Tom Fletcher: ‘Anyone Who Says the UN Is Dead Should Spend Some Time with My Colleagues in Sudan or DRC’

In an impressive protection of multilateralism, Tom Fletcher, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, issued a stark problem to critics of the arena frame. His message was once direct: to grasp the UN’s irreplaceable position, one will have to witness the life-saving paintings of its group of workers on the planet’s most deadly and left out crises. Fletcher’s feedback, made all over a talk over with to Paris in February 2026, come at a pivotal second. They practice the inaugural assembly of a brand new U.S.-led “Board of Peace” concerned about Gaza, and amidst rising questions concerning the UN’s relevance in an technology of serious energy festival and unilateral projects.

This article supplies a complete research of Fletcher’s statements, exploring the context of the UN’s present demanding situations, the results of parallel peace projects, and the tangible, day-to-day affect of UN humanitarian operations from Gaza to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Sudan.

Key Points

Background: The UN in a Fragmented World

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

Tom Fletcher leads the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), established in 1991. OCHA’s mandate is to mobilize and coordinate well timed and efficient humanitarian motion in accordance with emergencies, recommend for the security of civilians, and bridge the space between humanitarian wishes and political answers. Its paintings is ruled by way of the foundations of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence. Fletcher, a seasoned British diplomat appointed to his position in 2024, now oversees operations in over 30 nations, together with the arena’s biggest and most complicated crises.

The Historical Context: UN Peace and Security Architecture

The UN was once based in 1945 with the principle function of keeping up global peace and safety, as enshrined in its Charter. The Security Council (UNSC) holds the essential accountability for this, with the facility to authorize sanctions, peacekeeping missions, and, in uncommon circumstances, the usage of power. Over many years, the program has been each lauded for successes (e.g., decolonization, peacekeeping in Cyprus) and criticized for disasters (e.g., Rwanda 1994, Srebrenica 1995) and paralysis because of nice energy vetoes.

The “Board of Peace” Announcement

On February 19, 2026, President Donald Trump convened the primary assembly of his organization’s “Board of Peace” in Washington. Its said legitimate venture is to supervise the reconstruction of Gaza following the new struggle. However, President Trump has advised a broader remit, doubtlessly positioning it as a brand new discussion board for addressing regional balance. France in an instant introduced it might now not take part, bringing up a dedication to present UN-led frameworks.

Analysis: Deconstructing Fletcher’s Argument

“This isn’t a substitute for the UN”: Assessing the Board of Peace

Fletcher’s account of his discussions on the World Economic Forum in Davos (January 19-23, 2026) is revealing. He states that U.S. officers started conversations by way of reassuring him that the Board of Peace is “now not a substitute for the UN, it isn’t a risk to the UN.” He logically issues out the dimensions distinction: “The UN is 193 nations, it has its constitution, it is on an absolutely other scale.”

This research highlights a rising phenomenon: minilateralism. While now not designed to switch the UN, such unique teams can bypass UN procedures, doubtlessly undermining its centrality. They can mobilize sources and political will quicker however chance fragmentating responses and sidelining the very multilateral consensus the UN calls for. Fletcher’s acceptance of such teams (“I do not have an issue with other teams of nations coming in combination to paintings on peace”) displays a practical popularity of recent international relations, however his emphasis at the UN’s distinctive common mandate is a transparent boundary.

The “Crisis of Confidence”: Threats from Within and Without

Fletcher identifies a extra profound risk than any unmarried board: a “disaster of self assurance.” He notes that even at the UN Security Council, “we now have a number of nations there that experience invaded different nations or are speaking brazenly about invading different nations, and are difficult lots of the norms on which the UN has been constructed.” This is a right away connection with the movements and rhetoric of everlasting contributors like Russia (invasion of Ukraine) and attainable threats to the UN Charter’s core prohibition on the usage of power (Article 2(4)).

When member states which can be guarantors of the Charter are its maximum flagrant violators, all the normative basis of the firm is shaken. This erodes consider amongst member states and a few of the public, making it more difficult to reach consensus on the whole thing from price range approvals to humanitarian get admission to.

