What if the United Nations was disbanded next Friday?

"Experts tell Al Jazeera what would happen if the world decided to get rid of its core institution next week. People have been asking What if forever. Over the next few months, Al Jazeera will explore some of the biggest challenges of our time and ask leading experts: What if Established 80 years ago in October, the United Nations has become a fixture in the lives of people across the globe."

"Over the last eight decades, as well as playing a vital role in steering the world through global health crises, the organisation has played a central role in shaping international law, diplomacy, humanitarian aid, peacekeeping, and, rightly or wrongly, preserving what most people understand to be the world order. However, while many still regard its role as vital, the UN has come under increasing criticism for prioritising the agendas of the Western world over the needs of the Global South."

"It has also faced scrutiny for failing to prevent mass atrocities, including the genocides in the 1990s in Rwanda and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the brutal violence in Sudan's Darfur region, despite the presence of UN troops. Many would argue that the organisation has been entirely sidelined during Israel's war on Gaza, with its legitimacy contested by Israel and its traditional role in brokering a ceasefire reflective of international law usurped by the United States."

The United Nations was established eighty years ago and functions as a central global institution for international law, diplomacy, humanitarian aid, peacekeeping, and coordinating responses to global health crises. The organisation has shaped the modern world order but faces criticism for prioritising Western agendas over the Global South. The UN faced failures to prevent mass atrocities, notably in Rwanda and Bosnia in the 1990s, and in Darfur despite UN troops. Its legitimacy has been contested during Israel's war on Gaza, with ceasefire brokering influenced by the United States. Questions arise whether individual states could replace the UN's coordinating roles and whether the institution will endure.

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