SDG progress ‘in danger’ of going backwards without change in direction, new UN report reveals

11 September 2019
SDGs


The current worldwide sustainable development model is threatening to reverse years of progress, if strategies don’t drastically change, an independent group of scientists has concluded in a major new report launched on Wednesday.


The UN report will be at the centre of discussions during the UN summit on the SDGs later this month.

Worsening inequalities and potentially irreversible damage to the natural environment on which we all depend, demands concerted action, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), urged in a statement on the report findings, compiled by a team of 15 UN-appointed experts.

“Achieving human well-being and eradicating poverty for all of the Earth’s people—expected to number 8.5 billion by 2030—is still possible,” they highlighted, “but only if there is a fundamental—and urgent—change in the relationship between people and nature.”

The report, “The Future is Now: Science for Achieving Sustainable Development,” points to understanding the relationships between individual SDGs and the “concrete systems that define society today” to devise a plan to ameliorate global instability.

At the request of countries to evaluate progress of the 2030 SDG Agenda, adopted in 2015, the Global Report on Sustainable Development (GDSR) consists of surveys on scientific findings from ocean livelihoods, to sustainable consumption, production, and disaster risk management, among other issues.
Science-backed recommendations


The current roadmap for development has generated prosperity for “hundreds of millions,” the scientists said, but at the cost of other resources and a growing inequality that undermines global growth.

Boosting economies via increasing consumption for example, is exhausting the planet’s materials and creating toxic by-products which threaten to overwhelm the world. At the current rate of consumption, “use of material is set to almost double between 2017 and 2060, from 89 Gigatons to 167 Gigatons”, resulting in consequential “increased levels of greenhouse gas emissions, and other toxic effects” from resource extraction, they stressed.

The status quo must change, scientists said, in order to eschew further loss in “social cohesion and sustainable economic growth,” curb biodiversity losses, and save a “world close to tipping points with the global climate system.”

For this to happen, all sectors must come together in coordinated action, the report urges. Increasing investment in science for sustainability, is one key approach, and acknowledging that achievement of the SDGs requires economic growth be divorced from environmental degradation, while reducing inequalities.

The experts noted that “the extensive transformation that is needed will not be easy, and the report suggests that a deep scientific understanding is needed to anticipate and mitigate the tensions and trade-offs inherent in widespread structural change.”
Key points of intervention

According to the report, there are 20 points of intervention that can be used to accelerate progress toward multiple goals and targets in the next ten years.

Among these, basic services must be made universally available—healthcare, education, water and sanitation infrastructure, housing and social protection— as a prerequisite” toward eliminating poverty.

In addition, ending legal and social discrimination, scaling up trades unions, nongovernmental organizations, women’s groups and other communities will “be important partners in efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda”, the experts said.

Inefficient food and energy systems are depriving some 2 billion people of food security, while 820 million are undernourished, and 2 billion adults are overweight. Production processes are causing severe environmental impact.

Transitioning to renewable energy systems could help reduce the 3 billion who rely on pollutants for cooking, and avoid premature deaths, estimated at 3.8 million each year, they cited. Meanwhile, the energy access gap has left close to one billion without access to electricity at all. Increases in renewable energy supply in the past decade have corresponded with price drops in clean fuel technology—around 77 per cent for solar power and a 38 per cent drop for onshore wind.

With an estimated two-thirds of the global population projected to live in cities by 2050, the experts said achieving the 2030 Agenda will require “more compact and efficient” urban areas that will be nature-based in infrastructure—but the ecosystem’s services and resources “must be safeguarded.”

What the scientists call “the global environmental commons” - the rainforests, oceans, and atmosphere - need support from governments, international actors and the private sector to ensure good practices.

The full report and its recommendations will be presented during the High-Level Political Forum at the 2019 SDG Summit that will convene heads of State and Government in New York on 24 and 25 September.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/09/1046132

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UN and partners back new measures to help millions move from vulnerability to opportunity

© UNICEF

 

Many LDCs are also landlocked, like Nepal (pictured), leaving them particularly vulnerable to economic and climate shocks.

