UN General Assembly marks 80th anniversary of Charter with calls to defend multilateralism and pursue reform

The United Nations General Assembly convened a commemorative plenary on June 26, 2025, to mark the eightieth anniversary of the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, bringing together the president of the Assembly, Secretary‑General António Guterres, senior U.N. officials and more than 60 member-state delegations to review the Charter’s legacy and outline priorities for reform.

Delegations used the occasion to both praise the U.N.’s record — from postwar decolonization to the Sustainable Development Goals — and to issue warnings about an erosion of international norms amid contemporary conflicts. Secretary‑General António Guterres told the Assembly that the Charter "is not an a la carte menu," and urged member states to uphold its purposes and principles rather than normalize violations.

Why it matters: speakers said the Charter remains the foundational legal and political framework for global cooperation but agreed the U.N. must adapt to rising geopolitical tension, digital-age challenges and persistent inequalities.…