The United Nations will mark its 80th anniversary this month but there's little to celebrate. Its clout on the world stage is diminished. And facing major funding cuts from the United States and others, it has been forced to shed jobs and start tackling long-delayed reforms. But even as the U.N. tries to chart a new path for its future, the question remains: Can the global organization survive and remain relevant in an increasingly divided world where it has lost U.S. support and its most powerful body has been blocked from taking action to end the two major wars in Ukraine and Gaza? When the United Nations was born on the ashes of World War II on June 26, 1945, the overriding goal was preventing World War III.
The U.N. General Assembly has adopted a "Pact for the Future" to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Now comes the hard part — uniting the world's divided nations to move quickly to implement its 56 actions. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres thanked the 193-member world body for approving the pact. He says it unlocks the door for nations to join forces to tackle challenges ranging from climate change and artificial intelligence to escalating conflicts and increasing inequality and poverty. The pact was adopted at Sunday's opening of a two-day "Summit of the Future." It's continuing with speeches Monday by leaders of countries around the world.