   

4 December 2025 

Economic Development

A major UN meeting in Doha wrapped up on Thursday with a renewed drive to help the world’s poorest countries move towards long-term stability and prosperity, as senior officials urged stronger global partnerships to ensure that development gains are not lost once States exit the Least Developed Country (LDC) category.

Over three days, ministers, development partners and international agencies met to explore how LDCs can “graduate” successfully – meaning they have reached levels of income, education and resilience that lift them out of the UN’s most vulnerable grouping – and, crucially, stay out.

The meeting focused on the Doha Programme of Action (DPOA), which aims to help 15 more countries reach graduation by 2031.

Many LDCs remain highly exposed to climate shocks, conflict, debt pressures and trade disruptions. Without tailored support, experts warn that progress can quickly unravel.

Speaking at the closing session, Rabab Fatima, UN High Representative for LDCs, said the gathering had shown “a strong collective will to ensure that graduation becomes a gateway to resilience, opportunity and sustainable prosperity.”

“Let us leave Doha inspired and united,” she said, calling for deeper cooperation and “real incentives that help every country advance with the full support of the global community.”

Learning from experience

Countries preparing to graduate – including Bangladesh, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and Nepal – shared lessons from their own transition plans, while States that have already graduated discussed how to manage the shift away from preferential trade benefits and other forms of targeted international assistance.

A recurring theme was the importance of Smooth Transition Strategies, national plans that help governments adjust to the phase-out of LDC-specific support.

Delegates stressed that these strategies must be realistic, nationally driven and fully embedded in long-term development planning.

The meeting also highlighted the need to build productive capacity, especially through digital and green transitions, and to expand trade opportunities for economies facing volatile global conditions.

New boost for support facility

A central element of the discussions was the iGRAD Facility, a mechanism designed to help LDCs navigate the transition period. Qatar announced a $10 million pledge to strengthen the facility, drawing praise from participants.

Fahad Hamad Al-Sulaiti, Director General of the Qatar Fund for Development, said his country was committed to turning the DPOA “into measurable progress for Least Developed Countries.”

The meeting, he added, had shown “the power of collective action” and the importance of providing LDCs with “the tools, resources and partnerships they need to navigate the transition with confidence.”

Next steps

The conference concluded with the Doha Agreed Statement on Global Partnerships for Sustainable Graduation, which sets out principles for a stronger, incentive-based approach to supporting graduating countries.

A full summary of recommendations will be published by OHRLLS and sent to the UN General Assembly ahead of key discussions in 2027, when the DPOA undergoes its midterm review.

More information is available on the event website and on the dedicated page for the Doha Programme of Action.

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https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166518

Press Release

• Secretary-General
• Statements and Messages

SG/SM/22937

1 December 2025

Secretary-General Introduces Revised Estimates Report for 2026 Proposed Programme Budget, Support Account for 2025/26, Highlighting Urgency of UN80 Initiative

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) on the revised estimates, UN80, relating to the proposed programme budget for 2026 and the support account for 2025/26, in New York today:

It is a pleasure to formally introduce the revised estimates report relating to the proposed programme budget for 2026 and the support account for peacekeeping operations for the 2025/26 period.

A few weeks ago, I introduced the proposed programme budget for 2026 which had been for the most part prepared before the launch of the UN80 Initiative.

As such, the initial budget proposal did not yet reflect the first outcomes of the Secretariat’s comprehensive review of its resource requirements for 2026.

The revised estimates report before you today does so — highlighting both the urgency and the ambition of the UN80 Initiative.

It responds to your call for a more effective, agile and resilient Secretariat and contains proposals to align resources with organizational priorities, modernize our internal operations and reflect a pragmatic response to the evolving fiscal context.

The report consists of two interlinked components:

First, initial measures to improve the management and operations of the Secretariat resulting from the first workstream of the UN80 Initiative;

And second, targeted efficiencies and cost reductions to the proposed programme budget for 2026 and the support account budget for 2025/26.

Building on earlier management reforms and significant investments in [Enterprise Resource Planning] ERP and [Information and Communications Technologies] ICT infrastructure, the proposals include:

• The creation of a common administrative platform to provide administrative services to Secretariat entities located in each duty station, beginning with New York and Bangkok. This represents a considerable improvement of our efficiency, putting together what is done separately by different entities with naturally much more costs.
• The consolidation of payroll processing into a single global team operating across three centres — UN Headquarters, the Regional Service Centre in Entebbe, and the United Nations Office at Nairobi.
• And a systematic review by entities in New York and Geneva of functions that could be performed effectively in lower cost duty stations.