The “Crisis of Funding”: A Direct Consequence

The disaster of self assurance at once fuels a humanitarian strategy disaster. OCHA’s annual multinational appeals are persistently underfunded. In 2025, the humanitarian reaction promotion for Sudan, as an example, was once not up to 40% funded. When donors query the UN’s software or are embroiled in geopolitical disputes, contributions dwindle. This is not an administrative drawback; it is a political one. Underfunding method fewer meals rations, much less clinical assist, and compromised get admission to for assist staff, at once impacting mortality charges in puts just like the Al-Qadisiyah refugee camp in Gaza, referenced within the authentic article’s picture caption.

France’s Position: A Strategic Choice

Fletcher respects France’s choice to abstain from the Board of Peace. He hyperlinks this to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot’s focal point on “global regulation and global humanitarian regulation” and his “very sturdy” protection of the UN. For France, an everlasting UNSC member, participation in an extra-UN frame may well be observed as legitimizing a bypass of the very establishment the place it wields vital energy. It’s a option to fortify the UN device, on the other hand imperfect, over ad-hoc choices. This stance is a vital knowledge level within the debate about Western team spirit and the way forward for the post-1945 order.

The Proof within the Field: Sudan and the DRC

Fletcher’s rhetorical pivot—”spend a while with my colleagues in Sudan or DRC”—is the core of his argument. These don’t seem to be symbolic examples; they’re operational realities.

• Sudan: Since April 2023, a brutal energy fight between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has created one of the most international’s worst displacement crises. Over 8 million individuals are internally displaced, and just about 3 million have fled to neighboring nations. The UN, thru OCHA and businesses like WFP and UNHCR, coordinates nearly all of global and cross-line assist supply, negotiating with each fighters for protected passage. No different entity has this common get admission to mandate or operational footprint.
• Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): The DRC hosts over 5 million internally displaced individuals and a posh internet of armed teams in its japanese provinces. UN peacekeepers (MONUSCO), in spite of mandated drawdowns, stay a crucial coverage presence. Humanitarian businesses run huge, life-saving techniques in diet, well being, and water/sanitation throughout territories the place the state has minimum presence. The organization position of the UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator is irreplaceable.

To brush aside the UN as “lifeless” is to forget about the truth of hundreds of nationwide and global UN group of workers—native and overseas—who function in those environments, steadily at nice private chance, as a result of they’re the one ones with the mandate, community, and perceived neutrality to take action.

Practical Advice: Engaging with the UN’s Role

For Policymakers and Diplomats

• Reaffirm Commitment to the Charter: Publicly and privately reaffirm the foundations of the UN Charter, particularly the non violent agreement of disputes and the security of civilians. Consistency between rhetoric and motion is very important to rebuild self assurance.
• Fund Predictably and Flexibly: Move from reactive, earmarked donations to offering extra versatile, multi-year core strategy for OCHA and humanitarian businesses. This permits for higher making plans and reaction to lost sight of crises.
• Engage Constructively with Reform: Participate in excellent religion in ongoing UN reform processes (e.g., peacebuilding structure, humanitarian device evaluations) fairly than the use of perceived inefficiencies as a pretext for disengagement.

For Journalists and Analysts

• Move Beyond “New York-Centric” Reporting: Cover the UN’s operational paintings in software solutions places like Geneina (Sudan) or Goma (DRC) up to its debates in New York. The tale is steadily within the software solutions.
• Contextualize Funding Gaps: When reporting on a humanitarian disaster, at all times specify the proportion of the UN’s attraction this is funded. An underfunded attraction is a right away coverage failure.
• Scrutinize Alternatives: When new global projects (just like the Board of Peace) are introduced, analyze their felony foundation, strategy mechanisms, and dating to present UN techniques. Are they complementary or aggressive?

