Transforming the United Nations for a Multipolar World

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The UN flag flies in front of the Secretariat building at UN headquarters in New York, February 13, 2025. (Anthony Behar/SipaUSA via Reuters Connect)

“Conceived in the aftermath of the Second World War, the United Nations was envisioned as a safeguard against global conflict. Yet, its repeated failure to act decisively in the face of human atrocities — including its inaction in Rwanda (1994), Srebrenica (1995), Darfur (2003), Myanmar (2016) and, most recently, Ukraine and Gaza — reveals a troubling pattern of institutional paralysis. These failures are not isolated incidents but features of a deeper structural malaise. The truth of the matter is that the United Nations now stands at a critical crossroads.”

In this opinion, Daniel Araya argues that the United Nations remains hostage to the geopolitical interests of the past, and its revitalization will depend on three transforming steps: decentralization, democratization and digitalization.

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Pictured above (centre right), Paul Samson, CIGI president and convenor of Think7 (T7) Canada 2025, presents the recommendations of the T7 task forces to Canadian G7 Sherpa Cindy Termorshuizen, flanked by the chairs, co-chairs and organizers of the CIGI T7 process.

The T7 Canada Communiqué, released on May 5, highlights priorities to help inform conversations by world leaders at the upcoming G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, for the ministerial work to follow later in 2025, and beyond.

In formulating the recommendations, the task force chairs and co-chairs distilled a wealth of expert analysis from policy briefs submitted to this engagement group in early 2025 following a global call for submissions, as well as from subsequent discussions at the T7 Summit hosted by CIGI on April 1 and 2.

Read the communiqué, and watch the T7 2025 Playlist, a series of videos recording the April event.

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Latest from the Digital Policy Hub

The Digital Policy Hub at CIGI is a collaborative space for emerging scholars and innovative thinkers from the social, natural and applied sciences. Here are the most recent working papers published by Hub fellows from the fall 2024 term.

Nathalie DiBerardino: “The Role of Data and AI in Canada’s Housing Crisis: A Critical Overview”

Melissa MacKay: “Exploring the Future of Generative AI in Public Health Practice”

Follow the links on the Hub webpage to learn more about the Hub scholars and their work.

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Join hosts Vass Bednar and Paul Samson for the Policy Prompt podcast, featuring in-depth conversations with leading global scholars, writers, policy makers, business leaders and technologists working at the intersection of technology, society and public policy.

Find all 16 episodes from season 1 here!

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