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2d ago

At 80, UN Faces Funding Cuts and Charter Violations

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has launched the Pact for the Future to demand strict adherence to the charter.

FILE - Flagpoles line in rows in front of a building of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, June 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)
The security council meets at United Nations headquarters, June 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
FILE - Saudi Arabia's Minister of Foreign Afairs Prince Faisal bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud signs the United Nations Secuity Charter, in San Francisco, June 26, 1945, as members of the Saudi Arabian delegation watch. (AP Photo, File)

Overview

  • The United Nations marks its 80th anniversary under a cloud of diminished influence as the Security Council is blocked from acting on Ukraine and Gaza.
  • Major funding cuts by the United States and other states have forced the UN to eliminate roughly 20 percent of its staff positions.
  • Antonio Guterres has emphasized that the UN Charter is non-negotiable and unveiled the Pact for the Future to drive comprehensive reforms.
  • Member states regularly flout charter principles, as highlighted by recent General Assembly condemnations of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Israel’s Gaza operations, and U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
  • Specialized agencies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency and UN refugee and child welfare programs continue to earn global praise for humanitarian work despite the institution’s budgetary and operational strains.