Funding cuts and Security Council veto politics are putting the United Nations under growing pressure. Still, the UN is "irreplacable," said Maria Fernanda Espinosa, a potential contender for the next UN secretary-general, which would make her the first woman to lead the organization.

Speaking to DW at the MSC, Espinosa said the Global South must help shape the next era of global governance, and laid out why she remains optimistic about human agency and political will — even with more than 60 active conflicts worldwide.