This is part of a broader strategy to reduce our commercial footprint and achieve a long-term cost reduction.

Since 2017, the Secretariat has saved $126 million from terminating commercial leases in New York.

Further consolidation in existing premises — including terminating leases in two buildings by late 2027 — is projected to save an additional $24.5 million annually from 2028.

And this naturally represents the need to progressively reduce areas that will do better in other locations than in New York.

Allow me to now turn to targeted efficiencies and cost reductions.

The review we conducted earlier in the year aimed to identify measurable efficiencies across the Secretariat, in a holistic manner and irrespective of funding sources.

The reductions therefore are not limited to the proposed programme budget for 2026, and the report includes reductions for the last six months of the support account period.

I would emphasize that we have been very deliberate in putting forward a strategic proposal, not one that takes an across-the-board approach.

While the proposed reductions are substantial, they have been carefully calibrated to preserve balance across the three pillars of the Organization — peace and security, sustainable development and human rights.

For example, I made the decision to exempt [the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East] UNRWA from any reductions that would have dramatic consequences on the backbone of the entire humanitarian response in Gaza.

The Development Account and advocacy for Africa’s development were also exempted from reductions that would inevitably impact directly our support to Member States, hindering efforts towards the 2030 Agenda [for Sustainable Development], the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

We also seek to further strengthen direct support to countries, in particular the most vulnerable, in the pursuit of their development aspirations.

This includes a $1 million increase to the Regular Programme of Technical Cooperation, and a $300,000 increase to the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.

These countries are the most impacted by climate action, are the ones that are in a more fragile situation in many aspects and they always corresponded [to] the priority of my mandate.  The same applies, and it is the decision of the General Assembly, the African continent that we were particularly careful in creating the conditions to be more active, both in relation to the African continent and in relation to small island developing States, landlocked developing countries and least developed countries.

Overall for the regular budget, I am proposing to bring the resource requirements for 2026 down to $3.238 billion — a reduction of $577 million, or 15.1 per cent, compared with the 2025 appropriation.

The proposed staffing table is revised to 11,594 posts — including Special Political Missions — a reduction of 2,681 posts, or 18.8 per cent, compared with the approved staffing table for 2025.

To deliver these changes responsibly, the report also includes one-time costs related to separations and relocations, as well as requests for time-limited transitional capacities that will be needed in the areas of human resources, administration of justice and legal affairs.

To that end, I am requesting an appropriation in the amount of $5.4 million and a commitment authority for 2026 to cover eligible one-time costs triggered by separations resulting from approved post abolishments or relocations for the programme budget.

Given dependencies — such as incumbency status of posts proposed for abolition or relocation and the outcome of early separation programmes — the estimates for one-time costs will be updated as implementation advances.

I have to say that we had a particular concern in relation to the impact on staff.  The present situation is strictly for liquidity reasons.  It is a situation in which we have about 18 per cent of vacancies.  But those vacancies do not correspond to a political decision oriented by a strategic priority, but simply by the fact that people left and we have not the money to pay for the replacement because of the liquidity crisis.  What we are doing now is a reduction of 18.8 per cent posts — not those that are now vacant, but those that correspond to functions that, in our opinion, can be done better by others or can be reduced by efficiencies in the way that we work.  But this has an advantage, and I note the concerns of the members of the Fifth Committee about the impact on staff and especially the request of the geographic distribution.  The fact is that we have established already programmes for voluntary separation that are being quite successful, and at the same time, we will have a mechanism allowing for those whose posts are abolished to have the conditions to compete in a positive way to the posts that are vacant.  And it is my deep belief that in the end, the number of members of the staff that will be released will be relatively small.  And we are making everything in the way we handle the voluntary separation and in the way we will handle the filling of the vacancies and we are doing everything to guarantee that there will be no deterioration in relation to the necessary equilibrium of geographic distribution, and if possible, to have some improvement in relation to that geographic distribution.  Two main concerns of our work:  Limit as much as possible the impact on staff through the voluntary separations and the possibility of occupational vacancies; second, utilize these instruments in order to guarantee that there will not be this equilibrium that will undermine the geographic distribution which, by the way, is still far from being entirely correct.  So, this is to be an absolute priority and all the instructions given to the services are in order to guarantee that this objective is attained.

