Focus 2030
Subscribe to our newsletter
Replier le menu
Discover Focus 2030
Our organisation Our key programmes Our team Our partners Documentation Reports and publications News
From September 9 to 30, 2025, the 80th United Nations General Assembly convenes amid a crisis of multilateralism rarely seen since World War II. Geopolitical fragmentation, the proliferation of wars and conflicts, the disengagement of the United States, and the massive cuts in international funding threaten the ability of the international community to preserve peace and tackle poverty, inequality, and climate change, shaking the very foundations of the United Nations.
The consequences of this unparalleled transformation are now becoming evident around the world, where the mantra of "me first" and "every man for himself" seems to prevail. Although the 193 Member States of the United Nations collectively pledged to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, only18% of the set targets are expected to be met by 2030. Ultimately, leaving billions of people behind and putting the planet at risk.
In this context, this General Assembly promises to be particularly eventful for the organization, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary. The official agenda includes a proposal forreforming the UN, initiated by the Secretary-General ; an SDG moment ; the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women ; a Climate Summit ahead of COP30 ; and the first Biennial Summit on financing for development, mandated by the Pact for the Future.
The UNGA is an unmissable diplomatic event. The general debate will take place from September 23 to 29, and no fewer than 103 heads of state and 46 heads of government are expected to attend. Leaders will take turns speaking at the podium for a maximum of 15 minutes each, including Emmanuel Macron, Donald Trump, Lula da Silva, Cyril Ramaphosa, Pedro Sánchez, Giorgia Meloni, Narendra Modi, Ursula Von der Leyen, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, and Mia Mottley.
Although the official theme chosen for this year’s general debate is "Better Together : 80 Years and More for Peace, Development, and Human Rights,” the discussions will undoubtedly extend beyond this framework.
The recognition of the State of Palestine by a growing number of countries, driven in part by France, the wars in Ukraine and Sudan, and the funding of the United Nations and its agencies will also be on the agenda… Because at a time when global challenges are multiplying and needs are increasing, the entire UN system is being strained by an unprecedented budget contraction. The UN will be forced to do more and do it better with less — but how ?
Could this shift represent an opportunity to revitalize international cooperation based on more inclusive governance and an organization better equipped to address the 21st century’s geopolitical, social, health, economic, and climate challenges ?
Read our analysis of the 80th General Assembly : development financing, progress on the Sustainable Development Goals and insights from experts.
The United Nations’ regular budget for 2025 has been set at US$3.7 billion for operations and US$5.6 billion for peacekeeping.
Despite its modest cost (less than 0.0032% of the global GDP in 2024), the United Nations is facing a chronic liquidity crisis due to many Member States’ unpaid dues to the regular budget. As of May 9, 2025, several countries, including the United States, China, and Russia, had not yet to pay their annual contributions.
The UN’s financing of its activities comes from several sources. Its regular budget is funded by assessed contributions from its 193 Member States, based on their weight in the global economy. This budget supports the organization’s main activities, particularly those related to economic and social development, disarmament projects, and human rights issues. Additionally, a separate budget covers peacekeeping operations and is funded according to a different distribution among Member States.
The UN oversees a diverse portfolio of funds and programs, including the World Food Program (WFP), UN Women, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). These are primarily financed through voluntary contributions from Member States, private donors, and institutions. Some specialized agencies, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), have independent budgets combining assessed and voluntary contributions.
.
Amid drastic cuts to official development assistance, several countries are calling for a reduction in the UN budget. As part of the UN80 reform, the Secretary-General is considering a 15 to 20% reduction to the organization’s budget.
In Europe, ten major donors are planning to reduce spending by a total of $18 billion by 2025 compared to 2023. This includes more than $9 billion from Germany, $2.6 billion from France, and $2.2 billion from the United Kingdom. The OECD estimates that combined ODA from all DAC members could decline by 9 to 17 percent between 2024 and 2025.
Beyond the UN’s regular budget, the cuts also affect its specialized agencies. UNICEF forecasts a 20% contraction in resources ; the WHO reduced its 2026–2027 budget by 22% ; the UNHCR announced a $1.4 billion shortfall ; and the UNFPA was informed that the United States will terminate its$335 million contribution. In addition, a new US recision package is reportedly about to deprive the ILO of $107 million. The immediate result of these cuts is significant staff reductions, with percentages ranging from -85% at UNAIDS to -25% at the WFP and -20% at the IOM. These reductions are already having tangible impacts on the ground, resulting in significant loss of human lives.
The election of President Trump marked a turning point in the United States’ role in the multilateral system, exemplifying the “America First” doctrine. Although historically the largest contributor, the country has drastically reduced its support for the United Nations and other multilateral organizations. Under the Trump administration, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been dismantled, and U.S. development funds were cut by 83%. Contributions to many UN agencies, of which the United States was a major donor, have been reduced or altogether eliminated, including UNFPA, WFP, UN Women, and OCHA. In July 2025, Congress approved a $9 billion cut to aid, including $1 billion to the UN, directly affecting peacekeeping and humanitarian programs.
This disengagement was accompanied by the initiation of formal withdrawal procedures from the WHO, UNESCO, and the Paris Agreement ; the rejection of the 2030 Agenda ; and the opposition to any international initiative based on the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Meanwhile, the United States has reinstated the "Global Gag Rule", which prohibits funding for international organizations that provide abortion-related care or information. The United States is the leading donor to global health programs, including those addressing sexual and reproductive health. USAID is also the second-largest supplier of contraceptives in developing countries. According to the Guttmacher Institute, these funding cuts deprive over 130,390 women of contraceptive care daily and expose 34,000 women yearly to the risk of death from pregnancy-related complications.
