The Future of the United Nations Summit was held in New York under the chairmanship of Germany and Namibia. Heads of state and experts tried to find approaches to reform within the framework of the so-called Pact for the sake of the future, to make the international community organizationally capable of solving a wide variety of tasks – both current and future. For observers, this is an opportunity to think seriously about the role of this international organization.
The UN has a long history of fighting for peace, development and cooperation between countries. Since its establishment in 1945, it has experienced many crises and challenges. But today the world faces new threats: from armed conflicts and environmental disasters to global pandemics and migration crises. In these conditions, many question the effectiveness of the UN’s work, its ability to act decisively and adequately respond to modern challenges. The question of reforming the UN is becoming more and more urgent, because its structures, created almost 80 years ago, often turn out to be unprepared to solve the latest problems. What changes does this organization need in order to remain effective and relevant? What do foreign media write about it?
Avvenire – Italy. This pact leaves much to be desired – criticizes the Milan Catholic newspaper Avvenire:
“There are no particular innovations in terms of reforming UN institutions. Two examples: increasing the representation of the Security Council and changes in the architecture of the IMF are long overdue changes for which there is no specific mention in the current pact. … It should also not be forgotten that despite good intentions , the prospect of UN participation in reforming the fund is excluded. There are also numerous gaps in the environmental sector. Let’s mention at least the lack of direct evidence of the relationship between climate change and poverty, as well as such a delicate issue as the distribution of the burden of environmental change.”
Politiken – Denmark. Copenhagen’s Politiken finds reasons for optimism – not least because the country has been elected to the UN Security Council:
“The obvious shortcomings and shortcomings of the UN are a reason for more active cooperation. The world is as good as we make it so. That is why it is so good that Denmark will soon become a member of the UN Security Council for a certain period. For all its shortcomings, the UN today, like 1945, the year of its foundation, is the world’s best hope for a better, more equal and just world order, and in the coming years Denmark can contribute to making that glass a little more full.”
Christian Daily – Дания. The Copenhagen Kristeligt Dagblad emphasizes the high level of recognition of the world organization:
“Given the doubts about the ability of the UN to cope with the very purpose of its existence, such as – preventing wars and promoting international cooperation – it is necessary to remember that the UN still enjoys the support of the population. According to a new survey by the American research center Pew Research Center, the majority of citizens in the 35 countries of the world are generally positive about the UN.This is perhaps the best argument for the continued support of the institution, which is the only player that has at least a remote chance of working as a world parliament in times when there are more and more crisis phenomena such as wars, change climate, migration and anti-democratic movements”.
Le Monde – France. The Paris Le Monde offers the following analysis:
“The deadly escalation of relations between Israel and Hezbollah has once again highlighted the helplessness of the United Nations. … The two biggest conflicts – Russian aggression against Ukraine and the destruction of the Gaza Strip in revenge for the unprecedented killings of Israelis by Hamas militants – have thrown a bright light on the fatal paralysis of the Security Council The UN, which turned out to be blocked as a result of a veto by Russia and the USA… The paradox here is that such a negative development coincides with the growing number of crises: the collapse of states (from Sudan to Myanmar and Haiti), pandemics, flows of migrants, the climate crisis. And all these issues require multilateral answers.”
El País – Spain. Madrid’s El País believes that the elections in the USA will be decisive for all the problems of our time:
“Both the present and the future – of the whole world and of the organization itself – seem to depend not so much on a new multilateral consensus as on the election of the next US president. … How to deal with the climate crisis without the participation of the second largest polluter of the environment on the planet? . .. Are we thinking of eradicating hunger without the support of the largest donor of the World Food Program? … Harris’s victory will not be able to give us any magical solutions.
