The UN’s credibility test

In January, US President Donald Trump suggested that his newly created Board of Peace might eventually replace the United Nations. This statement highlights the UN's loss of credibility. The world needs an institution to tackle global challenges like climate change, but the UN faces several challenges such as Security Council paralysis, funding cuts, and countries disengaging from multilateral institutions.

Whoever becomes the next secretary-general of the UN in January needs to work with member states to restore confidence in the UN's ability to act and demonstrate that multilateralism can still work. The UN's legitimacy lies in its vast membership, but legitimacy does not guarantee credibility. To prove itself worthy of its role, the UN must show that multilateral processes can be transparent, commitments can be enforced, and those who make the rules can be held accountable.

The process for choosing the next secretary-general is largely opaque, with the Security Council's five permanent members wielding disproportionate influence. This raises concerns about conflicts of interest and the need for a more transparent selection process. The UN's climate change efforts hinge on the credibility of those involved in negotiations.

Despite the Paris climate agreement, implementation has been largely dependent on governments' willingness to follow through on their pledges. Fossil-fuel interests continue to influence climate negotiations with little scrutiny, and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) lacks clear rules for identifying and managing conflicts of interest.

Research by Transparency International found that more than half of participants at COP30 did not fully disclose their institutional affiliations. While Guterres has advocated for climate action, more needs to be done. The next secretary-general can use their platform to push for tougher integrity standards and hold governments accountable.

The UN Convention against Corruption also needs to be strengthened, but governments must allow their records to be scrutinized for it to succeed. The UN must demonstrate transparency, enforce commitments, and hold those who make the rules accountable to rebuild its credibility.