The UN faces numerous challenges in 2021-2022, including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and security crises such as the Nagorno-Karabakh war, the conflict in Ethiopia, Myanmar's coup, Israeli-Palestinian violence, and the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. The UN's response to these crises has been criticized for being inadequate and lacking political courage. To address these challenges, the Security Council and Secretary-General should take initiatives in ten areas, including urgent humanitarian crises and long-term challenges such as climate change security implications. Despite its flaws, the UN system retains unique crisis response tools, and UN relief agencies remain essential to mitigating conflicts. The organization is also the only mediator available in cases ranging from Cyprus to Yemen.
