The United Nations turns 81 on 24 October, with the Security Council deadlocked over who will be the next Secretary-General.

The UN is widely criticised as outdated, yet it remains central to global peace, development and humanitarian work.

• Peace record: The UN has brokered about 170 peace settlements, including in Namibia, East Timor and Mozambique.
• Recent failures: Wars in Ukraine, Iran, Gaza, Libya and Yemen have continued without effective UN action.
• Funding strain: The Sustainable Development Goals (2015–2030) now face severe challenges because of US funding cuts.
• Reform divide: Countries agree that the UN needs reform, but not on what that means.

The UN’s strongest record lies in health, development and norms.

• Health: Joint UNICEF and WHO campaigns nearly halved child mortality from 12 million (1990) to 6.9 million (2011) and brought polio close to eradication.
• Humanitarian work: UNHCR assists over 35 million displaced people each year, and the World Food Programme delivers relief after disasters.
• Development: The Millennium Development Goals (2000–2015) halved extreme poverty.
• Environment: The Montreal Protocol phased out 99% of ozone-depleting chemicals, and the UN also brokered the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.
• Social norms: It advanced women’s rights through the Beijing Conference and set up the first global framework for migration, the 2018 Global Compact for Migration.

The Council fails on both representation and action.

• Outdated membership: The permanent membership reflects the world of 1945, not today’s. Many large regions and economies have no permanent seat.
• Veto power: A permanent member can shield itself or its allies by using, or merely threatening, a veto.
• Loss of trust: The gap between real influence and formal authority weakens belief in the international rule of law.
• Workarounds: Countries increasingly turn to small coalitions, regional groups or forums like the G20. These cannot send peacekeepers or match the UN’s universal legitimacy.

• Developed countries: They stress budget cuts, merging departments and streamlining mandates.
• Developing countries: They want greater inclusion, better representation and a say in the UN’s priorities.
• Reform steps: The steps that would restore credibility are more permanent seats for underrepresented regions and emerging powers, clear limits on the veto, and stronger accountability of the Council to the General Assembly.
• Limit of reform: Reform must not go so far that the most powerful members walk away, which would end the UN.

• Permanent seat: India has long sought a permanent seat and says the Council’s structure reflects an old order.
• Global South voice: As earlier notes on the non-permanent seat contest showed, India relies on support from the Global South, which also wants a more representative Council.
• Peacekeeping: India is a major contributor to UN peacekeeping and has a stake in UN credibility.
• Rules-based order: A weak UN leaves smaller states with no institutional recourse against powerful ones.

• Veto resistance: Permanent members are unlikely to give up or limit their own privileges.
• Charter change: Changing the Council’s composition needs an amendment to the UN Charter.
• No agreement: Groups of countries disagree on who should get new seats.
• Funding pressure: Budget cuts by major donors reduce the UN’s capacity to deliver.
• Leadership deadlock: The stalemate over the next Secretary-General shows how politics blocks even routine decisions.