After World War II, the Allies created the United Nations to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.” That mission is more urgent than ever today, with sustained record-high levels of armed conflict (including the conflicts in Iran, Lebanon, and Ukraine), heightened global tensions, and new arms races involving nuclear weapons and artificial intelligence. Yet, in the face of these cascading dynamics, the UN is increasingly sidelined. Most UN member states agree the institution must do better on promoting peace and security. Some call this getting “back to basics” of the UN’s founding mission. But what is possible in the face of growing funding constraints and hardening geopolitical rivalries? What prospects exist for the UN to play a bigger role in stemming the expansion of violent conflicts?

We convened experts at the Stimson Center on March 24, 2026, in partnership with the Alliance for Peacebuilding, to consider possible options for restoring and renewing the UN’s peace and security “toolbox.” The discussion followed an excellent commentary by Crisis Group’s Richard Gowan to set the stage. Experts considered the UN’s future in this regard from the standpoint of evolving U.S. foreign policy and associated politics. The discussion highlighted five key points:

1. Scarcity demands focus. Facing an unprecedented financial crisis, the UN needs to set clearer priorities, focusing on places where there are discrete peace process opportunities to show impact.
2. Connections compound value. Greater integration of the UN’s various tools can enable more adaptive and effective engagement.
3. Leadership matters. The Secretary-General’s influence and role amplify throughout the organization, and the next UN Secretary-General (SG) could make a real difference if s/he prioritizes peacemaking and mediation.
4. Change needs to be driven by member states. UN reform initiatives are only effective if driven by member states’ sustained engagement and insistence.
5. Belief sustains institutions.  Ultimately, the UN’s long-term relevance rests on whether advocates can restore public confidence in the institution’s cost-effectiveness and unique value.

Taking Inventory: The UN’s Peace and Security Toolbox

The UN system has used its significant toolbox for peace and security efforts to great effect. Specifically:

• Conflict monitoring & accountability: The UN has played a leading role in documenting and reporting on ongoing war-related activity and human rights violations. UN experts have exposed illicit economic activity by armed actors fueling the ongoing war in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The UN Commission of Inquiry for Syria provided invaluable reporting on war crimes and crimes against humanity and is now informing transitional justice efforts.
• Peace process support: UN special political missions, Mediation Support Unit, and its Standby Team of Senior Mediation Advisors have provided technical support for ongoing peace processes. In 2022, UN leadership brokered the agreement between Russia and Ukraine to enable humanitarian corridors for food and fertilizer exports amid the ongoing war. The UN has also deployed advisors to help implement agreements, including monitors for Colombia’s 2016 accords.
• Peacekeeping: The UN has a proven record of deploying peace operations to save lives and secure ceasefires. According to comparative research, 12 out of 18 peacekeeping missions helped end violent conflicts and paved a path towards peace. This includes stabilizing transitions in a range of countries, from Bosnia to Cambodia to Liberia to Timor-Leste.
• Peacebuilding & post-conflict recovery: The UN has played a central role in coordinating international efforts to implement peace agreements and build sustainable peace in the wake of wars – from Colombia to Gambia. The Peacebuilding Commission and its associated architecture are designed to marshal support in this regard when directed by the Security Council.
• Conflict prevention & early warning: Over time, UN leaders have repeatedly identified the need to focus more on prevention. Drawing from UN system-wide reporting and analysis, SGs can raise matters of rising concern with the Security Council. Former UN SGs also played critical roles in facilitating negotiations with and between states to prevent conflicts from escalating. For example, SG Kofi Annan brokered an agreement between Cameroon and Nigeria in 2006 to stop a long-standing border conflict from sparking a wider war.

These tools exist today, but rather than being put to use, their capacities are degraded by funding cuts and a lack of support. In early 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump directed the U.S. to withdraw support for the PBC and a range of other UN bodies involved in trying to prevent the worst kinds of violence against civilians, including children in conflicts. Some other countries have followed the United States, withholding their funding contributions to the UN.

