2016 has been a difficult one for the United Nations. And as world leaders prepare to meet for the annual General Assembly, the organization is facing an uncertain future.

CCTV America’s Nathan King reports.

From Syria and Yemen in the Middle East to South Sudan in Africa, crises are testing the United Nations on every level.

And then there are crises of UN’s own making – sexual scandals involving peacekeepers in the Central African Republic, and the delayed admission that UN peacekeepers were responsible for the spread of cholera in post-earthquake Haiti.

Meanwhile, many of UN’s vital agencies are starved of cash as countries fail to live up to their commitments to help refugees or feed those dependent on UN aid.

There are plans that could help UN move forward. Some countries, such as China, are organizing professional peacekeeping forces ready to deploy at moment’s notice. And as the recent G20 summit made apparent, the sustainable development goals set back in 2015 are part of an evolving blueprint for an inclusive, 21st century global economy.