Other countries have also announced cuts to their United Nations budgets. The Netherlands plans to reduce its contributions to UNICEF and the UNDP by 50% and cut funding for initiatives promoting gender equality, culture, climate action, and civil society organizations. Germany plans to reduce its contribution to UNFPA by one-third by 2026. It will also cut funding for initiatives such as the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), and the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA).
The UN was established in 1945 with the primary objectives of preventing conflicts, safeguarding human rights, promoting sustainable development, and fostering international cooperation. The UN Charter, signed by all 193 Member States, is based on universal values of peace, security, justice, solidarity, and respect for state sovereignty.
What sets the UN apart is its principle of equality among all Member States, which is reflected in the General Assembly, where each country has one vote, regardless of size or wealth. This equality stands in contrast to the predominance of the voices of the richest countries in other international institutions, such as the IMF and the World Bank. However, while the General Assembly embodies equal representation, real decision-making power often lies in the Security Council. Since 1945, the UN Security Council has remained at the same five-member composition, with each permanent member possessing the right of veto. This arrangement often hinders the Council’s ability to act, as some veto-wielding members frequently block efforts to prevent, sanction, or end conflicts. This limitation restricts the Council’s effectiveness in addressing global challenges.
|
Key principles of the UN Charter
|
Despite these limitations, the United Nations remains the only body through which all countries can act collectively in the face of global crises—ranging from peacekeeping and humanitarian coordination to health, education, poverty reduction, and climate change response. Although new dynamics are emerging, such as the African Union’s participation in the G20, the integration of emerging countries into decision-making bodies remains limited. In this context, the United Nations remains an indispensable pillar of multilateralism, as other structures struggle to represent all nations.
Several discussions are underway to adopt international agreements on issues that transcend national borders. For instance, the African Group at the UN prompted Member States to adopt a resolution in November 2024 establishing a UN convention on international tax cooperation. The convention aims to harmonize tax rules internationally at a time when states lose nearly $500 billion in tax revenue each year due to tax evasion by multinational corporations and extremely wealthy individuals. According to the established timetable, the final text of the convention will be submitted to the UN General Assembly for adoption in September 2027. However, negotiations are expected to be difficult, as most OECD countries oppose creating such a mechanism under UN authority.
In March 2025, to mark its 80th anniversary, the Secretary-General launched the ambitious "UN80" reform initiative, aimed at making the organization more effective, coherent and better suited to contemporary realities. The initiative seeks to streamline operations by reducing redundancies across its 140 entities, strengthen impact by aligning actions with global and regional priorities, and reaffirm relevance amid geopolitical tensions, climate crises, and growing demands for justice from the “Global South”.
Two strategic challenges stand out : clarifying the structure and missions of the UN and giving developing countries a greater voice in international decision-making processes. If successful, UN80 could transform the United Nations, strengthening its legitimacy and ability to respond to 21st-century challenges. However, its success depends on Member States’ political will and effective management of the financial crisis.
With 2025 marking 10 years since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and 80 years since the UN’screation, the latest UN SDSN report examines countries’ efforts to promote UN-based multilateralism and achieve the SDGs, including through countries participation in voluntary national reviews, implementation of national action plans, and ratification of key UN treaties.
In 2015, UN Member States adopted an ambitious plan centered on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to be achieved by 2030 and ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change. Although each country has sovereignty over public policies contributing to these objectives, only concerted multilateral action can ensure these targets are met, particularly in the most vulnerable countries.
However, at the current pace of progress, achieving the SDGs is far from guaranteed. According to the UN’s latest Sustainable Development Goals Report, only 18% of the 169 SDG targets are likely to be met by 2030. Additionally, 48% are progressing too slowly and 35% are stagnating or regressing.
While many countries are shifting towards isolationism and resources to combat poverty, inequality, and climate disruption are becoming scarce, recent history offers examples of victories achieved through international cooperation.
These successes demonstrate that collective, coordinated action can produce tangible results benefiting all humanity. Efforts to combat pandemics have saved millions of lives, global initiatives have reduced maternal and child mortality, and agreements such as the 2015 Paris Climate Accord have united the world around common goals.
The 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is taking place from September 9 to 30, 2025, in New York. The session will focus on the future of Secretary-General António Guterres’s "UN80" reform plan and the vote on the 2026 budget.
The highlight will be the high-level week from September 23 to 30, bringing together heads of state and government. President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak on September 23, just after his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as well as President Emmanuel Macron, who is expected to announce support for Palestinian state recognition. Several other countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, and the United Kingdom, are likely to endorse this position.
In addition to the speeches, topics at the heart of the discussions include climate change, artificial intelligence, food security, and the conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan, as well as rising economic inequalities. Gender equality will be highlighted through the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Progress on the SDGs, approaching the 2030 deadline and deemed insufficient by Guterres, will also be a central topic.
A large number of high-level side events will take place during the 80th United Nations General Assembly, including :
In 2026, the United Nations will elect a new Secretary-General. One question remains : Will the institution appoint a woman for the first time in its history ? Since 1945, the role has been held exclusively by men, despite repeated calls for a symbolic and political break with the past.
The underrepresentation of women in top positions globally remains striking. According to the Women in Power Index by the Council on Foreign Relations, only 26 countries have female leaders in 2025, down from 30 two years ago — less than 14% of UN Member States.
Several initiatives are emerging in response. The GWL Voices network campaigns through its Her Turn initiative to end 80 years of discontinued male leadership, while the 1 for 8 Billion coalition urges states to publicly support a female candidate. The stakes are not only symbolic, as credibility is on the line for an organization that makes gender equality a founding principles.
Will the UN dare to write a new chapter in its history by announcing its first female Secretary-General in 2026 ?
