The United Nations on its 80th anniversary: ​​milestones in the careers of the nine secretaries-general.

On the 26th of this month, exactly eighty years ago, fifty countries signed the Charter of the United Nations in San Francisco, USA. The document entered into force four months later, inaugurating a new era in international relations, based on the primacy of international law, equality among States, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and the commitment of each country to respect, abide by, and implement the organization's decisions.

To mark the occasion, an art exhibition was held at UN headquarters, entitled "Reviving the Spirit of St. Francis," featuring the original copy of the Charter and the signatures of the founding states.

There is no doubt that, after experiencing two world wars and the failure of the League of Nations, the world needed an international organization that would work to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind." That was the hope, the vision, and the determination.

However, events did not unfold as the founders had hoped. The world soon entered the so-called Cold War; conflicts between states—or between groups of states—returned, and new challenges emerged that were not clearly defined at the time the Charter was signed. These transcontinental challenges cannot be faced by any state—or group of states—in isolation. Among them are climate change, extreme poverty, natural disasters, transnational crime, drug trafficking, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, the arms race, the militarization of outer space, cybercrime, and finally, the dangers of artificial intelligence.

To be fair in analyzing the achievements of the United Nations, we must emphasize from the outset that this international organization has established three interconnected and complementary goals to create a better, less hostile, more prosperous, and more equal world:

1. The first and most important objective: the maintenance of international peace and security.
2. The second objective: the protection of human rights, both individual and collective, without discrimination based on color, gender, religion, race, or social condition.
3. The third objective, organically linked to the previous two, is to promote development in its broadest sense, with a view to uplifting the least developed countries and placing them on the path to progress and social justice.

If we were to assign scores to each of the three objectives, we would see that the score for maintaining international peace and security would decrease; human rights issues would show a slight improvement; and development issues would show an even more significant increase. 

Secretaries-General - I would, however, like to briefly review the history of the international organization in the field of international peace and security maintenance, through the experiences and challenges faced by the nine Secretaries-General, as well as the most important milestones that characterized each of their mandates.

1. Trygve Lie (1946–1953, Norway) — A mysterious man.

During his term, the Cold War broke out. The rivalry between the two blocs paralyzed the international organization's operations. The Berlin Wall was erected. Palestine was partitioned, Israel was admitted to the United Nations, and the Palestinian people were displaced.

Lie was one of the most fervent defenders of the resolution that determined the partition of Palestine and the recognition of the State of Israel. On September 17, 1948, the Swedish international mediator, Count Folke Bernadotte, was assassinated in Jerusalem by Zionist gangs for rejecting the partition proposal.

Later, it was proven that Trygve Lie showed a leaning towards the Western side and maintained close ties with Zionist organizations. In response, the Soviet Union decided to boycott him and demanded his resignation. Under pressure, he resigned in 1953, leaving his post in a humiliating manner.

2. Dag Hammarskjöld (1953–1961, Sweden) — A courageous man.

Hammarskjöld stood out for confronting both the Western and Eastern blocs. He died in 1961 after his plane crashed over the Congo—an event still being investigated by a UN commission. It is suspected that he was shot down for opposing the colonial powers and the secession of the Katanga region.

He was a staunch opponent of the tripartite aggression against the Suez Canal. During his tenure, the first peacekeeping mission between Egypt and Israel was established: the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF).

Another milestone of his administration was the adoption of the historic Resolution 1514 in 1960, which dealt with "granting independence to colonial countries and peoples." This measure spurred liberation movements, especially in Africa, promoting the independence of several nations and profoundly altering the composition and direction of the United Nations.

3. U Thant (1962–1971, Burma/Myanmar) — A calm man.

During his term, the 1967 war occurred. U Thant authorized the withdrawal of the UN Emergency Force from Sinai, which paved the way for the conflict. The war ended with Israel occupying territories belonging to four Arab countries.

Following the conflict, Resolution 242 (1967) was adopted, demanding the Israeli withdrawal from the newly occupied territories. This period also marked the height of the Vietnam War, representing one of the most intense moments of the Cold War.

In the final days of his administration, he also witnessed the India-Pakistan War (1971), which resulted in the independence of Bangladesh.

4. Kurt Waldheim (1972–1981, Austria) — An aristocrat.

During his term, the October War of 1973 occurred, and a powerful Arab group was formed. During this period, several resolutions were adopted in favor of Palestine, most notably the granting of observer status to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) — the first such status granted to a national liberation movement.

During his tenure, Arabic became the sixth official language of the United Nations. In 1974, Resolution 3236 was adopted, defining the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. The following year, the UN approved Resolution 3379 (1975), which classified Zionism as a form of racism.

5. Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (1982–1991, Peru) — A man without color, taste, or smell.

During his term, the Cold War came to an end and the Soviet Union disintegrated. Among the most important conflicts of his administration were:

• the Israeli invasion of Lebanon,
• the Iran-Iraq War, and
• the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait,
• events that had a profound impact on the joint action of Arab countries.

In the final years of his term, the collapse of the socialist bloc and the definitive end of the Cold War were witnessed.

6. Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1992–1996, Egypt) — A determined academic.

Elected for a single term, his reappointment was vetoed by the United States. During his administration, dozens of conflicts spread, transforming from interstate wars into intrastate conflicts between ethnic or religious groups—as occurred in Somalia, the former Yugoslavia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

The period was also marked by the disintegration of major powers and by two genocides that shocked the world:

• Rwanda, in 1994,
• Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 1995.
• The end of apartheid in South Africa was also witnessed.

In 1996, Boutros-Ghali insisted on the publication of a UN report on the Qana massacre in southern Lebanon, which attributed responsibility for the deliberate attack to Israel. In response, US Ambassador Madeleine Albright led the initiative that prevented him from serving a second term.

7. Kofi Annan (1997–2006, Ghana) — A kind man.

He was the first black Secretary-General and the first African to hold the organization's highest office. He demonstrated great concern for African conflicts and played an active role in various international events.

During his term:

• African wars occurred.
• The war in Afghanistan happened in 2001.
• And the Iraq War in 2003, which he described as "illegitimate"
• In 2006, he also witnessed the war between Israel and southern Lebanon.

8. Ban Ki-moon (South Korea, 2007–2016) — The Anxious Man.

During his tenure, three Israeli wars took place in Gaza (2008/2009, 2012, and 2014), without him playing any effective role. His time leading the UN did not leave a significant impact. It was also during his administration that the Arab Spring erupted, followed by civil wars in Libya, Syria, and Yemen.

9. António Guterres (Portugal, 2017–2026) — The man of lukewarm positions.

His term has been marked by an extremely unstable global scenario, with ongoing wars, especially in Ukraine and Gaza, in addition to persistent conflicts in Congo, Mali, Haiti, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, Syria and Iraq — culminating in the current war of extermination in Gaza.

Guterres has been widely criticized by various parties: Israel, the United States, Palestinians, and African countries. Even so, he has made important advances regarding women's rights. Much more will be said about his legacy after he leaves office—or after his death.

Conclusion - We must recognize that the United Nations functions like a mirror: it reflects the beauty of a face, if it is beautiful, and its ugliness, if it is ugly. The organization portrays the balance of power as it is, not as it should be.

No one should expect an imminent reform of the Security Council—whether through expanding its membership or abolishing the veto power—even though such changes are essential conditions for the UN to become more effective, influential, and powerful.