“This is the right time to take a look and see how much we are in a set of circumstances which, let us be honest, are difficult enough for multilateralism and for the UN,” explains Guy Ryder, general under-secretary for politics and the president of the UN80 working group.
Known as the UN80 Initiative, this process is not only seeking to improve efficiency, but also to reaffirm the value of multilateralism at a time when confidence is low and the needs are high. It aims to strengthen the UN capacity to meet the global challenges of today – ranging from conflicts, travel and inequalities to climatic shocks and rapid technological changes – while responding to external pressures such as reducing budgets and growing political divisions in multilateral space.
“We took out with a stronger and adjusted UN at the end, ready for the challenges that the future will undoubtedly bring us,” explains Mr. Ryder.
View of the UNHQ building from Roosevelt Island, New York
Three reform tracks
At the heart of the UN80 are three major components. The first focuses on improving internal efficiency and efficiency, reducing administrative formalities and optimization of the UN overall footprint by moving certain functions to service stations at a lower cost. Mr. Ryder notes that administrative procedures and heavy duplications are targeted.
“We want to see what we can do better. We want to look at the areas where we think we can improve efficiency and remove unnecessary bureaucratic processes, ”he explains.
The secondary work is an examination of the implementation of the mandate, which consists in examining nearly 4,000 mandate documents underlying the work of the UN Secretariat. A mandate refers to a task or responsibility awarded to the organization by the Member States, generally through resolutions adopted by UN bodies such as the General Assembly or the Security advice.
These mandates guide what the UN does – peacekeeping and humanitarian aid operations for human rights and environmental action. Over the decades, at least 40,000 mandates have accumulated, overlapping or sometimes overlapping, which is why examining them is a key element of the UN80 initiative.
“Let’s take a look at them,” says Ryder. “Let’s see where there can be duplication, where we can prioritize and deactivate, and find redundancies.”
But reviewing this mountain of mandates is not new. “We have already tried this exercise. We looked at these voluminous mandates in 2006. It didn’t work very well. ” Mr. Ryder reflects.
This time, however, the process is favored by a key factor. “This time, we have analytical data and capacities. We apply artificial intelligence techniques to provide much more organized information to the Member States – a more convincing case that could lead, I think, a productive process. ”
He stresses that the responsibility to decide what to keep, revise or interrupt is outright with the Member States.
“These terms belong to the Member States. They created them, and only they can assess them. We can examine the evidence, we can say that to the Member States, but ultimately they are the decision -makers on the mandates and on many other than the UN80 initiative brings. ”
The third flow explores whether the structural changes and the program’s realignment are necessary in the United Nations system. “Finally, we may want to look at the architecture of the United Nations system, which has become quite elaborate and complicated,” added Mr. Ryder. The proposals are also likely to get out of the examination of the implementation of the mandate.
Guy Ryder, general under-secretary for the policy and president of the UN80 working group
A working group and an objective on a system scale
To combat reform in such a complex system, the secretary general established seven thematic clusters within the framework of the UN80 working group; Each coordinated by high leaders of the United Nations from all over the system. These cover peace and security, humanitarian action, development (United Nations Secretariat and System), human rights, training and research and specialized agencies.
“It is important to say that at a time when the system is under pressure, the system responds as a system,” notes the work chair UN80. “It’s not just New York, not just the secretariat. It is on a system scale. »»
Each cluster should produce proposals to improve coordination, reduce fragmentation and realign functions if necessary. Several clusters have already submitted initial ideas. A wider set of proposals will follow in July.
The United Nations endeavors to prevent conflicts, to support the peace processes and to protect civilians – now its main mandate to maintain international peace and security.
Reform, not on heating
The attention around the UN80 Initiative has largely focused on the proposed budget cuts and staff reductions, which raises fears that it is mainly an economy exercise. Mr. Ryder underlines that this view is missing the situation as a whole.
“Yes, we are faced with financial challenges. No need to avoid our eyes from that. But this is not a cost reduction exercise. We want to make the UN stronger, ”he says.
However, financial pressures through the system are undeniable. A revised program budget for 2026, due in September, should include significant reductions in financing and positions for secret entities – a consequence of persistent cash flow constraints linked to delayed and incomplete contributions from the Member States.
“The UN80 initiative wants to improve the impact and the effect of multilateralism and the UN,” said Ryder. “Now that does not mean – we want it to be otherwise – that we do not have to take a look at our budget and our resources in different parts of the system. »»
“The organizations had to face heartbreaking decisions, and this happens every day. This is the reality of our circumstances, ”he adds.
Mr. Ryder maintains that financial sustainability and the impact of the mission do not exclude each other – but must be prosecuted in tandem. “We must reconcile the two objectives to make ourselves financially sustainable in the difficult circumstances in which we are, but also to be attentive, as always, to the impact that we have to assume our responsibilities under the Charter,” he said.
Children in Haiti eat a meal provided as part of the WFP school feeding program.
Why the UN80 counts for people around the world
Rather than a simple bureaucratic reform, the UN80 ultimately concerns people, those who count on the support of the UN during the challenges of crisis, conflict or development.
“If the UN is able to transform itself, to make improvements, sometimes through difficult decisions, this can mean that these vital interventions reach the people we serve more effectively,” explains Ryder.
The UN remains the essential and unique terrain of its kind to advance peace, sustainable development and human rights for all.
“It is the United Nations who take care of their responsibilities to the people we serve,” said Ryder.
Currently, the UN is helping more than 130 million people displaced, provides food to more than 120 million, provides vaccines to almost half of the world and supports peacekeeping, human rights, elections and climate action around the world. The UN development work has helped build peaceful and stable companies.
Vaccination supported by UNICEF in the distant village of Shan State, Myanmar
What happens next
The UN80 working group will present its proposals to the Secretary General, who has already indicated the first areas where the results are expected. A working group on the efficiency of the United Nations Secretariat, led by the general subsectary Catherine Pollard, is expected to present initial proposals at the end of June. A report on examining the implementation of the mandate will follow at the end of July.
This work in the first two work parks will help to light a broader reflection concerning structural changes and the realignment of programs in the United Nations system. The proposals under the third work will be presented to the Member States in the coming months and next year.
Although the work is only to start, Mr. Ryder thinks that the UN has the right tools – and a clear feeling of ambition and emergency.
“We are progressing well. There are a lot of homework now, “he said. “Over the weeks, it will move more and more to the space of the Member States, and it is then that we will see results. »»
Finally, the Member States will have to decide how to act on the conclusions. “They will have to decide what they want to do. Will they set up an intergovernmental process? The secretary general has already mentioned it as a possibility. ”
The UN secretary general António Guterres informs the media on the initiative of the UN80.
Definition of success
So what does success look like?
“A United Nations system that is capable of delivering more effectively, to strengthen and consolidate confidence in multilateral action,” explains Ryder. “A system that can transmit to public opinion and political decision -makers in which it is an organization that deserves to be invested. It should be your favorite option when it comes to meeting the challenges of the future. ”
For the president of the UN80 working group, this comes back to the credibility, capacity and public confidence – and guarantee that the UN remains not only relevant, but essential.
“We all have to worry about it,” he says. “If we consider that multilateralism is the best instrument we have to meet global challenges, we must make sure that we renovate, we refresh and make this machine as effective and as capable of the objective as possible.”
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
