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The international context of recent years has been characterized by growing instability and a return of conflictual logic as a tool for dispute resolution. Multilateral institutions, particularly the United Nations, are now facing an unprecedented crisis of effectiveness since their founding in 1945. In her address to the General Assembly, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni forcefully underscored this fragility, highlighting how the UN’s architecture appears inadequate to address contemporary challenges. Her speech, while rooted in Italy’s diplomatic tradition of support for multilateralism, offered a critical yet pragmatic reflection on the need for a profound and realistic reform of the organization. It will be useful to reflect on the main points of the Italian Prime Minister’s address, placing them within the broader debate on United Nations reforms and the transformation of global governance. These have certainly included issues such as the crisis in the collective security system, the exemplary case of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the problem of institutional representation and efficiency, the revision of international regulatory instruments, the issue of migration and religious freedom, the model of cooperation with Africa proposed by Italy and, finally, criticism of Western economic and environmental policies.
A WORLD SUSPENDED BETWEEN WAR AND PEACE
The Italian Prime Minister’s snapshot of the present begins with an empirical fact: according to the latest Global Peace Index, fifty-six armed conflicts are currently underway, the highest number since the end of the Second World War. This statistic is not merely a curiosity: it highlights the partial failure of the United Nations’ founding objective: the prevention of war and the promotion of peace through mediation, diplomacy, and international cooperation. A comparison between today’s context and that of 1945, the year the UN was founded, reveals a radical change. At that time, fifty-one states decided to unite to create a common platform capable of managing conflicts and ensuring collective security. Today, nearly eighty years later, the system appears incapable of preventing war escalations and offering shared solutions. The perception of living through a “piecemeal third world war,” to use Pope Francis’s definition, echoed by Meloni, reflects the dramatic fragmentation of the geopolitical landscape.
THE RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN CONFLICT: A WOUND TO INTERNATIONAL LAW
A central chapter of the speech concerned the war unleashed by the Russian Federation against Ukraine starting in February 2022. According to Meloni, the gravity of the act lies not only in the violence of the conflict, but also in the fact that a permanent member of the Security Council deliberately violated the founding principles of the United Nations Charter, particularly the respect for the territorial integrity and the political independence of sovereign states. The Prime Minister emphasized how Moscow’s attitude and unwillingness to engage in credible negotiations has produced destabilizing effects well beyond the borders of Eastern Europe, contributing to new regional crises and further weakening the cohesion of the UN. The episode highlights a structural contradiction: the body charged with ensuring peace is paralyzed by the behaviour of one of its most influential actors, the holder of the right of veto.
THE UN CRISIS AND THE NEED FOR REFORM
The core of Meloni’s speech is the realization that the current architecture of the United Nations is inadequate to meet contemporary challenges. Multilateralism and diplomacy, if not supported by efficient institutions, risk being reduced to mere rhetorical statements. Hence the proposal for a “profound, pragmatic and realistic” reform, which does not aim to introduce new hierarchies or permanent seats, but rather to make the organization more agile, transparent, and effective. Italy, also through the Uniting for Consensus group, has long advanced alternative proposals to the creation of new permanent members of the Security Council, preferring instead more inclusive and representative models. According to Meloni, the reform must respect the principles of equality, democracy, and accountability, avoiding accentuating existing imbalances. The image evoked of the “Glass Palace,” which must become a true “House of Glass,” epitomizes the need to ensure transparency in decision-making processes and the use of resources.
THE NEED TO REVIEW INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS AND NORMS
Beyond institutions, the rules governing international relations also need updating. Conventions on migration and asylum, developed at a time when mass migration and organized human trafficking did not exist, are now inadequate. Meloni warned of the risk that an ideological interpretation by some judicial systems could undermine national sovereignty and the ability of states to protect their citizens. The Italian proposal does not intend to reduce fundamental guarantees, but rather to adapt the rules to a changing historical context, in which the protection of human rights must be reconciled with the need for internal security and stability. Combating criminal networks that profit from migrants’ desperation must, therefore, become a priority objective of the international community.
HUMAN RIGHTS AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
A brief discussion focused on the unequal treatment of various human rights. The Prime Minister emphasized the need to recognize the universal value of religious freedom, denouncing the persecution affecting millions of people, mostly Christians. Her criticism of the hypocrisy of a system that selectively protects rights constitutes a call to strengthen the universality of the UN’s fundamental principles.
AFRICA, COOPERATION AND THE MATTEI PLAN
In recent years, Italy has presented an innovative partnership model with Africa, known as the Mattei Plan. This initiative is intended not as a tool for resource exploitation, but rather as a platform for promoting sustainable development, employment, and political stability. Collaborations with the African Union, the African Development Bank, the European Union, and bilateral partners have already resulted in concrete projects: from combating desertification in Algeria to supporting technology startups and strengthening connectivity infrastructure such as the Blue Raman Cable. A particularly significant chapter concerns the issue of African debt. Italy announced its intention to convert over €235 million into development projects, significantly reducing debt for the most vulnerable countries. This is a political as well as an economic gesture, founded on the principles of justice and dignity.
CRITICISM OF THE GREEN DEAL
The speech also highlighted a critical reflection on the West’s economic and environmental choices. The Prime Minister warned against the risks of an energy transition managed with ideological rigidity, capable of causing deindustrialization and a loss of competitiveness without producing commensurate environmental benefits. The mistake would be to impose unsustainable consumption and production models on citizens, penalizing the middle classes and the most vulnerable in particular. Likewise, the era of “fideistic” globalization, the side effects of which have long been underestimated, has been declared over. The new phase requires a more balanced approach, capable of balancing openness and the protection of national interests, development and social justice.
A CONTRIBUTION TO THE INTERNATIONAL DEBATE
Giorgia Meloni’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly represents a significant contribution to the international debate on global governance reform. It clearly highlights how the UN, founded in 1945 with the aim of preserving peace, is now facing a crisis of legitimacy and effectiveness. The Italian proposal, far from being an ideological project, presents itself as a call to pragmatism: more transparent and efficient institutions, updated rules, greater attention to human rights in their entirety, a new model of cooperation with Africa and an international economic policy more in tune with the real needs of people. In a world rife with conflict, inequality and global challenges (from migration to climate change), UN reform is not an option, but a necessity. Italy, celebrating seventy years of its membership in the organization, intends to position itself as a promoter of a renewed multilateralism, capable of addressing the present and building a more just and secure future.