For the special political missions, the revised proposed budget amounts to $543.6 million, reflecting a reduction of $96.3 million or 15.0 per cent compared with the initial proposed programme budget for 2026, and a reduction of $149.5 million or 21.6 per cent compared with the appropriation for 2025.

The proposed reduction compared to 2025 comprises:  A net decrease of $84.7 million due to the closure of missions, and a net decrease of $64.8 million for continuing missions.

This would be achieved through conscious efforts to optimize staffing components, critically review needs, align with historical patterns and seek opportunities to strengthen a culture of efficiency.

For the special political missions, the revised estimates include a proposed net decrease of 1,215 posts and positions — from 4,086 approved for 2025.

This reflects both the closure of missions and efforts to streamline the staffing component and strengthen national capacity.

For the support account for the period January to June 2026, the revised estimates amount to $188.9 million, representing a decrease of $23.9 million or 11.2 per cent.

This includes a decrease of 206 posts, or 13.5 per cent, compared with the approved staffing table for 2025/26.

The staffing changes reflect an overall downward adjustment in line with the new staffing model endorsed as a framework by the General Assembly.

The revised level for January to June 2026 represents the largest share of reductions attributable to that model, with further operational efficiencies complementing the adjustment.

One-time costs for the support account will be accommodated within its 2025/26 approved budget and financial implications set out in the performance report.

The targeted reductions being proposed reflect hard choices taken across entities to streamline structures, eliminate duplication, and prioritize resources for greatest impact.

Reductions of this scale will inevitably have programmatic and operational impacts across entities and come with adjustments in the way the Secretariat delivers on mandated activities.

Accordingly, entities have identified the anticipated impact on their deliverables and put forward how they are planning to adapt their activities and their mitigation strategies.

These measures constitute substantial budgetary reductions that affect real people, families and futures — and we must never lose sight of this human dimension.

In your engagements with us, you have stressed the importance of maintaining our efforts to advance equitable geographical distribution in our workforce.

I wish to assure you again that we will make every effort to mitigate the impact of reductions in the overall composition of our workforce, and to ensure that colleagues affected are supported through the transition.

To advance these objectives, we have launched two early separation programmes, which will generate additional vacancies for placement and for accommodating staff — through lateral placements within their entities, and then across entities and duty stations.

These mitigation measures will allow us to significantly reduce the number of involuntary separations and that will also diminish the impact on the overall geographic balance and reduce the cost of terminations.

This will mean that, once triggered, the downsizing policy will be applied to a smaller number of staff, and will help ensure fairness and due process.

Looking ahead, Workstreams 2 and 3 of the UN80 Initiative are also under way.

To ensure a coherent organization of the different actions across all three workstreams and the UN system, the UN80 Initiative Action Plan was released three weeks ago.

This coordination framework, developed following extensive consultations across the UN system, is also a planning and an accountability tool, which will allow us to align responsibilities and actions.

I welcome the establishment of the ad hoc working group of Member States and its ongoing work to carry forward the process in Workstream 2 — on improving every step in the mandate life cycle.

The process will provide an important opportunity to enhance mandate implementation — and my team will continue to provide full support.

Simultaneously, I have committed to 15 actions focused on enhancing mandate visibility, improving our reporting, strengthening how we manage mandate delivery and harmonizing how results are measured and communicated across the UN system.

