Online Reporter
Richard Muponde
Zimpapers Politics Hub
AS the United Nations commemorates its 80th anniversary this year, with the original Charter temporarily returned to its spiritual home at UN Headquarters in New York, the global community is called to reflect, not only in celebration of its endurance, but in critique of its drift from its founding ideals.
The beautifully curated exhibitions and high-level meetings being held are commendable symbolic gestures, but they must be more than ceremonial nostalgia. If the UN is to remain relevant in a world increasingly divided, manipulated, and militarised, it must urgently return to the core values embedded in the 1945 Charter: peace, justice, equality of nations, and cooperation free from coercion.
Signed in San Francisco in the aftermath of the horrors of two world wars, the Holocaust, and the Great Depression, the UN Charter was forged as a bulwark against future tyranny and global conflict. It was meant to create a new international order grounded in diplomacy, mutual respect, and non-aggression. In the words of the President of the General Assembly, Philemon Yang, the Charter represented “a path to a better, more peaceful, and prosperous future.”
But that vision is being betrayed. Today, the very states that claim to be custodians of peace, the United States and several NATO countries in particular, stand accused of hijacking the UN’s moral compass, bending the Security Council to serve their geopolitical and economic interests.
Nowhere is the betrayal of the Charter more evident than in the workings of the UN Security Council (UNSC). With its five permanent members (P5), the US, UK, France, Russia, and China, holding veto power, the UNSC has become less a guardian of global peace and more a battleground for global power projection. The US and its NATO allies have persistently used the UNSC as a cover for unilateral or coalition-based military actions that often bypass global consensus.
From Iraq in 2003, to Libya in 2011, and now in the continuing support for Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, Western powers have shown a disregard for the Charter’s emphasis on the peaceful resolution of conflicts. The Israel-Gaza war is a damning example, despite overwhelming global condemnation, attempts at ceasefire resolutions have repeatedly been blocked or watered down by US vetoes, emboldening Israel’s military aggression and leading to the deaths of tens of thousands, including women and children.
Similarly, the Russia-Ukraine war has morphed into a proxy war driven by competing imperialisms. NATO’s relentless arming of Ukraine and insistence on military, rather than diplomatic solutions, has only prolonged the conflict.
Perhaps nowhere is the hypocrisy more stark than in Africa. From the Democratic Republic of Congo to the Sahel, from Libya to Sudan, African countries have been reduced to pawns in a high-stakes game of resource plunder and military experimentation by global powers. France’s long colonial shadow, US drone operations, and China’s strategic economic footholds all exist within a context of selective interest and abandonment.
Moreover, African conflicts often receive minimal media coverage or diplomatic urgency compared to those in Europe or the Middle East. This imbalance exposes the racial and geopolitical biases baked into the international system. Africa has suffered more peacekeeping failures, more externally fuelled civil wars, and more economic punishments via sanctions than any other region.
Yet despite this, Africa remains largely excluded from meaningful decision-making. The Security Council does not have a single permanent African member. This glaring inequity makes a mockery of the UN’s founding principle of the “sovereign equality of all its Members.
The anniversary must not become a moment of hollow reflection. It must be a turning point. Reforming the Security Council is no longer a diplomatic luxury; it is a necessity. Africa must be granted at least one permanent seat, complete with veto power, not as a token of inclusion, but as a recognition of demographic, economic, and geopolitical reality. The continent represents over 1,4 billion people and contributes significantly to global peacekeeping. Its exclusion is indefensible.
The recent rotational seat candidacy of Zimbabwe is a positive step, signalling Africa’s rising assertiveness in global forums. However, rotational presence without structural authority remains insufficient. A reformed Council must be more representative, transparent, and accountable.
The UN must also recover its moral independence. It must resist being the echo chamber of powerful nations and reaffirm its role as a neutral arbiter. Its agencies, particularly the UNGA, UNHCR, and UNESCO, have done commendable work, but their resolutions are often ignored or vetoed when they conflict with the interests of the powerful.
The original Charter, displayed again in New York, should serve as more than a relic. It must be a mirror held up to today’s UN and the world it serves. The spirit of San Francisco called for a world where “armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest.” The last two decades have seen that principle trampled upon.
It is also critical to remind the world of the pain and suffering that gave birth to the UN. Millions died in war, genocide, and poverty. That legacy must not be used merely as a commemorative talking point. It should guide today’s decisions on war, peace, development, and dignity.
As Heads of State and Government prepare to converge in September for a High-Level meeting to mark the UN’s 80th anniversary, they must ask themselves “Are we truly honouring the Charter, or merely parading its corpse in a museum of broken promises?”
Reforming the Security Council, amplifying the voices of the Global South, curbing the unchecked power of permanent members, and realigning the UN with the demands of justice and peace, these are not radical proposals. They are the minimal requirements for a future where the UN can live up to the hopes of its founders.
The commemorations must therefore not be the end, but the beginning of a new global conversation. One where solidarity is not seasonal, peace is not selective, and justice is not for sale. The world needs a United Nations that is truly united, and 80 years on, it’s time to build that vision with courage.
