Highlights:
Power asymmetries are embedded in the institutional structure of the UN system.
The disjuncture between the UN’s aspirational egalitarianism and the hierarchical realities it sustains contributes to its legitimacy crisis.
Reform of the UN should include curtailing the scope of UNSC vetoes, expanding the UNSC to include emerging powers, empowering the UNGA, and increasing the role of non-state actors in global governance.
Beyond the UN system, international cooperation itself is challenged by rising nationalism, democratic backsliding, and scepticism about global governance.
The future of multilateralism depends on the UN’s capacity to modernize its structures, secure financial independence, and restore its normative authority.