As the 80th session of the UN General Assembly opens on Tuesday, surely it is time to take stock as to where this gargantuan organization stands eight decades on from its founding. Born out of the ashes of two world wars, the UN today looks anything but united. The direction of travel is every nation for itself and the law of the jungle trumps international law at every juncture. The relations between Europe and Russia are at their lowest point since the height of the Cold War. Exactly where the US-Russia relationship is in the Trump era is hard to determine.

The first General Assembly session in 1946 shows the way forward: the UN must reassert its role as the central space for diplomacy and collective action.

As the 80th session of the UN General Assembly opens on Tuesday, surely it is time to take stock as to where this gargantuan organization stands eight decades on from its…

Palestinian statehood, waning US support and institutional reform set to dominate the annual gathering in New York.