And allow me to say something that I believe is very important to all the members of the Fifth Committee:  We are reducing the budget.  Is that going to have a negative implication in the capacity to deliver our mandate?  Well, unfortunately our reduced budget is still bigger than the expenditure we are forecasting for 2025 because of the liquidity crisis.  With one difference — with the present situation, we are spending less than we will spend next year if the budget is fully funded, and on the other hand, the staff that is missing is not based on solid criteria in relation to optimization of the distribution of the staff for the different functions and for the implementation of the mandate, but result of the vacancies created by people that leave — which means that I am absolutely sure that there will be a considerable improvement in mandate implementation with these revised estimates than what we have in 2025 and they were exactly designed in order to guarantee that there will be no negative implications in relation to the implementation of mandates.  Obviously, we will fully respect the work of […] and eventually there will be changes in the mandate, and if there are changes in the mandate, there will be changes in the way we implement them.  But what we are now [doing] is preparing a budget that is prepared to guarantee the full implementation of the mandates that we have at the present moment.

On Workstream 3 focusing on changing structures and realigning programmes, I have presented a report which reflects a system-wide effort with a single purpose:  to change how we work.

The proposals span across the Secretariat, funds, programmes, specialized agencies and related organizations.

They represent a paradigm shift _— within pillars, across pillars and through the enablers that support our work — to reduce fragmentation, duplication and inefficiency.

Any budgetary implications arising from Workstreams 2 and 3 will be assessed rigorously and reflected in future budget proposals for your consideration for 2027.

The revised estimates report before you is not a routine technical revision.

For the first time, the revised estimates reduce global regular budget resource requirements compared to what was originally proposed, and reductions for the support account for a period already approved by the Assembly.

I want to repeat that this is a deliberate and considered adjustment to an already conservative proposal for 2026.

It reflects both the urgency and ambition of the reforms we are undertaking, while also emphasizing a particular sense of responsibility to the most vulnerable in need of UN support.

The goal is not temporary adjustment — but lasting cost reductions and modernization of Secretariat operations.

That also means ensuring capacities needed for the future — for example in technology, data and protection safeguards.

The United Nations operates in a world of great political and financial uncertainty.

Resources are shrinking across the board — and have been for years.

Meanwhile, the needs of Member States and the people we serve are increasing, making our mission even more urgent and more relevant.

The proposals contained in the revised estimates represent our commitment to rebuild trust — by demonstrating that every contribution is well-used and every decision delivers results for the people we serve.

Liquidity remains fragile, and this challenge will persist regardless of the final budget approved by the General Assembly — given the unacceptable volume of arrears.

We ended 2024 with $760 million in arrears, of which $709 million is still outstanding from 2024.  We have also not received $877 million of 2025 dues, and so, thus, arrears now stand at $1,586 million.

I have repeatedly appealed to Member States to pay their assessed contributions in full and on time.

We continue to manage cash flows carefully, well below budget levels, and have proposed temporarily suspending the return of credits to safeguard liquidity and avoid disruption of programme implementation.

It is difficult for us to give back money that we have not because we didn’t receive it, and so it is very important to find a solution for this question — a temporary solution — based on an account in which the rights of Member States are clearly established and returns will be paid as soon as our liquidity situation allows.

The UN80 Initiative is our blueprint for a stronger, more effective, results-oriented and cost-effective UN — one that is more agile, responsive and resilient.

Together, we can ensure that the United Nations is not only fit for purpose — but also fit for the future.

Once again, I extend my profound gratitude for your engagement, your expertise, your partnership in this shared endeavour and the considerable effort to review these proposals on a compressed schedule.  Thank you.

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В ООН дали старт процессу отбора кандидатов на пост Генерального секретаря

Штаб-квартира ООН в Нью-Йорке.

Фото ООН Штаб-квартира ООН в Нью-Йорке.

   

25 ноября 2025

 ООН

Во вторник Председатель Генеральной Ассамблеи ООН и Председатель Совета Безопасности – двух основных органов Организации Объединенных Наций – официально дали старт процессу отбора кандидатов на пост Генерального секретаря, направив странам-членам соответствующее письмо. Напомним, что полномочия нынешнего главы ООН истекают в конце 2026 года.

Авторы письма предлагают государствам-членам выдвигать своих кандидатов на пост Генсека. Отмечается, что человек, занимающий эту важную должность, должен соответствовать самым высоким стандартам эффективности и компетентности, а также демонстрировать приверженность принципам Устава ООН.

Кандидат должен обладать качествами лидера и профессиональными навыками в области дипломатии, коммуникаций, знать несколько языков и иметь большой опыт работы в сфере международных отношений.