For Citizens and Civil Society

• Amplify Field Voices: Share stories, pictures, and testimonials from UN humanitarian staff and affected communities in disaster zones. Humanize the statistics.
• Advocate for Humanitarian Principles: Support NGOs and advocacy teams that champion the foundations of unbiased humanitarian motion and shield humanitarian house.
• Engage with Local UN Associations: Many nations have UN Associations that paintings to coach the general public at the UN’s paintings. Supporting them strengthens home working out of multilateralism.

FAQ: Addressing Common Questions

Q: Is the UN in point of fact “lifeless” or simply damaged?

A: “Dead” is a dramatic and misguided metaphor. The UN is a residing, advanced, and steadily suffering firm. Its intergovernmental nature method it displays the state of multinational geopolitics. It is “damaged” or “strained” in spaces the place nice energy consensus is absent (e.g., Syria, Ukraine), however it’s vibrantly “alive” and operational in spaces the place member states permit it to serve as, corresponding to coordinating multinational humanitarian responses, operating vaccine distribution techniques (COVAX), and atmosphere global requirements thru businesses like ICAO and WHO. Its well being isn’t binary; it varies by way of serve as and by way of area.

Q: Can ad-hoc teams just like the U.S. Board of Peace change UN organization?

A: In particular, well-funded, and politically aligned circumstances, they’ll succeed in non permanent effects. However, they lack the UN’s common legitimacy, multinational footprint, and standardized operational frameworks. They are steadily transient, topic to the political cycle in their founding country, and might exclude key regional actors or affected populations. For sustained, unbiased, and large-scale crises requiring organization throughout dozens of donors and enforcing companions, the UN’s organization position stays structurally distinctive and indispensable.

Q: What can also be achieved about UN Security Council vetoes blockading motion?

A: This is the “sacred cow” of UN reform. Proposals come with: 1) A voluntary “veto restraint” initiative the place everlasting contributors pledge to not use the veto in circumstances of mass atrocities (nonetheless unratified). 2) Expanding the Security Council to incorporate new everlasting and non-permanent contributors, although this calls for amending the Charter—a procedure requiring ratification by way of two-thirds of contributors, together with all P5, making it exceptionally tricky. 3) Leveraging the UN General Assembly’s “Uniting for Peace” answer (1950) to make suggestions when the SC is deadlocked, although those don’t seem to be binding. Progress is gradual and calls for a elementary shift in nice energy family members.

Q: How can unusual folks improve UN humanitarian staff?

A: Support respected NGOs which can be UN companions (e.g., during the UN’s “Clusters” device). Donate to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which gives speedy, life-saving strategy for lost sight of crises. Advocate in your elected representatives for tough, versatile strategy for global humanitarian help. Raise consciousness concerning the protection of assist staff—over 280 had been killed in 2025—by way of selling recognize for the humanitarian logo and the foundations of global humanitarian regulation.

Conclusion: The Work That Cannot Be Done Without the UN

Tom Fletcher’s commentary is greater than a PR protection; this is a grounded, operational fact. The query “Is the UN lifeless?” is the incorrect query. The related query is: “What would occur to the thousands and thousands of folks in Sudan, the DRC, Gaza, Yemen, Myanmar, and past if the UN’s humanitarian organization vanished in a single day?”

The resolution is catastrophic. No different entity possesses the mix of common club, felony standing, software solutions presence, and (theoretical) neutrality to barter get admission to with fighters, coordinate loads of NGOs and donors, and ship assist in accordance with want by myself. The crises of self assurance and strategy are actual and serious, steadily stemming from the similar member states that based the firm. They are signs of a broader multinational dysfunction, now not evidence of the UN’s irrelevance.

Fletcher’s problem—to spend time along with his colleagues within the software solutions—is a call for participation to look past the headlines of Security Council gridlock and bureaucratic inefficiency. It is a decision to witness the day-to-day, unhealthy, and indispensable paintings of saving lives on the planet’s maximum forsaken corners. That paintings continues. Therefore, the UN, in its humanitarian serve as, isn’t lifeless. It is overworked, underfunded, and below assault, nevertheless it stays an important artery of global harmony. Abandoning it might now not sign its failure; it might sign our collective failure to uphold a fundamental human accountability: to relieve struggling anywhere it happens.