The Story Is the UN useless?
Sep 22, 2025
Mark Malloch-Brown, a former UN Deputy Secretary-General and expert in international diplomacy, shares intriguing insights on the UN's current relevance. He discusses the recent formal recognition of Palestine by the UK, Australia, and Canada. Mark delves into the UN's founding achievements and explores the challenges it faces today, including the constraints of veto power. He emphasizes the need for a more active Secretary-General and reflects on the UN's humanitarian role amid global crises.
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From Intern To Deputy In The Same Office
- Mark Malloch-Brown began his UN career as a young intern in the mid-1970s and later returned as Deputy Secretary-General.
- He describes a symbolic five-foot physical move but decades of professional distance and perspective gained between roles.
UN As A Postwar Pivot To Shared Values
- The UN represented a post‑WW2 pivot to universality, human rights and shared global values rather than pure power politics.
- Malloch-Brown says the UN galvanized major development progress in the 1990s under aligned leadership like Kofi Annan and supportive governments.
Current Crisis: Values Versus Sovereign Nationalism
- Periodic geopolitical misalignments have always limited the UN's effectiveness across its 80 years.
- He argues the current threat is deeper because an American administration now openly rejects multilateralism and the UN's value proposition.