The ambition for peace, however, demands attention to what works and what needs reform in the United Nations. President Trump and other leaders, for example, are experimenting with new models of peacekeeping and peacebuilding – in some cases, duplicating capacities within the UN. This approach includes the creation of ad-hoc coalition stabilization missions for Gaza and Haiti, as well as the so-called “Board of Peace.” It remains to be seen how these gambits will play out, but early evidence suggests they will be less effective and more costly. They will certainly deepen the fragmentation of the international multilateral system.

Retooling for Impact: Needed Prioritization and Reforms

In the face of growing challenges, the UN must focus. Experts agree that the UN’s peace and security efforts will be more successful in places where global powers (especially the U.S., China, and Russia) are not supporting opposing sides of a conflict. For example, the UN can support defined peace opportunities in the DRC, Syria, and West Africa, while also enhancing its role in emerging stabilization efforts in Haiti. The UN should stand ready to step in and play a bigger role if coalition missions in Haiti and elsewhere start to stumble. Leveraging its unique impartial perspective and with human rights monitoring and preventative diplomacy, the UN can do more to confront escalating conflicts in Ethiopia-Eritrea and South Sudan.

At the same time, the UN must integrate its operations to bolster peace processes. This was a major finding of the recently completed review of the UN’s peacebuilding architecture. Better connections between negotiations support, conflict monitoring, peacekeeping, and economic development, for example, can create more momentum toward sustainable peace. The UN has pursued reforms to foster greater coherence among UN country teams, including empowering its Resident Country Coordinators and/or appropriate Special Representatives. Such operational reforms need to be combined with a clearer vision and resolve to make peace agreements stick.

Driving Change: A Call for Leadership

Leadership is essential for the UN to focus, integrate its capacity, and meet the challenges of peace and security today. Most member states and observers assess that the current SG has not used his good offices as a forceful voice, nor engaged in actively using peace and security mechanisms, including mediation and peacemaking efforts, or driven related reforms across the institution. The election of the new Secretary-General in mid-2026, to take office in 2027, is an opportunity to select a leader for this moment. Member states and advocates should ensure that enhancing the UN’s core work on peace and security is central to the ongoing review of potential candidates and expectations as the new SG takes office.

To be successful, the new SG will need the support of a coalition of member states who are committed to helping the UN reassert its relevance in peace and security. Reform is possible – as demonstrated by the “Veto Initiative” led by Liechtenstein in the UN General Assembly – but depends upon sustained member state engagement and pressure. Security Council members can prioritize enhancements to the UN’s peace efforts when they assume the rotating presidency, as Japan did by organizing an open debate on conflict prevention in 2024. Member states can also help communicate about the UN’s value, both in terms of their own past experiences with UN-supported peace processes and ongoing initiatives.

Playing the Long Game: Rebuilding Public Support for the UN

Technical and policy fixes must be buttressed by renewed funding and political support from influential countries, including the United States. The UN’s long-term relevance depends on restoring some degree of public confidence – in the United States and around the world – in what the institution represents and what it can deliver for the collective good. Fortunately, advocates are not starting from scratch in trying to build that confidence. A majority – 61% – of adults surveyed across 25 countries, support the UN’s role, according to a Pew Research Center poll last year. Tens of thousands of young people continue to be drawn to participate in annual “Model UN” exercises in the United States and around the world.

UN advocates can make a strong case as the world grapples with the ripple effects of the Iran war. A deeply interconnected world needs a strong multilateral institution to mitigate and manage the fallout from cascading global crises. Time and time again, we have seen that it is far better to work together through the UN system and far cheaper than going it alone. We are seeing this now in real time as the U.S. further isolates itself in the world and continues to pay both financially and politically. It is not too late, though. There is a clear opportunity now to renew support and reform the institution we helped create, to meet the peace and security challenges of today and tomorrow.