A plan for how the UN changes
The Action Plan is at the heart of the UN80 Initiative, a bold system-wide transformation to make the United Nations system work better, so that every dollar, decision and mandate delivers better outcomes for people and the planet.
Launched in March 2025 and welcomed by the General Assembly in its resolution 79/318, the Initiative is not intended to redefine what the United Nations system does. The focus is on how it is structured, managed and coordinated: modernizing outdated agreements, reducing bureaucracy, fragmentation and duplication, and strengthening impact.
The UN80 Initiative advances through three workstreams, all united in the Action Plan: proposals to improve efficiency across the United Nations system, with initial proposals reflected in the revised estimates for the Secretariat’s proposed program budget for 2026; the Mandate Implementation Review Report, currently under consideration by the Informal Ad Hoc Working Group led by Member States; and “Changing Paradigms: United to Deliver,” the Secretary-General’s report outlining possible structural and programmatic realignments.
The Action Plan brings these three workstreams together under one roof, translating its recommendations into a clear structure that identifies responsibilities, timelines, and the intergovernmental bodies that will consider the proposals.
“If we maintain the momentum and approach this initiative in the right spirit, the coming months can be a time of true transformation,” Mr Ryder told Member States.
From three reports to 31 work packages
In practical terms, the Action Plan is a roadmap. It takes the dense architecture of the UN80 Initiative and divides it into work packages, ranging from discrete technical changes to far-reaching systemic changes.
Some of the biggest packages focus on what senior officials call the “big tickets” to a more coherent U.N. system. When it comes to peace and security, this means new models for peace operations, including how tasks and resources are delegated to the entities best placed to accomplish them. In the humanitarian field, it promotes the New Humanitarian Deal to simplify emergency response plans, integrate supply chains and expand common services so that every dollar can generate more.
Another set of work packages focuses on how the UN development system is configured, including a “reset” of regional capabilities and a reconfiguration of UN country teams to better combine expertise and cost-effectiveness.
The plan will also advance assessments of possible mergers between UNDP and UNOPS, and UNFPA and UN Women, and the way forward for UNAIDS.
Fundamentally, the Action Plan gives pride of place to bringing together all the “operational enablers” that underpin the daily work of the United Nations system: common data; shared technological platforms; unified services for supply chains and all other back-office functions; and a simpler approach to training and research.
Steering committee and working group in the center
A new Steering Committee, chaired by the Secretary-General each month, will ensure strategic direction and coherence among leaders of the United Nations system.
Under him, the UN80 Working Group, chaired by Mr Ryder, will meet weekly to coordinate implementation, monitor timelines and prepare recommendations for Steering Committee review.
“As a basic principle, all actions will be taken in accordance with the applicable rules and procedures, as set out in the Charter, as well as with the established decisions, resolutions and practices of the relevant intergovernmental bodies,” Mr Ryder recalled.
It is not a cure for the liquidity crisis, but it is part of the answer
The plan is being implemented at a time when the United Nations system continues to grapple with severe funding cuts, with the system’s resources estimated to fall by 25 percent (from $66 billion to $50 billion) in 2026, compared to 2024.
The Secretary-General has been explicit that the UN80 Initiative is not a solution to the financial crisis of the United Nations system but a commitment to protect maximum impact, even in the most vulnerable environments.
A public panel for a complex review
To help make sense of a reform that affects almost every corner of the United Nations system, the Secretariat has launched an interactive UN80 Initiative Actions dashboard.
The online platform allows users to see, at a glance, each work package, its objectives and leadership, and how it connects to the three fundamental reports. The dashboard will be expanded with a timeline and milestones and will be updated periodically as work progresses.
For an initiative whose success will ultimately be measured not in new documents but in real-world impact, the Action Plan is a turning point: moving from design to a phase where progress, gaps and results will be tracked in one place.