UN at 80: Experts Call for Return to Founding Principles
- khwang562
- Oct 24
- 3 min read
New York, United States – In celebration of the United Nations' 80th anniversary, diplomats, experts, and NGOs convened on International UN Day, October 24, 2025, calling for a reinvigoration of the founding principles of the UN Charter: national sovereignty, human dignity, and the centrality of the family. The missions of Burundi and Djibouti co-sponsored the event at UN headquarters in New York, organized by C-Fam and Campaign Life Coalition, with support from UPF, the Asociación La Familia Importa, Family Watch International, the Global Center for Human Rights, and United Families International.
Amb. Zéphyrin Maniratanga of Burundi warned against the "ideological polarization that undermines trust, cooperation, and peace" prevalent today. He called on member states to refocus on the Charter's core principles: respecting human dignity, national sovereignty, and the family as the fundamental social unit. Amb. Maniratanga emphasized that "human dignity is not granted by institutions – it is inherent in every human person. It precedes the state, the law, and even the international system" and must "remain the moral compass of all multilateral action."
Deputy Permanent Representative Youssouf Aden Moussa of Djibouti affirmed his faith in the UN's pursuit of peace, security, and prosperity, but expressed concern over the organization's disregard for core principles including collective security, sovereignty, the right to development, nonintervention in domestic affairs, the right to life, and the centrality of the family. This erosion is evident in controversial, non-consensual social policies and UN resolutions. Amb. Moussa warned that without resolute commitment to these principles, "the credibility and reputation of the UN will be undermined."
Amb. David Mulroney, former Canadian ambassador to China, lamented the erosion of national sovereignty through politicization. He noted that Canada's international assistance programs have shifted focus from the urgent health needs of vulnerable mothers, newborns, and children to emphasize sexual and reproductive health instead. Mulroney urged diplomats "to drop their megaphones and start listening again" to people's basic needs and adhere to the principles that enable the UN to meet them.
Mr. Stefano Gennarini, legal expert at C-Fam, explained that the Charter's founders placed sovereignty at its center because care for one's country, family, and values is a manifestation of basic human nature and dignity. National sovereignty and self-rule foster human flourishing and development. Mr. Gennarini clarified that "the real threat to multilateral cooperation today is not from patriotic political leaders" but from international bureaucracies "who use the UN system to gain global control and governance."
Globalists dismiss national sovereignty as outdated, promoting cultural imperialism of their specific values, he said. History shows that systems denying human nature and suppressing human dignity are unworkable and create global moral hazards. He said that the UN must return to principles allowing mutually respectful multilateral dialogue, achievable only through honoring universal human dignity.
Dr. Susan Yoshihara, founder and president of the American Council on Women, Peace, and Security, reviewed the history of the UN’s formation and the effort to make human rights central to the Charter. While women were involved from the beginning and women's issues were integrated, since 1985, growing institutional permeability has amplified outside voices, particularly feminist academics. As these institutions gained influence, concern for women's needs and values in smaller countries diminished. The UN's increasing reliance on "global experts" and the "expertization" of policy has created an agenda less concerned with practical needs and fundamental rights, emphasizing instead "homogenous, expert-generated" policies like gender ideology.
Mr. Douglas Sylva, C-Fam board member and director of the American Council on Women, Peace, and Security,
noted that at the UN's founding, the world faced a philosophical conflict between capitalistic liberal democracy and communism. Many aspirational Charter ideas were lofty but ill-defined, with terms meaning different things to democratic versus Marxist systems. The General Assembly's "advisory" role has proven inadequate, he said, preventing consensus decisions by the full member state body.
Mr. Sylva stated that the UN has "squandered its legitimacy by intervening in domestic affairs to impose progressive cultural values as if they were universal," noting that "member states are routinely told they must legalize abortion to remain in compliance with conventions in which the word never appears." This controversial agenda "creates a climate of distrust and distracts the world's community from pursuing crucial objectives for which there is no debate." Mr. Sylva called for rekindling the UN Declaration's original approach, combining "high idealism" with "pragmatism."
Ms. Lynn Walsh, director of UPF’s Office of the Family, called for protecting and supporting the family as the unique, natural, and fundamental social unit, critical for fulfilling UN objectives. Human dignity, mutual respect, and the skill of negotiating differences are primarily and best taught within the family, where cohesive relationships teach respect for the innate worth and dignity of others.
