Published in Devex

By Martín Abregú

Next week, the United Nations General Assembly will convene in New York for its 78th session, a reminder of the lasting impact of the brave new experiment that sprang from the aftermath of two World Wars. The catastrophic clash of great powers moved world leaders to seek to “provide sensible machinery for the settlement of disputes among nations,” as then U.S. President Harry Truman called on delegates to the U.N.’s first 1945 conference. Now, as the world faces challenges that transcend borders, from climate change to the risks of artificial intelligence, we must innovate boldly once again to establish a new global governance paradigm driven by new players, governed by new rules, and responsive to our new reality. 

Our outdated 20th-century model of global governance enables a handful of major powers to unilaterally dictate resolutions to global challenges, while today’s most pressing problems require broader collective action to ensure that solutions benefit everyone.

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