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undergo serious reform. It is manifestly absurd that the West makes up 12
percent of the world’s population but takes up 60 percent of UN Security
Council permanent seats. It’s nonsensical that the head of the IMF is
always a European and the head of the World Bank is always an American
as the West’s share of global GDP diminishes every year. This
concentration of clout in the hands of a relative few has grave implications
for these institutions’ effectiveness and independence, making them
instruments of the West. No other organization, not even huge global
NGOs like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation or the Clinton
Foundation, has the scope and legitimacy that the UN currently enjoys.
For example, the United States for years has been trying to pressure China
to take a more proactive role in fighting climate change. Predictably,
China has resisted these pressures because they saw them as a clever yet
transparent American ruse to curtail Chinese economic growth. Only when
the United Nations Development Programme raised the issue with China
did the Chinese government take heed, as the UNDP is seen as a neutral
party in China. The UN and its many agencies may soon lose invaluable
credibility if the West insists on monopolizing its power over these
institutions.

Any reform of the UN should take into account three principles:
democracy, recognition of power balances and the rule of law. Institutions
of global governance can be made more democratic by ensuring that their
leadership accurately reflects the composition of world’s population. At
the same time, we must also take into account geopolitical relationships
among emerging and middle powers. Finally, the rule of law is essential to
the mediation and resolution of thorny international issues and to
governing the conduct of states on the international stage so as to prevent
escalation of conflict.

In this rapidly changing world, it’s a mistake to allow institutions of global
governance to stay as they are. The 1945 rules-based order is no longer
appropriate for 21st century circumstances. Global leaders must better
prepare us for the challenges to come and equip our international
organizations to deal with them. Leaders must find the courage to continue
advocating for stronger multilateral cooperation. It is time for our captains

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