The United Nations opened a two-week climate summit in Madrid on Monday, where world leaders face growing pressure to prove they can muster the political will to avert the most catastrophic impacts of global warming.

The talks began against a backdrop of increasingly visible impacts from rising temperatures in the past year, with wildfires raging from the Arctic and the Amazon to Australia, and tropical regions hit by devastating hurricanes.

Michał Kurtyka, Poland's climate minister who led the last round of UN climate negotiations in the Polish city of Katowice in December last year, said a surge in climate activism among young people underscored the urgency of the task.

"Maybe the world is not moving yet at the pace we would like but my hope is still particularly with the young people," Kurtyka told the official opening ceremony of the talks at a vast conference centre in Madrid.

"They have the courage to speak up and remind us that we inherited this planet from our parents, and we need to hand it over to the future generations," Kurtyka said.

The conference aims to lay the final pieces of groundwork needed to support the 2015 Paris Agreement to tackle climate change, which enters a crucial implementation phase next year.

Existing pledges made under the accord fall far short of the kind of action needed to avert the most disastrous consequences of global warming in terms of sea-level rise, drought, storms and other impacts, scientists say.

Almost every morning, as we open the newspaper, we are met with deeply disturbing stories of sexual violence committed against Bangladeshi women. This week, a report issued by Bangladesh Mahila Parishad outlines the brutal reality: almost 300 women reported different types of abuse just in the last six months. Some 77 women, the majority of them under the age of 18, reported rape. Murder, suicide, trafficking, and acid attacks are all mentioned as part of the horrific violence that is detailed. Sadly, violence against women is far too common, and the impunity of the perpetrators all too often continues.

The data on violence against women clearly tells us that those women who report their experiences to the police are in the minority. The vast majority suffers in silence. As such, we must assume that horrific as these figures are, they are just the tip of the iceberg. With COVID 19 restrictions we have witnessed a resurgence in violence against women/girls. This includes a dramatic increase in online abuse and harassment.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has clearly outlined her commitment to eliminating this scourge of violence against the women of Bangladesh. Nothing hurts her more, she has said, than violence against women. Her government has enacted several strong policies and action plans to promote gender equality and address violence against women, including the Domestic Violence Protection and Preservation Act 2010, National Women Development Policy 2011, Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act 2012 and the Child Marriage Prevention Act 2017, which clearly demonstrate the will to make changes. As the Honourable Prime Minister herself has expressed, however, laws and policies are not sufficient. It is essential to change the mindset of men, and of the society as a whole. Indeed, despite policies and laws, women continue to be terrorised by violence, and by fear of violence. 

The United Nations also believes that real change requires a whole-of-society approach. Bangladesh is blessed with a strong and vibrant women's movement and an opportunity for a demographic dividend.  Both will be instrumental in harnessing the power of communities to bring about real change. Young people can help to break the cycle of intergenerational discriminatory socialisation patterns.

It is imperative to break the silence and defeat the stigma which surrounds the issue of sexual violence. Genuine reflection about power imbalances, harmful gender norms and practices, and the negative impact of all of the oppression on women is needed. Awareness raising and education of boys and girls is also essential. Legal and policy frameworks and accountability need further strengthening in order to address structural and underlying causes and risk factors aimed to prevent violence against women and girls. As part of the response, strengthening multisectoral services, programmes, and responses to violence against women and girls and increasing the amount of available data will help to ensure that core issues are being addressed.

The United Nations in Bangladesh lists ending violence against women and promoting women's empowerment among its primary objectives. The UN agencies stand ready to continue to support the Government of Bangladesh, the civil society organisations, and society as a whole on their path to bring an end to the culture of violence which oppresses one half of the population.

Everyone has a role to play – no one can remain a bystander.

Gwyn Lewis is the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh; Kristine Blokhus is Country Representative, UNFPA Bangladesh; and Gitanjali Singh is Country Representative, UN Women Bangladesh.

The UN has called on all parties in Bangladesh to reject all forms of violence and to ensure that human rights and the rule of law are fully respected.

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"We have seen the situation that's unfolding there. The Secretary-General continues to follow what's happening. He notes the opposition's decision to boycott the elections. I mean, all the allegations of the stifling of dissenting and critical voices and arrest of opposition leaders," said Florencia Soto Niño, associate spokesperson for the UN secretary general, in a briefing early today.

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She said the UN secretary general is obviously concerned about reports of incidents of violence prior to, and during the elections and he calls on all parties to reject all forms of violence and to ensure that human rights and the rule of law are fully respected.

"This is essential for the consolidation of democracy and economic prosperity there," she said.

It is essential that Bangladesh foster an environment of democracy and respect, and reject all forms of violence, and obviously ensure that human rights are respected, she said.

There is an old adage in the West: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." This seems to apply well to the current UN system. It is not broken but it is also not fully functional. And its inadequacies are quite pronounced.

So far, the UN system has served the interests of the global community, recognised the sovereignty of nation-states, maintained the hegemonic balance of powers, and contributed favourably to global economic growth. Most nations have benefited from it, and the organisation has consistently received favourable ratings in Pew Research polls.

Despite this, since the UN's inception, the world has lost at least 10.5 million people due to war, 110 million people have been displaced, and 35.3 million are living as refugees. Half of these numbers could be attributed to superpower-led conflicts. A $3 billion budget from the UN for peacekeeping efforts is a poor match for the global military spending of $2.1 trillion.

