The contest to succeed António Guterres is underway. As candidates put forward their visions, the more pressing question is what kind of leader the moment demands.

With the US stepping back and conflict on the rise, UN reform has shifted from a long-standing aspiration to an urgent necessity. The UK and EU are uniquely positioned to lead — but only if they bring the Global South with them.

With the US stepping back and conflict on the rise, UN reform has shifted from a long-standing aspiration to an urgent necessity. The UK and EU are uniquely positioned to lead — but only if they bring the Global South with them.

A decade after the Addis Ababa Action Agenda promised to move development financing from 'billions to trillions,' the results have fallen far short. As Africa faces mounting debt and dwindling aid, the Compromiso de Sevilla offers new tools — but real questions remain about delivery.

With the United States dropping out of negotiations, the rest of the world signed on to an agreement that shifts voice and influence toward the Global South.

The 5 percent payout requirement was designed as a floor, not a ceiling — yet foundations have let it cap their ambition for decades. A more systematic approach to payout, grounded in the nature of each issue, could unlock far greater impact.

When European nations began withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention on landmines, it sent a troubling signal: even norms that once seemed settled are now up for grabs. A treaty that helped reduce landmine casualties by 80 percent deserves a stronger defense.

The Summit of the Future showed that most member states still believe in multilateral cooperation — but also how deeply divided they remain on who gets to shape it. The north-south fault line, more than the east-west one, is now the defining tension in global governance.

Achieving the SDGs isn't just a technical challenge — it's a political one. The public discontent driving historic electoral shifts around the world is a demand for a different kind of leadership, and those committed to global goals can't afford to look away.

The sartorial wedding advice offers governments a framework to meet the moment and avoid an outcome that moves toward the slow decline of multilateralism.

As world leaders gathered in New York, the gap between demand for global cooperation and its supply had rarely felt wider. Five key tests — from Security Council reform to SDG financing — would reveal whether the UN still has the capacity to deliver.

Like the Soviet culture of secrecy that caused Chernobyl, most crises have deeper roots than their immediate triggers suggest. This piece offers practical guidance on how to think — and act — in terms of systems rather than symptoms.