Born in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War in 1945, this year marks the 80th anniversary of the United Nations.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed says the road since its formation has not been easy, adding that the world body is now confronting never-before-seen challenges.
Amina Mohammed, an international civil servant, joined the UN about eight years ago.
She described the world body as a global town hall where multilateral challenges that require solutions are deliberated.
"It has a framework for peacekeeping, it has a framework for development, and it has a framework for humanity; whether the security, which is one of the important organs of the UN, has been able to keep the peace, that has not happened as often as it should have. They are struggling to find the permanent five that can address all the concerns of the UN."
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the US.
Of African descent herself, Mohammed says Africa is a core member of the UN.
"When you speak to the UN, you are also talking to Africa. Its membership and its involvement in trying to find pathways to its challenges is one where sometimes we are two steps forward and one step back. And in the case of the DRC, there have been well-meaning efforts brought by the UN where the African entities have taken charge, looking to find African solutions to the problems. Hopefully, it is not always easy because there are always many cooks in the kitchen, but if it is well-intentioned, we find a pathway to address the root causes over time."
Geopolitical tensions often affect the UN's diplomatic efforts, begging the question: is multilateralism under threat?
"I think multilateralism is under threat, and I think that's something that we are all witnessing today. There is a withdrawal from multilateral efforts by some of our member states. I do think this is an opportunity for resetting – I think multilateralism is still incredibly important in a multipolar world, and what we need to do is see how it can be more fit for purpose and how we can have the same responses in Ukraine as we would have in Sudan, for instance."
Stability and sustainability are key to the existence of the UN, and the US—the biggest funder of the UN's programs—has withdrawn funding from some of its initiatives, such as UNESCO and the UN Human Rights Council.
"What they are saying is that they want efficiency, and where there is no efficiency, they will start to cut – it's a wake-up call. We think that there is a huge impact from the cuts that just happened to humanitarian services."