“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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. ”

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.”

THE Charter of the United Nations “Is more than parchment and ink; It is a promise – of peace, dignity and cooperation between nations, “said the secretary general.

Almost 80 years after his signature, Mr. Guterres stressed that the Charter was only the beginning, devoting ideas and principles that the world works to implement daily.

War

Following the Second World War, representatives of nearly 50 nations gathered in San Francisco to develop an organization engaged in the idea of ​​”never again” – a war of this magnitude devastating the world again.

Instead, the world would choose peace and diplomacy, equality and prosperity.

“For a world mired in endless cycles of conflict and human suffering, the charter and the principles it represented – dialogue, diplomacy, cooperation and solidarity – was a path to a better, more peaceful and prosperous future,” said the UN President of the General Assembly Phillémon Yang. The charter was signed on June 26, 1945, almost exactly 80 years ago. However, it only took effect on October 24, 1945 after the legislative legislative organizations ratified him.

The Charter, which is considered an international treaty, is a legal instrument which links all the Member States to the principles and the commitments taking place there.

Since its ratification, the Charter of the United Nations has paved the way for other historic international agreements, notably 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and 2024 Pact for the future.

“The decades that followed only proved the sustainable heritage of the charter. She has shaped decades of progress – international action guided decolonization, protected human rights and promoted justice and sustainable development, “said Mr. Yang.

‘A living miracle’

The exhibition contextualizes the Charter as a document from the past which continues to live in our present and will help shape the future.

“As we look to the future, we would be wise to remember our past, to celebrate our successes and to build our future on the Foundation of the Charter of the United Nations,” said Mr. Yang.

Mr. Guterres said that this exhibition is a moment for people to think about the artifacts of the UN Foundation – to see the photos, videos and documents that have shaped this world organization.

He recognized that if the world is confronted with new challenges such as climate change and technology, in addition to secular challenges, the Charter of the United Nations can be a guideline if the world is willing to carry the spirit of the Charter and its commitment to peace in the future.

“The UN is a living miracle – and the women and men of the United Nations give life to this miracle every day and everywhere,” said the secretary general.

He comes in the wake of information that Iran has launched missiles in an American military base in Qatar in retaliation for the United States to bomb three of its nuclear installations last weekend.

Iran would have pulled seven missiles at the Al Udeid air base, where some 10,000 soldiers are parked. All except one were intercepted by Qatar and no victim has been reported, according to international media.

Fight

The development marks the last stage of more than a week of missile strikes between Iran and Israel, and the situation increased with the participation of the United States.

“” From the start of the crisis, the secretary general has repeatedly sentenced any military climbing in this conflict, including today’s attack by Iran on the territory of Qatar. He also reiterates his call for all parties to stop fighting ”, the declaration said.

The Secretary General urged all the Member States to comply with their obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and other rules of international law.

The World Health Organization (WHO) published his 2025 report on the Global Tobacco epidemic on Monday, focusing on the six policies described in the Mower Tobacco control measures.

Since 2007, 155 countries have implemented at least one of these political prescriptions, which has resulted in more than 6.1 billion people – or three -quarters of the world’s population – now in profit: however, major shortcomings remain.

Here are the six political recommendations:

• Mon tobacco use and prevention policies;
• PPeople with tobacco smoke with smoke -free air legislation;
• OAbandonment aid to leave tobacco use;
• WArneing on the dangers of tobacco with pack labels and mass media;
• EProhibition to strengthen advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco; And
• RAishing taxes on tobacco.

Strike gains

Some 110 countries now require graphic health warnings on tobacco packaging and WHOThe new report reveals that the strategy has provided striking gains in the fight against consumption.

As one of the key measures of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), graphic health warnings make damage to tobacco visibly clear and difficult to ignore.

There was also an increasing tendency to regulate the use of electronic cigarettes or ends – electronic nicotine delivery systems – the number of countries regulating or prohibiting the extremities from 1222 to 2022 to 133 in 2024.

Major gaps

Although very effective, 110 countries have not launched anti-tobacco campaigns since 2022, despite the dark statistics that around 1.3 million people continue to die of used smoke each year.

Forty countries have still not adopted a single MPOWER measure and more than 30 countries still authorize selling cigarettes without compulsory health warnings. The United Nations health agency calls for urgent action in the fields where the momentum is lagging behind.

“” The government must act boldly to fill the remaining gaps, strengthen the application and invest in proven tools that save lives“Said Ruediger Krech, director of health promotion.