UN Day 2025: More relevant than ever?
In 1945, against the backdrop of a world shattered by war, representatives from 51 nations gathered in San Francisco. As Senator Tom Connally put his signature to the UN Charter, they were fuelled by a single, profound mission: “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”. It was a moment of unprecedented hope, a collective vow to build a future on the pillars of peace, dignity, and dialogue.
Eighty years on, we mark United Nations Day in a world that looks vastly different, yet is haunted by familiar shadows. The brutal conflicts in Palestine and the Democratic Republic of Congo, alongside persistent threats like climate change, digital fragmentation, and the lingering spectre of pandemics, present a complex and daunting global landscape. It is easy to look at this panorama and question the relevance of an institution born in the middle of the last century. Is the UN, with its often slow-moving machinery, still fit for purpose?
We argue that it is not the institution´s core principles that have failed, but rather our collective commitment to upholding them that is being tested. The foundational ideals of the UN–multilateralism, dialogue, and international law–are not relics of a bygone era. They are, in fact, the very tools we have been neglecting. In a world of deepening divisions, the need for a platform for dialogue is more acute than ever. In the face of impunity for atrocities, the demand for a rules-based international order is more urgent than ever. The UN remains the only universal forum we have to address challenges that no single nation can solve alone.
The grim headlines from Gaza and Goma are not an indictment of the UN's founding vision, but a stark reminder of its unfinished work. They highlight the critical gap between the promise of the Charter and the political will of member states to fulfil it. This is precisely why disengaging is not an option. The failures we witness are not of the idea, but of its execution–and that is something we can, and must, seek to change.
This is where our role as young people becomes critical. The issues dominating today–from securing a just peace and protecting human rights to averting climate catastrophe–are not abstract policy debates. They are the issues that will define our future, our security, and our planet. To cede the ground of international cooperation now is to surrender our own tomorrow.
On this UN Day, let us not simply celebrate an ideal. Let us recommit to the difficult, essential work of making it a reality. The act of signing the Charter in 1945 was a starting point, not an end point. It is now our generation´s turn to pick up the pen and write the next chapter.
