Between a relapse into madness and a turn toward global reason

UN General Assembly 80

The 80th UN General Assembly has opened in New York a few days ago. A first: Annalena Baerbock is presiding — under the motto “Better Together: 80 Years and More for Peace, Development and Human Rights.”

• High-Level Week marked 80 years of the UN and the SDG Moment;
• the General Debate began on 23 September.
• Alongside many constructive voices, Donald Trump again used the UN stage to deride multilateralism and climate policy.

That’s the setting. That’s the big challenge.

The diagnosis is uncomfortable:

instead of cooperation, a race of egos — state anarchism wrapped in the rhetoric of sovereignty. Hot wars and proxy wars, a fossil rollback, information warfare against science and journalism, tactical vetoes and institutional sand-throwing. The week’s side summits — on climate, development finance, women’s rights, youth and health — show what is needed: a leap forward.

But the political gravity of mighty mad man und systems still pull down.

That is dangerous. On Spaceship Earth we share the same hull — you, me, Trump, Putin, all of us. Either we rescue the world together and deliver disarmament, human security, peace and justice — or we go down together, victims of the neuroses of the powerful and the pied pipers of inhumanity. Kant would remind us that humanity is an end in itself. Alfred H. Fried would say: “Organize the world.” Today, that means: enforceable rules, reliable financing, verifiable disarmament, fair participation, trustworthy information spaces.

Five steps that could end the mad-man game now

1. Reliable financing for global public goods — via UN-mandated global levies Create a predictable revenue floor for multilateralism: – International levies on aviation and shipping fuels (ICAO/IMO-compatible), – a micro levy on financial transactions, – a windfall levy on fossil profits, – a coordinated CO₂ price corridor with rebates to the poorest. Earmark proceeds for climate adaptation, pandemic preparedness, peacebuilding, debt-for-SDG swaps, and the core funding of UN missions. Reform slogans need a fiscal engine.
2. A Security Council veto brake + a General Assembly backstop When mass atrocities loom or persist, one veto must not mean hostage-taking. Introduce: – Veto suspension in core jus-cogens cases (genocide, war crimes, aggression), – “Uniting for Peace” as a backstop: a two-thirds GA majority can recommend time-bound measures, coordinate sanctions corridors, and confer political legitimacy on protection missions. Preserve the Charter — and restore basic functionality.
3. A binding disarmament roadmap with a 1% to 4% annual reallocation Commit every state to shift at least 1% of military outlays per year into SDG spending — transparently monitored. Immediate steps: de-alerting and no-first-use for nuclear weapons; missile and drone arms control with inspections; a renewed drive to end cluster munitions and landmines; a bridge between TPNW parties and nuclear states (security assurances, verification, liability fund). Use 26 September — the UN day for the total elimination of nuclear weapons — for annual progress reports.
4. Put development finance on crisis scale — debt swaps for resilience Make the High-Level meeting a standing mechanism: – Debt-for-climate/health/education swaps with public project lists; – channel new SDRs into a UN trust; – set binding minimum paths for public development finance, co-funded from the global levies (Step 1). Turn the SDG Moment from showcase into delivery.
5. A public-interest digital order — transparency, oversight, integrity Disinformation multiplies the power of autocrats. Set global minimums: – platform transparency (research APIs, risk audits, interoperability), – a UN coordination hub for digital integrity to share and test best practice, – durable support for nonprofit journalism worldwide. Free speech needs fair rules — and teeth against industrial-scale manipulation.

Why now?

Because the natures laws and facts won’t wait. The UN is celebrating 80 years while fighting for financial and political survival. The rooms are full, the speeches loud — but without binding decisions the UN risks becoming scenery for national one-man shows. A capable GA president, an anniversary, a packed agenda: these are opportunities. They deserve delivery, not just declarations.

We can do this differently. Let’s organize the world — just, efficient, humane. Now.

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