UN crisis and Security Council gridlock dominate UNGA 2026 as wars, funding shortages and vetoes challenge the organisation’s global role.
As world leaders gather in New York for the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the UN crisis and Security Council gridlock are emerging as major concerns for the international organisation. Experts say the United Nations is facing simultaneous challenges involving funding, relevance and political deadlock, while major powers increasingly pursue their own diplomatic paths.
The gathering comes as the UN faces criticism over its ability to respond to major international conflicts. The organisation has also been accused of failing to stop what its own experts have described as a genocide in Gaza.
For The Times of Russia, the discussions surrounding the UNGA highlight a wider question over the future role of the United Nations at a time when global conflicts remain difficult to resolve.
UN Crisis and Security Council Gridlock Affect Global Conflicts
Daniel Forti, head of UN Affairs at the International Crisis Group, said world leaders recognise that the UN is not in good health. At the same time, he noted that many countries continue to see the organisation as an important international forum.
“The vast majority of leaders, from small states, from middle powers, and even a few from major powers, recognise the importance of a UN that is a global conversation platform,” Forti said.
The organisation is currently dealing with several conflicts, including high-profile wars involving Iran, as well as major humanitarian crises in Sudan and Myanmar.
The war in Ukraine remains another major challenge. According to the UN, more civilians were killed during the first eight months of 2026 than throughout the whole of 2025. Concerns have also emerged among NATO countries about the possibility of the conflict spreading beyond Ukraine.
Russia has repeatedly vetoed resolutions at the Security Council. Despite those vetoes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has continued to use the UN General Assembly to call on member states to support efforts against Moscow.
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy addressed the assembly for the fifth time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He urged countries to further strengthen economic measures intended to punish Moscow.
“Many of you here have seen more than once how the abuse of the veto at the UN weakens the world and pushes peace further away,” Zelenskyy said.
UN Security Council Veto Creates Deadlock
The situation in Gaza has further highlighted the UN Security Council veto problem. The UN has labelled Israel’s conduct there a genocide, while the organisation has struggled to exercise meaningful influence. Security Council resolutions have repeatedly faced vetoes, and UN relief agencies have been targeted by Israel without accountability.
At the same time, the continuing conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran is producing economic consequences internationally and creating concerns that Yemen could once again descend into civil war.
“From Ukraine, to Gaza, and Sudan, and also with what’s happening now in Iran, the veto problem leaves the UN hamstrung,” said Alanna O’Malley, professor and chair of Global Governance and Wealth and head of the Department of History at Erasmus University.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Al Jazeera’s James Bays this week that these conflicts were producing humanitarian consequences around the world. These included reduced access to food, higher fuel prices and rising global inflation.
The UNGA provides an opportunity for parties involved in such conflicts to discuss their differences. However, Forti said major agreements are unlikely to emerge from the gathering.
Even so, the General Assembly remains the only forum where all 193 UN member states have equal standing. O’Malley said countries have attempted to use new procedures and older mechanisms to address Security Council deadlock.
A 1950 resolution, introduced during a deadlock surrounding the Korean War, allows the General Assembly to debate matters that have been blocked by a Security Council veto.
Another mechanism emerged in 2022 following the impasse over Ukraine. It requires any permanent Security Council representative to appear before the General Assembly and explain the use of a veto.
The permanent members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — are commonly known as the P5.
“The idea is to build more accountability into the system for the P5, to make the veto not just harder to use, but also ensure it uses a lot of political capital,” O’Malley said.
According to O’Malley, demands for Security Council reform have increased since 2023 and Israel’s war on Gaza. She said the General Assembly has seen “unprecedented” majority votes challenging the Security Council.
Major Powers and the UN’s Relevance
Another significant challenge is maintaining the relevance of the United Nations while major global powers increasingly pursue alternative international mechanisms.
The administration of US President Trump has promoted its own Board of Peace. The body has accomplished few of its stated goals but has received Security Council approval and claims to be taking on responsibilities previously handled by UN agencies, including aid distribution and refugee management.
Trump has also taken action against the UN by imposing sanctions on its special rapporteurs and organisations such as the International Criminal Court.
The United States is not the only major power looking beyond traditional UN structures.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is in the US this week but is not attending the UNGA. His last address to the body came through a video appearance in 2021. This year, he is instead expected to hold one-on-one talks with US President Trump.
Forti said China continues to hold positive views of the UN and frequently uses the Security Council to address international issues. However, China is also exploring alternative platforms, including BRICS and the SCO, as part of efforts to strengthen multilateralism.
The broader push for alternatives to the UN is linked to concerns about the Security Council’s inability to adopt binding resolutions in some of the world’s most controversial situations. Permanent members can veto such resolutions when they conflict with their own interests.
Guterres told Al Jazeera this week that continued inaction was contributing to an “environment of impunity”. He said the behaviour of major powers could encourage middle powers and other countries to believe that they can act without facing consequences.
UN Funding Crisis Adds to Pressure
The UN funding crisis is another major issue facing the organisation.
Guterres’s term as secretary-general ends on December 31, while the Security Council is expected to recommend his successor.
O’Malley said the current secretary-general did not have substantial political capital available to resolve major conflicts and had not taken significant initiatives on some of them.
Guterres did use the rarely invoked Article 99 powers in 2023 to bring the Gaza situation before the Security Council.
However, the UN is also facing severe financial constraints. Major donors, including the United States, have reduced funding, making it harder for UN agencies to provide assistance in places such as the West Bank and Gaza.
“So he [Guterres] also has no actual financial capital,” O’Malley said.
Search for the Next UN Secretary-General
The selection of the next secretary-general will become another major focus for member states. A candidate must receive at least nine of the 15 Security Council votes and avoid a veto from any of the five permanent members before being presented to the General Assembly for a vote.
According to Forti, member states are looking for a secretary-general who can place greater emphasis on preventing wars while also responding to concerns that the United Nations has become expensive and difficult to manage.
“They will have to balance the UN’s diplomatic work, its impact, with financial cuts and racing to the bottom,” Forti said.
The continuing UN crisis and Security Council gridlock therefore come at a critical moment for the organisation. Conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Myanmar and elsewhere are testing the UN’s ability to respond, while funding constraints and disagreements among major powers are creating additional pressure.
For The Times of Russia, the 81st UN General Assembly provides another opportunity for all 193 member states to debate these challenges, even as questions remain over how effectively the organisation can act when the Security Council remains divided.
