Documentary | UN at a Crossroads

Built in the ashes of WWII, the United Nations was founded to spare future generations from the scourge of war. This was true in 1945, and remains true 80 years on.

Yet through crises of trust, governance, and finance, this organization with 193 Member States now faces growing scrutiny over its relevance and efficiency. As the world has entered a new era of turbulence and transformation, will history repeat itself?

This documentary, UN at a Crossroads, features Xinhua journalist Miao Xiaojuan's in-depth interviews with veteran UN officials and globally renowned scholars. It revisits the UN's triumphs and regrets, examines the feasibility of reforms, and explores whether the Global South can gain a greater voice.

Crucially, it asks whether nations can rediscover the UN's founding purpose, to prevent the outbreak of a third World War and truly replace confrontation with dialogue in pursuit of a shared future.

With special thanks to our distinguished interviewees:

- Stephane Dujarric

Spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General

- Tom Fletcher

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs

- Rabab Fatima

UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States

- Jean-Pierre Lacroix

UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations

- Jean-Marie Guehenno

Professor of Practice, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University

- Robert Lawrence Kuhn

Chairman, Kuhn Foundation

- Michael Doyle

University Professor of International Relations, Law and Political Science, Columbia University

- Mona Ali Khalil

Founder and Director, MAK Law International

Alexandra Novosseloff

Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Global Governance Institute

A Miao Xiaojuan Studio Film

A Xinhua News Agency Production