UN@75 v multilateralism & democracy

Context: The United Nations (UN) marked its 75th anniversary in September. There are myriads of challenges faced by UN today.

Challenges that the world is facing today

• Rising Intolerance and polarisation: Societies become more closed; more starved of information/knowledge; and far more divisive and polarised.

• Role of social media and internet companies: Netflix’s documentary The Social Dilemma explores how social media and internet companies use and manipulate us. 

• Social media provides people with different facts to which they are aligned towards. This will create a world with different set of facts.

• Tools of democracy (like media) which was supposed to  revolutionise our world  could be the cause of its demise today.

• Undemocratic systems are gaining ground: For example, Chinese model may become the new norm.

• Many leaders across the world would like to ape the model of authoritarian growth as followed by China.

• Dysfunctional world in terms of global cooperation: The United States’ emphasis on “America First” and growing protectionism while China’s reluctance to enjoin democratic values.

• Covid-19 pandemic had ravaged world economies.

• Climate emergency: 

• It is a crisis that is testing the limits of national sovereignty.

• We have a global atmosphere and all countries will emit into the airshed 
• We need institutions that can regulate and enforce rules on all countries without prejudice to the more powerful.

Conclusion:  UN started with the end of the war, and today, we are at the beginning of a new one — only this time, it is a war against democracy.