“My vision for the United Nations system is clear: Entities working together as one to deliver better results: overcome fragmentation, eliminate duplication, improve funding models and maximize synergies.”said the Secretary General.
‘For the people we serve’
“He highlighted the need for a more agile, collaborative and profitable approach,”Ensure that the resources entrusted to us generate maximum impact for the people we serve..”
As part of the reform campaign, Guterres announced the creation of a UN80 implementation team dedicated to advancing reform proposals, either by taking them to intergovernmental decision-making bodies or moving forward unilaterally when within his authority.
“The final direction of the UN80 Initiative rests with you, the Member States of the United Nations.”Mr. Guterres emphasized.
The briefing is part of the UN80 Initiative, which aims to streamline operations, sharpen impact and reaffirm the relevance of the United Nations in a rapidly changing world.
This is the third of three lines of work created to guide the reform process.
Workstream 1 focuses on modernizing business operations and improving efficiencies across the Secretariat and the United Nations system (including through consolidated administrative platforms, relocations to lower-cost duty stations and reduced real estate costs) while safeguarding core program delivery.
Initial proposals included in the revised estimates for the 2026 budget are now before the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly, with decisions expected to be made in December of this year.
Workstream 2 examines the full lifecycle of mandates to strengthen coherence, accountability, and impact.
Its initial recommendations are being considered by a General Assembly Ad Hoc Informal Working Group, co-chaired by Jamaica and New Zealand, which is leading a “discovery phase” until the end of 2025.
Changing paradigms
Among the more than 70 proposals included in the first progress report for workstream 3 is the plan to consolidate and reconfigure peace and security teams at Headquarters in New York, as well as special political missions in Yemen, Cyprus and Central Africa.
Other possible reforms include a merger between the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), a move that Guterres said would “create a stronger engine for sustainable development, with greater scope and scale.”
She also flagged the possibility of merging UN Women and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to form “a unified and more powerful voice on gender equality and the rights of women and girls.” (More details about the proposals in this news from the UN)
‘More than a cost reduction exercise’
Before her briefing, Member States heard from Annalena Baerbock, President of the General Assembly, who echoed the need for Member States to participate in the reform proposals set out in the Secretary-General’s report.
Calling it “more than a cost reduction exercise”, summarized the UN80 Initiative as “about Efficiency, agility and ability to take advantage of cutting-edge technologies..”
He also emphasized that while Member States cannot ignore the “precarious fiscal situation,” they have a responsibility to the people the United Nations serves.
“We cannot sacrifice the principles of this institution in the name of the bottom line,” Ms. Baerbock said.