In connection with the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, the issue of interior improvement of this organisation is discussed, which sets trends in improvement for states. Secretary General António Guterres in March this year inaugurated UN80 Initiative. It is an interior improvement programme that involves crucial budget cuts, cutting red tape and consolidating agencies.
The plan provides for reforms that will bring the UN into line with the changing reality to "be more agile, integrated and prepared to respond to today's complex global challenges in the face of declining resources". This is, of course, linked to the withdrawal of the largest state donor – the US – from the backing of any programmes, e.g. the planet wellness Organisation.
UN80 is based on erstwhile reforms, but the current initiative goes on to "increase flexibility and resilience". The UN is to better service people whose lives depend on it; to bear greater work towards taxpayers who fund the UN agenda and to supply better support for workers. In short, the UN is to “leave” and do more.
The Secretary-General has already set up a peculiar UN Task Force80 to prepare a more detailed improvement plan in 3 key areas. It is about efficiency and improvements, in peculiar to improve the governance and functioning of the UN Secretariat and the full system. Implementation of mandates. In this case, about 4000 resolutions and another origin papers are to be reviewed, indicating the UN's competence. Finally, the improvement Task Force is to identify what possible structural changes should be introduced and how to reorganise UN programmes to guarantee coherence and resource efficiency and adequate impact.
The UN is to be an efficient and cost-effective strategy capable of responding rapidly and adequately to the crises and needs of countries. It is besides intended to implement sustainable improvement objectives efficiently.
Guterres' plan – details of which are inactive being developed – has met with criticism not only of UN staff (due to possible occupation losses), but besides of any associate States, due to the proposed budget cuts, suggested consolidations and possible impact on the organisation's ability to fulfil its mandate in the future.
However, the UN chief has no choice but to propose reforms in the face of tensions persisting with the Donald Trump administration. America remains the main donor to the UN's agenda.
Guterres' Secretariat foresees a budget simplification of $3.7 billion by 20% in 2026. This could mean that nearly 7,000 people lose their jobs. The United Nations has 35,000 people.
The change would consist in consolidating various agencies with overlapping roles. The UN80 Task Force has identified more than 50 proposals for mergers and reforms. For example, it has been proposed to combine the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – for climate change organisations – with the UN Environment Programme, to integrate the UN Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS with the planet wellness Organisation (WHO) and to consolidate respective bodies into 1 human rights agency.
There have been suggestions to improve the "operational obligations" of major humanitarian agencies, including the planet Food Programme, the UN exile Agency, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the planet wellness Organisation (WHO).
Richard Gowan, UN manager of Multilateral Diplomacy and global Crisis Group, points out that "the goal here is to importantly reduce the United Nations". – Everyone understands that we are going through a process that yet involves making little effort – he added.
UN80 Task Force is considering moving the seats of various agencies from centres specified as fresh York and Geneva to another regions to reduce operating costs. For example, the capital of Kenya is indicated.
It is worth noting that UN resources decreased by as much as 30% compared to 2023. Many countries are behind with their collections. At the end of April this year, the unpaid contributions to the UN regular budget – covering basic administrative and operational costs, including the costs of the General Assembly, the Secretariat and peculiar political missions – amounted to a full of about $2.4 billion. Americans are due to pay around $1.5 billion for unpaid contributions themselves. another main debtors are China, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela (the unpaid membership contributions to peacekeeping operations and global tribunals).
Trump shortly after the start of his second word called for a review of all US backing to the UN, due to the organisation's inability to resolve global conflicts and unequal burden sharing between prosperous countries. Previously president Joe Biden frozen the backing of the United Nations Palestinian exile agency. Trump upheld Biden's decision and cut the backing of UN peacekeeping missions, UNICEF, the United Nations improvement Programme and another global organizations by hundreds of millions of dollars. The administration besides withdrew from respective UN bodies, including the Human Rights Council and the WHO.
The left-wing environments are afraid that due to the UN's hard financial situation, the priorities of the organisation will change and human rights, sex equality programmes, development-related (Agenda 2030), vaccinations, etc.
The UN ad hoc working group on UN80 at its informal gathering on 16 September in fresh York published a message on behalf of the European Union and its associate States by Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, president of the European Union Delegation to the United Nations at its 80th session of the UN General Assembly. The Ambassador besides spoke on behalf of the EU candidate countries, namely Turkey, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia, as well as Armenia, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino.
He recalled that "The European Union and its associate States are profoundly active in multilateralism and are among the leading donors and supporters of the UN". For this reason, they are active in the "UN80 process, recognising it as a unique chance to build a stronger United Nations – an organisation where its members can make informed decisions, translate them into effective mandates and guarantee that the Organisation can effectively exert a real influence on the citizens it serves, especially those most neglected".
He added that it was very crucial to review the mandates of the various UN agencies in order to improve their operation and increase accountability. "This will show us a way that will strengthen the UN for the future".
The Ambassador advocated "an open, transparent and participatory process that will make discussions interactive, constructive and inclusive – in which all vote will be heard and each delegation will have an authentic function to play". He besides encouraged "to contact global UN centres outside fresh York to gain the fullest possible position on the improvement of the mandate".
The EU typical to the UN referred to the improvement plan contained in the 2024 Future Pact, stressing that "The Pact should be our ‘CO’ and the UN80 our ‘JAK’ in the improvement process and future UN action". He ensured that the European Union and its associate States were ready, at all levels, to support the UN in the improvement process.
Sources: un.org / eeas.europa.eu / cfr.org
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