he United Nations system began 2025 in uncertainty, which quickly turned into unease as the new U.S. presidential administration slashed funding and support for its mission, programs, and specialized agencies. And this was only the beginning. An existing liquidity crisis and the announcement of the United States' withdrawal from the Human Rights Council and UNESCO still didn't prepare the UN for the harsh words of President Donald Trump at the General Assembly in September 2025. In his remarks, which exceeded the allotted period by three times, Trump offered no solutions from Washington, only approbation.
Despite Trump’s scorn, the UN remains central to global policy making. The specialized agencies of the United Nations establish global standards and international rule of law in areas critical to all global citizens, such as communications, health, shipping, and aviation. Authoritarian nations target control of these agencies, as seen in Beijing's past placement of its candidate as the head of the International Civil Aviation Authority, who used her position to exclude Taiwan from international aviation processes.
UN decisions have illustrated its ongoing relevance, as shown by back to back vote defeats for Russia in 2025, underlining that eventually the rules of the UN Charter do apply equally to all nations. This despite Russia's position as a Permanent Member of the Security Council (albeit as a "Continuing State"), which limits the ability of UN Member States to hold the Kremlin accountable for its flouting of the UN Charter as it violates Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.Noting the downing by Russian–backed forces of civilian airliner MH–17 with the loss of 298 souls in 2014 as well as the ongoing interference of civilian aviation GPS signals by Russia in the Baltic states (120,000 flights affected in the first four months of 2025), UN Member States in September 2025 rejected Russia's bid to rejoin the leadership council of the International Civil Aviation Organization..
This vote for accountability was soon followed by rejection of the Russian bid to take a seat on the International Maritime Organization, after Ukraine presented its watertight indictment of unjustified Russian attack on its ports and evidence of the Kremlin's exploitation of a global "shadow fleet" operating outside international law.
As the new year arrives, the free nations of the world should "take the win" proudly and loudly on the rule of law, even with ongoing US withdrawal from multilateralism, building on these UN votes repudiating those who believe might makes right.
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Let’s take the win for the international rule of law
Photo by Nils Huenerfuerst on Unsplash.
January 13, 2026
Despite U.S. retreat and great–power pressure, UN votes in 2025 reaffirmed the international rule of law and accountability. Those wins matter, writes Thomas E. Garrett.
T
he United Nations system began 2025 in uncertainty, which quickly turned into unease as the new U.S. presidential administration slashed funding and support for its mission, programs, and specialized agencies. And this was only the beginning. An existing liquidity crisis and the announcement of the United States' withdrawal from the Human Rights Council and UNESCO still didn't prepare the UN for the harsh words of President Donald Trump at the General Assembly in September 2025. In his remarks, which exceeded the allotted period by three times, Trump offered no solutions from Washington, only approbation.
Despite Trump’s scorn, the UN remains central to global policy making. The specialized agencies of the United Nations establish global standards and international rule of law in areas critical to all global citizens, such as communications, health, shipping, and aviation. Authoritarian nations target control of these agencies, as seen in Beijing's past placement of its candidate as the head of the International Civil Aviation Authority, who used her position to exclude Taiwan from international aviation processes.
UN decisions have illustrated its ongoing relevance, as shown by back to back vote defeats for Russia in 2025, underlining that eventually the rules of the UN Charter do apply equally to all nations. This despite Russia's position as a Permanent Member of the Security Council (albeit as a "Continuing State"), which limits the ability of UN Member States to hold the Kremlin accountable for its flouting of the UN Charter as it violates Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.Noting the downing by Russian–backed forces of civilian airliner MH–17 with the loss of 298 souls in 2014 as well as the ongoing interference of civilian aviation GPS signals by Russia in the Baltic states (120,000 flights affected in the first four months of 2025), UN Member States in September 2025 rejected Russia's bid to rejoin the leadership council of the International Civil Aviation Organization..
This vote for accountability was soon followed by rejection of the Russian bid to take a seat on the International Maritime Organization, after Ukraine presented its watertight indictment of unjustified Russian attack on its ports and evidence of the Kremlin's exploitation of a global "shadow fleet" operating outside international law.
As the new year arrives, the free nations of the world should "take the win" proudly and loudly on the rule of law, even with ongoing US withdrawal from multilateralism, building on these UN votes repudiating those who believe might makes right.
