests of member states, employees, agencies, and established institutions.
The UN80 reform process has sought to improve efficiency and modernize the organization. The 2026 regular budget of $3.45 billion was about 7 percent lower than the approved 2025 budget, following negotiations connected with the reform initiative.
The challenge is to reduce unnecessary administrative costs without weakening programs that provide essential services.
A Changing International Order
Perhaps the deepest challenge is the transformation of the international system itself.
The UN was created in an era dominated by a relatively small number of major powers. Today's world is more economically and politically diverse. Countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East increasingly seek greater influence in global decision-making.
At the same time, relations among major powers have become more competitive.
The UN must therefore operate in an environment where consensus is often harder to achieve.
Its future effectiveness will partly depend on whether member states are willing to strengthen multilateral cooperation rather than treating international institutions solely as instruments of national interest.
Restoring Trust
Trust is now at the heart of the UN's challenge.
The president of the 81st General Assembly, Khalilur Rahman, has placed "restoring trust" at the center of his program. In his opening remarks in September 2026, he said that people outside the UN are asking whether the organization works. He has called for greater cooperation, dialogue, and efforts to make the UN "fit for the future."
The significance of such statements goes beyond one presidency. The organization needs member states to believe that collective action remains worthwhile.
Trust also requires transparency and accountability. Citizens should be able to see what international institutions are doing, how money is being spent, and what results are being achieved.
What Reform Could Mean
Reforming the United Nations does not necessarily mean weakening it. For many governments, the opposite is true: reform is necessary to make the organization more representative and effective.
Possible reforms include changes to the Security Council, greater representation for underrepresented regions, improved peacekeeping financing, more efficient administration, stronger cooperation among UN agencies, and better mechanisms for responding to emerging global threats.
Technology could also play a larger role. Artificial intelligence, digital communication, data analysis, and early-warning systems may help the UN respond more quickly to humanitarian emergencies and emerging conflicts.
But technology cannot solve fundamentally political disagreements. The most sophisticated international system remains limited if member states refuse to cooperate.
So, Is the UN Losing Its Efficacy?
The evidence points to a more complicated conclusion.
The United Nations is clearly struggling in some areas. Its inability to consistently prevent wars, overcome Security Council divisions, and enforce international decisions has damaged perceptions of its effectiveness.
Yet the organization remains indispensable in many other areas. It provides a global diplomatic forum, coordinates humanitarian assistance, supports peacekeeping, promotes international law, facilitates development cooperation, and gives smaller countries a platform in global affairs.
The problem may therefore be less that the United Nations has become irrelevant and more that the international system has become harder to manage.
The UN cannot rise above the political divisions of its member states. If major powers disagree, the organization's ability to act decisively will remain limited.
The United Nations (UN) plays a central role in promoting and maintaining global peace by providing a platform where countries can address disputes, negotiate agreements, and work together to prevent conflicts. Established in 1945 after the devastation of World War II, the UN was founded on the principle that international cooperation could help prevent future wars and protect succeeding generations from the consequences of armed conflict. One of its most important institutions is the UN Security Council, which has primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. The Council can call for ceasefires, impose sanctions, authorize peacekeeping missions, and take other measures in response to threats to peace. Although disagreements among powerful member states can sometimes limit its ability to act, the Security Council remains an important forum for international diplomacy. UN peacekeeping is another major instrument for establishing peace. Peacekeepers from member countries are deployed to areas affected by conflict to help monitor ceasefires, protect civilians, support political processes, and create conditions for long-term stability. Bangladesh has made a significant contribution to UN peacekeeping operations, with Bangladeshi military and police personnel serving in missions in different parts of the world. Their participation reflects Bangladesh's broader commitment to international peace and cooperation. The UN also contributes to peace through mediation and preventive diplomacy. The Secretary-General, special representatives, and other UN officials can communicate with governments and conflicting parties, encourage dialogue, and help negotiate peaceful solutions. Preventing a dispute from developing into a full-scale war is often less costly and less destructive than attempting to restore peace after violence has begun. The organization also supports peacebuilding after conflicts. Ending fighting is only the first step toward sustainable peace. Countries emerging from war may face destroyed infrastructure, displaced populations, political instability, unemployment, weak institutions, and social divisions. UN agencies assist with rebuilding institutions, strengthening the rule of law, organizing elections, supporting refugees and displaced people, and promoting economic and social development. These efforts can address some of the conditions that contribute to renewed conflict. Humanitarian assistance is another important element of the UN's contribution to peace. During wars and natural disasters, UN agencies and humanitarian partners provide food, medicine, shelter, clean water, education, and protection to vulnerable populations. Protecting civilians can reduce human suffering and help prevent humanitarian emergencies from becoming broader sources of instability. The UN also promotes international law and human rights, which are essential foundations of peaceful relations. International agreements and legal institutions provide mechanisms for addressing disputes and establishing standards for state behavior. The UN's work on disarmament and nonproliferation is particularly important because nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction pose risks far beyond the countries that possess them. In addition, the UN recognizes that peace is not simply the absence of war. Poverty, inequality, discrimination, hunger, climate-related disasters, and lack of access to education and health services can contribute to social instability. Through the Sustainable Development Goals and related programs, the organization promotes conditions that can support peaceful and stable societies. Nevertheless, the UN faces significant challenges. Its effectiveness depends heavily on cooperation among member states, and disagreements within the Security Council can prevent collective action. The organization also depends on member states for funding, personnel, and political support. These limitations demonstrate that the UN cannot establish global peace by itself. Peace ultimately requires political commitment from governments and cooperation among societies. Even with these limitations, the United Nations remains one of the most important institutions for international peace. It provides a rare global forum in which nearly every country can participate, communicate, and seek common ground. Its peacekeeping, mediation, humanitarian, development, human rights, and disarmament efforts have contributed to stability in many parts of the world. In an era of geopolitical rivalry and complex global challenges, the UN's role remains highly relevant. Strengthening its institutions, improving cooperation among member states, and ensuring adequate resources can make its peacebuilding efforts more effective. Ultimately, lasting global peace cannot be created by military power alone; it requires dialogue, justice, cooperation, development, respect for international law, and a shared commitment to resolving disputes peacefully. In pursuing these goals, the United Nations continues to serve as a crucial instrument for building a safer and more cooperative world.
Conclusion
The United Nations stands at a critical moment. Global conflicts, humanitarian crises, climate change, technological transformation, economic uncertainty, and geopolitical competition are placing unprecedented demands on multilateral institutions.
Its weaknesses are real, but so is its continuing importance.
The choice before the international community is not simply whether to support or criticize the UN. The more fundamental question is what kind of international organization the world needs for the decades ahead.
If member states want stronger collective action, they will need to provide the political authority, financial resources, and institutional reforms necessary to make it possible.
The United Nations was created to provide a framework for cooperation in a divided world. The world remains divided, but the need for cooperation has only grown.
Its effectiveness will ultimately depend not only on the institution itself, but on the willingness of nations to use it.
Nazrul Haque Chowdhury is a columnist
