UN faces funding, relevance crisis as major powers act unilaterally at 81st General Assembly

September 24, 2026 at 12:54 AM2 min

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The United Nations is battling an existential crisis of funding, relevance and Security Council gridlock as world leaders gather in New York for the 81st General Assembly. Major powers like the United States and Russia can bend the Security Council to their will, while member states seek new accountability mechanisms and a new secretary-general.

Key Facts

The UN has been accused of failing to stop what its own experts have said is a genocide in Gaza.
In the Ukraine war, the UN says more civilians were killed in the first eight months of 2026 than in the whole of 2025.
Russia has repeatedly vetoed Security Council resolutions, but Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke for the fifth time before the assembly on Wednesday.
Daniel Forti, head of UN Affairs at the International Crisis Group, said the vast majority of leaders recognise the importance of a UN that is a global conversation platform.

Security Council Gridlock

The UN is juggling multiple conflicts, from high-profile wars involving Iran to the often overlooked catastrophes in Sudan and Myanmar. Russia has repeatedly vetoed Security Council resolutions, but Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has continued to appear before the UNGA to urge member states to help stop Moscow. On Wednesday, Zelenskyy spoke for the fifth time before the assembly since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, urging leaders to further tighten economic measures meant to punish Moscow despite its vetoes. In the Israeli war on Gaza, the UN has labelled Israel's conduct there a genocide, but it has struggled to exercise real agency. Security Council resolutions have been repeatedly vetoed, and UN relief agencies have been targeted by Israel without any accountability.

Calls for Reform

Member states are looking for new mechanisms to bring accountability to the venue and for a new secretary-general to voice their concerns. Daniel Forti, head of UN Affairs at the International Crisis Group, said the vast majority of leaders, from small states, from middle powers, and even a few from major powers, recognise the importance of a UN that is a global conversation platform. Alanna O'Malley, professor and chair of Global Governance and Wealth at Erasmus University, said the veto problem leaves the UN hamstrung from Ukraine to Gaza, Sudan, and Iran.