Editorial - April/May 2026
James LewisTuesday 31 March 2026
The United Nations is needed more than ever, but it’s also in desperate need of reform. The UN Charter prohibits the threat or use of force against any state, requiring members to settle disputes peacefully. Eighty years ago, the Charter established a collective security system to maintain international peace and security. Now, with the three most powerful permanent members of the UN Security Council – Russia, China and the United States – acting so brazenly in contravention of these foundational principles, the need for change is urgent.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China’s militarisation of the South China Sea and the US seizing Venezuela’s President Maduro, threatening Greenland and bombing Iran, all violate the UN Charter. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres prepares to hand over the reins, he’s strongly urging reform. The veto powers in the Security Council and the body’s composition are, he says, key issues that mean an organisation founded in 1945 is no longer fit for the challenges of 2026.
Despite this, as our cover feature (‘The UN, the international order and the “Board of Peace”’) makes clear, the essential role of the UN and its continued importance must be acknowledged. While the current crisis shows us the need for change, it also makes apparent how well the UN system has maintained peace and security for such a long time. ‘We tend to notice international law when it fails and ignore it when it’s succeeding,’ says Oona Hathaway, Director of the Center for Global Legal Challenges at Yale Law School. ‘We don’t notice the fact that most states are not invading their neighbours. Most states are not using force outside their borders in violation of the Charter. Most states are abiding by the rules of the system and have been for the last eight decades.’
David Scheffer served as the senior advisor to Madeleine Albright when she was US ambassador to the UN. He speaks passionately about the challenges facing the UN. ‘UN agencies have always been and will remain on the frontlines of the most challenging and dangerous humanitarian crises arising from war, economic and healthcare disruptions, and migrations,’ he says. ‘Sovereign governments have the capacity to demonstrate their support for an effective United Nations and should exercise the political will to do so.’