The moral purpose of the UN is defeated when the superpowers, as sponsors and guardians of the system, directly get involved in the conflicts. Proxy wars hurt the sustainability of the organisation.

— Dr Abu NM Waheeduzzaman

The UN system demonstrates serious inadequacies. The war in Ukraine, with no end in sight, is another example of its failures. The UN has fallen behind in terms of inclusivity, participation, and power-sharing. Its hegemonic arrangement, with veto powers of a few, is not compatible with the current economic and political reality. For instance, both Germany and Japan exert more economic power than France and the UK. Brazil, India, Indonesia, South Africa, and Turkiye can contest the superpowers in terms of GDP and population. As a whole, the emerging nations exhibit more economic power than before. And the model needs to be adapted accordingly.

The representation in the Security Council (SC) also exhibits limitations. It has not been able to accommodate the racial, ethnic, linguistic, and religious representation of the world population. For example, four of the five superpowers are White-majority countries. Religious representation in the SC is similarly lacking and the institution does not feature many of the major ethno-linguistic population groups of the world.

The veto power of the SC has been one of the most contentious topics. Opinions to expand its membership, curtail its power, establish a points system, or eliminate it altogether have been expressed. No serious change has taken place, and it remains a superpower club dominated by the West.

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The IMF quota system and voting rights give more importance to richer nations. The currency pegging and exchange rate system also favour them in trade and financial transactions. The French CFA arrangement (Communauté Financière d'Afrique or Financial Community of Africa) still binds many African nations to a colonial past.

The dollar is the core of the monetary culture that governs our world. The United States has been able to retain its economic leadership because of the dollar. The monopoly or the economics of the US dollar will not change unless the world is able to embrace a newer political governance structure.

In terms of trade negotiations, we have not been able to conclude the Doha Round that started in 2001. While the pluralistic nature of governance at the World Trade Organization (WTO) is praiseworthy, we need more tangible outcomes. In terms of trade, the UN system still maintains a core-periphery relationship and favours the richer nations.

The UN could not stop the war in Vietnam. It could do little during the two Afghan wars, the wars in Chechnya and Georgia, the wars in the Gulf, Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Yemen, and during most proxy wars. So far, it has been helpless in Ukraine.

The moral purpose of the UN is defeated when the superpowers, as sponsors and guardians of the system, directly get involved in the conflicts. Proxy wars hurt the sustainability of the organisation.

These issues have been broadly discussed in various global fora. Both superpowers and member nations are aware of them. Evidently, the inadequacies are weakening the global system. In such a situation, how can we attain peace?

The superpowers – France, UK, US, and the elitist G7 – are the main sponsors and the primary beneficiaries of the current UN system. The G7 has the political, economic, and military support of the European Union and Nato. The status quo serves the unipolar agenda of the group. As long as it is not broken, they may not feel any urgency for change. But so far, officially, they have not said no to reform.

During the Cold War, the non-aligned movement was a robust Southern bloc. The leaders of the South were strongly opposed to nuclear proliferation. Their contribution during the Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis, and in global peace is notable. With the fall of the Soviet Union and no detente, the movement has lost its impetus. We are missing both the platform and those leaders who had global visions.

Lately, the BRICS has advanced a new multilateral geopolitical architecture for global cooperation. The organisation's quick success is admirable. It is seemingly aiming to counter Western dominance in global governance. Its southern expansion to Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE in 2024, announced at the 2023 BRICS Summit in August, is notable. It is possible that we will see a new name, revised vision, and revised agenda of the BRICS. But, as of now, reforming the UN is not an agenda item of this group. Currently, internal disagreements within the member countries are substantive, which can hinder their progress. China and India have disputes as India is part of the Quad, a perceived anti-China group. The Western efforts to ostracise Russia and contain China will continue to test their bond. Expansion is likely to prompt more challenges.

The BRICS' identity is a fundamental issue. It is neither a trade bloc (such as the European Union), nor a military alliance (as is Nato). In order to keep its momentum, the group will have to show some tangible success. Floating an alternative to the dollar or instituting a SWIFT-like transaction system could result in a moral boost. It can be a respectable force in reforming the UN and perpetuating better global governance in the long run.

The UN is nearly 78 years old. The world has undergone meaningful political, economic, and technological transformations over these years. China, Russia, and the emerging nations are critical components of the global system. They exert substantive economic power. Technology and globalisation have brought the world much closer together.

Under the current circumstances, a unipolar strategy from the West is not tenable. Ostracisation of Russia or containment of China are not pragmatic policies, as far as global governance is concerned. A disintegration or defeat of Russia is not in the best interest of the global community and providing an opportunity to unleash nuclear arsenal is certainly a bad idea. Lest we forget, the strangulation of Germany led to World War II.

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What the world needs is an honest and open consensus for reform. Superpowers, emerging nations, and the Global South must agree to a reform that would save the UN from underperforming or breaking apart. The ideology of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" could put the UN in the same trap as the League of Nations. A breakdown could result in World War III.

A pragmatic approach to reforming the UN should encompass the following: 1) acknowledging the power of the hegemons; 2) resuming nuclear disarmament talks; 3) establishing a representative multipolar world; 4) instituting a fair financial and trading system; 5) pursuing sustainable development; and 6) offering long-term peace.

Let us fix the UN together, before it is too late.

Dr Abu NM Waheeduzzaman is a professor of Marketing and International Business at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own.

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