Eighty years ago, on October 24, 1945, the United Nations was born as a direct response to the horrors of World War II. Inspired by the idealism of Woodrow Wilson and the failed League of Nations, it was conceived as an organization to preserve peace and promote global cooperation. Throughout these eight decades, its peace missions, humanitarian work and defense of human rights have contributed to stabilizing regions and improving the lives of millions of people, making it one of the greatest expressions of international cooperation in the 20th century.

Since then, the world has changed radically: decolonization, the Cold War, the rise of the Global South and the digital revolution have completely transformed the international system. However, the UN's institutional architecture remains largely anchored in 1945, both in its power structure and its funding model . Its excessive dependence on the United States, which provides nearly a quarter of its budget, and the cuts implemented by governments such as Donald Trump's have highlighted its financial and political vulnerability. To remain relevant, the UN must diversify its sources of resources and adapt to the new geopolitical and economic reality.

The UN is facing not only a legitimacy challenge , but also a structural one. Security committee reform is urgent: the five veto-wielding permanent members no longer reflect the geopolitics of the 21st century. A stronger participation of the Global South, especially regions such as Latin America, Africa and Asia, is essential to ensure a more diverse and legitimate representation in decision-making. The demand for a more equitable structure has been a constant at recent General Assemblies and, without progress in this direction, the UN risks losing relevance precisely in emerging regions.

However, the greatest challenge facing the UN is not only one of legitimacy or structure, but that of demonstrating to the world that its work is an investment and not an expense. To this end, it must better communicate its achievements and, above all, regain trust through tangible results, showing with facts that global cooperation is essential to effectively face the challenges of the 21st century. We live in an era in which transactional logic, rather than shared values, guide the external action of the major powers.

In this context, the UN must position itself as a true problem solver: an institution capable of offering solutions and not perceived as a cost. In the face of mistrust, it must demonstrate that investing in the UN, in prevention, mediation and cooperation, is always cheaper than rebuilding after a war, a famine or a natural disaster. Only then will it be able to reaffirm, in the face of its critics, that multilateral cooperation remains the most effective way to meet the great challenges of our time: wars, climate change, inequality and the technological revolution.

Europe, for its part, must take a more active role in the defense of multilateralism to prevent the power vacuum left by the United States from being filled by China. In a scenario marked by growing rivalries and populist discourse, the European Union has both the opportunity and the responsibility to lead the renewal of the international order. This requires not only political and diplomatic engagement, but also greater economic, strategic and communicative investment in multilateral mechanisms. The countries of the European Union, which together contribute nearly 30% of the UN budget , must promote a diary of structural reforms, competitiveness and communication capable of demonstrating that multilateralism is not only necessary, but also profitable and effective.

The 80th anniversary of the UN should not be an exercise in nostalgia, but an urgent call to action. Despite its limitations, the organization remains the only universal forum where confrontational powers, such as the United States and Iran, can still engage in dialogue, an irreplaceable space in an interdependent world. In an era marked by fragmentation and mistrust, international cooperation is not a naïve idealism, but an internship necessity to ensure greater global stability and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. Failure to do so will inevitably cost us dearly.