Photograph Source: I, Aotearoa – CC BY-SA 3.0

Amid the brouhaha over Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Russia’s threatening drones in Poland, Israel’s now confirmed genocide in Gaza and aggression against its neighbors, is it worth talking about the United Nations’ 80th anniversary? Counterintuitively, now is perhaps just the right moment. Calls for ceasefires and peaceful solutions to state-to-state fighting are similar to U.S. calls for depolarization and dialogue. The U.N.’s failures to secure international peace and security reflect U.S. domestic political failures to foster civilized dialogue and full human rights for all. At best, the U.N.’s 80th anniversary is a proper reminder of values beyond misplaced nationalism, tribal fidelity, and wanton violence. The U.N. should be proud it has lasted longer than the League of Nations, only 26 years, but conscious that as being 80 is critical for individuals, the U.N.’s 80th anniversary is critical for its continuing relevance.

The U.N.’s 80th anniversary

The U.N’s 80th anniversary focuses on attempts to revitalize the organization. The UN80 Initiative, launched in early 2025, is less a victory celebration of reaching the ripe age of 80 than an attempt at a serious reworking of an organization seemingly in intensive care on life-support. Institutions, like individuals, need constant re-energizing, and 80 years-old is a crucial moment. Officially, according to a March 2025 U.N. press release, “the ‘UN80 Initiative’ builds on ongoing efforts, including the Pact for the Future and UN 2.0, which aim to update the UN’s structures, priorities, and operations for the 21st century.” The Initiative “seeks to develop proposals in three key areas,” the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said; “identifying........

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