Авторы послания также с сожалением отмечают, что пост Генсека ООН никогда не занимала женщина, и призывают стран-члены Организации всерьез задуматься о выдвижении женщины в качестве кандидата. «Мы также обращаем внимание на важность регионального аспекта при выборе Генерального секретаря», – говорится в письме.

Кандидат может быть выдвинут страной или группой стран, но каждое государство имеет право номинировать одного человека.

Кандидаты, согласно утвержденной Генассамблеей процедуре, обязаны представить при выдвижении свое концептуальное заявление, которое будет опубликовано на специальной веб-странице Организации Объединенных Наций, а также раскрыть источники финансирования. Председатель Генеральной Ассамблеи проведет интерактивный диалог в режиме веб-трансляции с каждым кандидатами. 

Генерального секретаря, согласно Уставу ООН, назначает Генеральная Ассамблея ООН по рекомендации Совета Безопасности.

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UN presents UN80 Initiative Action Plan, setting coordinated path for system-wide reforms

UN Photo

 

Steel workers hoist a girder in place in the meeting hall area of the UN Headquarters where construction was completed in June 1951.

   

21 November 2025 

UN Affairs

The United Nations outlined how it intends to advance one of its most comprehensive system-wide reform efforts in decades, as Under-Secretary-General for Policy Guy Ryder presented the UN80 Initiative Action Plan. The plan brings the Secretary-General’s major UN80 reform proposals into a single, coherent structure to streamline efforts that will make the UN system deliver better.

The plan does not introduce new proposals but sets out how the UN system intends to advance the ones already on the table: 87 actions, grouped into 31 work packages across 3 workstreams, stretching from peace operations and humanitarian response to technology, shared services and institutional mergers.

“Its purpose is to bring structure, transparency and coherence and an operational framework to move ahead with all aspects of the UN80 Initiative - and also to enable you to see how each element will move forward: who is responsible for what, and on what timeline” Mr Ryder told Member States during an Informal Meeting of the General Assembly.

A plan for how the UN changes

The Action Plan sits at the heart of the UN80 Initiative, a bold, system-wide transformation to make the UN system work better - so that every dollar, decision and mandate delivers greater results for people and the planet.

Launched in March 2025, and welcomed by the General Assembly in resolution 79/318, the Initiative is not about redefining what the UN system does. The focus is on how it is structured, managed, and coordinated: modernising outdated arrangements, 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 UN system, with initial proposals reflected in the revised estimates for the 2026 Secretariat proposed programme budget; the Report of the Mandate Implementation Review, now under consideration by the Member State–led Informal Ad Hoc Working Group; and “Shifting Paradigms: United to Deliver,” the Secretary-General’s report outlining potential structural and programmatic realignments.

The Action Plan brings these three workstreams under one roof, translating their 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 months ahead can be a moment of real transformation”, Mr Ryder told Member States.

From three reports to 31 work packages

In practical terms, the Action Plan is a roadmap. It takes up the dense architecture of the UN80 Initiative and breaks it down into work packages, ranging from discreet technical changes to far-reaching system shifts.

Some of the most consequential packages focus on what senior officials call the “big tickets” for a more coherent UN system. On the peace and security side, this means new models for peace operations, including how tasks and resources are delegated to entities best placed to deliver. In the humanitarian sphere, it advances the New Humanitarian Compact to simplify emergency response plans, integrate supply chains, expand common services so that every dollar can deliver more.

Another cluster of work packages centres on how the UN development system is configured, including a “reset” of regional capacities and a reconfiguration of UN Country Teams that better combines expertise and cost-effectiveness.

The plan will also advance the assessments of possible mergers between UNDP and UNOPS, and UNFPA and UN Women, and the path forward for UNAIDS.

Critically, the Action Plan gives prominent place to joining up all “operational enablers” that underpin the UN system’s daily work: common data; shared technology platforms; unified services for supply chains and all other back-office functions; and a simpler approach to training and research.

Steering Committee and Task Force at the centre

A new Steering Committee, chaired by the Secretary-General every month, will ensure strategic direction and coherence among UN system leaders.

Beneath it, the UN80 Task Force, chaired by Mr Ryder, will meet weekly to coordinate implementation, monitor timelines and prepare recommendations for the Steering Committee’s review.

“As a basic principle, all actions will be undertaken in accordance with the applicable rules and procedures, as set out in the Charter, as well as the decisions, resolutions and established practice of the competent intergovernmental organs”, Mr Ryder recalled.

He noted that the Action Plan contains proposals falling under three different decision-making scenarios. The first scenario relates to proposals that fall within the Secretary-General's authority. The second relates to proposals that require further work, including the potential mergers outlined in the workstream 3 report. The third scenario relates to proposals involving financial considerations relating to the programme and peacekeeping budgets and are submitted to the General Assembly for review and approval in accordance with standard procedures.

Not a cure for the cash crunch – but part of the answer

The plan is being rolled out at a time when the UN System continues to grapple with serious funding cuts, with system resources estimated to fall 25 per cent (from $66 to $50 billion) in 2026, compared to 2024.

The Secretary-General has been explicit that the UN80 Initiative is not a solution to the UN system's financial crisis but a commitment to protect maximum impact, including in the most vulnerable settings.

A public dashboard for a complex overhaul

To help make sense of a reform that touches almost every corner of the UN 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 back to the three foundational reports. The dashboard will be expanded with timeline and milestones and updated regularly as work advances.

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 into a phase where progress, gaps, and results will be tracked in one place.

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Guterres calls for urgent reform of the Security Council

24 October 2025 

Peace and Security

Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday warned that the “fragile” legitimacy of the Security Council could endanger global peace if it remains gridlocked and fails to fulfil its primary purpose.

Mr. Guterres was addressing ambassadors in the iconic chamber in New York on United Nations Day, marking 80 years since its founding. He spoke via video link from the capital of Viet Nam, Hanoi, during a robust open debate on how the UN navigates an uncertain future.

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As the UN’s primary body for maintaining international peace and security, the council wields significant power, including the authority to impose sanctions and authorize military action.

Five of its 15 members have a permanent seat and were granted veto power under the UN Charter.

While the Council has played a central role in peacekeeping, conflict resolution and upholding international law, its veto system has often stalled action and sparked criticism.

The body’s structure is viewed by many countries and top officials as unrepresentative, leaving regions like Africa and Latin America without a permanent voice.

Invoking those who have looked to the council over 80 years to end wars, Mr. Guterres said that “the privilege to sit at this table carries a duty – above all – to honour the faith of those people,” he said. “Without a Security Council fit for purpose, the world is in grave danger.”

Debate over fundamentals

Presiding over the council for October, Russia praised the UN’s achievements but criticised the actions of Western governments, while elected (non-permanent) member Guyana, said the body was unrepresentative, advocating for greater and meaningful global representation.

The United States focused on operational reform, accountability, and called for a merit-based selection of the next Secretary-General – who takes the helm in January 2027 – emphasising the primacy of national sovereignty and transparency in the selection process.

The US representative called for an end to a selection process based on regions taking it in turns, arguing it was time to choose from a global roster of candidates.

For a full readout of the meeting click here.

UN Photo/Manuel Elías

 

Secretary-General António Guterres (on screen) addresses Security Council members.

A UN for the weak, not the powerful

The UN chief painted a vivid picture of how Council decisions can impact citizens worldwide:

“The Security Council is not about hegemons and empires. It is about parents who have lost their children, refugees flung far from their homes, soldiers who have sacrificed their limbs.

“In every shadow of this Chamber, you are surrounded by the ghosts of the dead. But beside them stands something else – the hopes of the living.”

He urged Council members to listen to those hopes.

“Listen closely and you will hear the cries of your citizens who rally for peace; the whispers of families who long for safety...The United Nations emblem does not bear the laurel wreath of a victor, but the olive crown of a peacemaker.”

But its legitimacy is fragile

Mr. Guterres highlighted the Council’s successes over eight decades, from helping Cambodia emerge from genocide to supporting South Africa’s transition from apartheid and deploying missions in Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste, and Liberia.

Yet its legitimacy remains fragile, he stressed, noting that violations of the UN Charter by some Member States erode trust and risk global stability.

He called for and expanded membership to better reflect the world’s demographics, including permanent representation for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Mr. Guterres also encouraged discussions on proposals to limit the use of the veto.

UN Photo/Manuel Elías

 

A wide view of the Security Council as Secretary-General António Guterres (on screen) addresses members.

Russia: Divisive Western powers

Russia’s Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia praised the UN’s achievements but cautioned against the actions of Western powers.

“In an effort to maintain its waning influence, the West divided the world into ‘us’ and ‘them’ – ‘democracies’ and ‘autocracies’ – a group of those who are chosen, and those who are violating their imposed order,” he said.

As a result, many of the UN Charter’s principles remain concepts, not a reality. “Adventures” – from the Iraq invasion and Colour Revolutions to the recent invasion of Iran – have only led to tragedy, he said.

Guyana: Reform now

Guyana’s Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett echoed calls for reform, describing the current configuration of the Council as unrepresentative.

“The Security Council must be reformed. Notwithstanding the expansive breadth of the work of the UN, the reality is that this success or failure of the United Nations as a whole is judged in large measure through the action, or lack thereof, of the Security Council,” she said.

She called for permanent seats for Africa and Latin America and a rotating seat for small island developing States, emphasising that national interest and international cooperation are complementary.

US: UN ‘has lost its way’

The United States, represented by Ambassador Dorothy Shea, focused on accountability. She said the UN had become a “bloated bureaucracy” that has lost its way, calling for mandates with clear political objectives and measurable benchmarks.

“The UN should serve Member States rather than have Member States beholden to an unaccountable bureaucracy,” she said.

On the next Secretary-General, Ambassador Shea said the US seeks a leader who will restore the UN to its founding purpose, respecting state sovereignty and prioritising accountability and transparency.

She added that the selection process should be merit-based, drawing candidates from all regional groupings, and that the next Secretary-General should “bring the UN back to basics and by so doing, help achieve the bold vision of peace and prosperity to which we all committed.”

A humble ballot box

UN Photo

 

A photograph of a UN Security Council meeting on atomic energy in 1947.

At the start of the meeting, the UN chief recalled a remarkable moment from the UN’s early days: the first Security Council ballot box in 1946. To everyone’s surprise, a slip of paper was already inside – a note from Paul Antonio, a local New York mechanic who had made the box.

“May I, who have had the privilege of fabricating this ballot box, cast the first vote? May God be with every member of the United Nations Organization, and through your noble efforts bring lasting peace to us all – all over the world,” Mr. Antonio wrote.

“Paul Antonio – the mechanic never sat at this table He never gave a speech or signed a treaty,” Mr. Guterres told ambassadors.

“But he believed in everyone here. He believed in you. I urge you: honour that trust. Make this chamber worthy of the hopes of every man, woman and child.”

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Президентом Боливии стал правоцентрист Родриго Пас

20.10.2025, 06:12

Президентом Боливии стал правоцентрист Родриго Пас

По предварительным итогам подсчета голосов во втором туре президентских выборов в Боливии победу одержал сенатор-правоцентрист Родриго Пас, получивший 54,5% голосов. Его соперник, считавшийся ранее главным претендентом на президентский пост, Хорхе «Туто» Кирога, получил 45,5%.

Как уточняет агентство Reuters, победа Паса стала «историческим сдвигом» для страны, которой с 2006 года управляли президенты от партии власти «Движение к социализму». В ходе предвыборной гонки Родриго Пас обещал сохранить социальные программы и одновременно стимулировать развитие частного бизнеса. Его соперник настаивал на мерах жесткой государственной экономии. Оба кандидата во втором туре пообещали укрепить дипломатические отношения с США.

Первый тур президентских выборов в Боливии состоялся 17 августа. По его итогам впервые в истории страны ни один из кандидатов не набрал 50%. Большинство голосов — 32,8% — досталось Родриго Пасу, второе место с 26,4% отошло Хорхе «Туто» Кироге, занимавшему в начале 2000-х пост президента. Выдвиженец от партии власти Эдуардо дель Кастильо набрал только 3,2% голосов. Прошедший во второй тур Хорхе «Туто» Кирога обещал избирателям отказаться от многомиллиардных контрактов с Россией и Китаем по добыче лития.

Влад Никифоров

https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8138333

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