Secretary-General’s remarks to the General Assembly on the UN80 Initiative [as delivered] | Secretary-General

Thank you for the chance to transient you on the UN 80 Initiative.

Since my final replace on 1 August, we now have made regular progress throughout all three workstreams.

Allow me to start with just a few phrases on Workstreams 1 and a couple of, earlier than turning to the principal focus of our dialogue: Workstream 3.

On the primary workstream – efficiencies and enhancements.

A month in the past, I transmitted to the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, the well-known ACABQ, the advance unedited model of the revised estimates referring to the proposed programme finances for 2026 and the help account for 2025/26.

The Committee has since began its overview.

The report outlines focused efficiencies and price reductions to the common finances and for the primary six months of the help account for subsequent 12 months.

It additionally presents preliminary measures to enhance the administration and operations of the Secretariat.  

As a end result, we recognized focused efficiencies and price reductions of over 15 per cent within the proposed 2026 common finances;

And about 19 per cent in posts – in comparison with the authorized ranges for [2025]. 

These selections weren’t taken evenly.

They have been calibrated to keep up stability throughout the three pillars of our work – peace and safety, human rights and sustainable improvement – whereas reinforcing help to creating nations and sustaining momentum for the 2030 Agenda.

We are notably eager on defending help within the subject to creating nations, with a specific emphasis on the African continent, Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States.

Both the Resident Coordinator system and the Peacebuilding Fund are additionally protected – and our new peacebuilding configuration enhances efficiencies and consolidates capacities for sustaining peace.

At the identical time, the revised estimates introduce preliminary measures to enhance effectivity.

These embody relocating sure capabilities from higher-cost to lower-cost responsibility stations;

Consolidating administrative platforms, beginning with New York and Bangkok;

And unifying payroll throughout a world staff in three areas.

The function is obvious: to cut back duplication, strengthen high quality, and safeguard mandate supply whereas responding to Member States’ name for larger effectivity.

Excellencies,

These proposals would have an effect on the each day work and lives of workers throughout the Secretariat – from relocations and revised capabilities to, in some circumstances, separations.

We stay dedicated to supporting all colleagues via this transition and have put in place measures to help doubtlessly affected workers.

As you study the revised estimates and the associated report of the ACABQ within the weeks forward, my staff and I stay totally at your disposal for clarifications and to help your deliberations.

Turning to Workstream 2 – mandate implementation overview. 

I commend the steps taken since our assembly in August – together with the institution of an off-the-cuff advert hoc working group, co-chaired by Jamaica and New Zealand.

Here too, you’ll be able to rely on my staff’s full help as you perform this important work.

The working group has offered a complete work plan from now till March 2026 together with a sequence of briefings and consultations structured across the three levels of the mandate lifecycle.

The working group has already began a brand new sequence of briefings this week – offering a wonderful discussion board for discussions and consensus-building, which is able to present an vital pathway to enhance mandate implementation.

In parallel, we’re advancing the proposals contained within the mandate implementation report that fall inside my authority.

These preliminary steps embody:

Expanding the scope and functionalities of the mandate registries and transparency instruments;

Shortening our stories;

Combining stories masking related points when possible;

And publishing obtain statistics – to make sure larger effectivity and transparency.

Now allow us to flip to Workstream 3 – structural modifications and programmatic realignments.

Excellencies,

You obtained my progress report “Shifting Paradigms: United to Deliver” and this occurred simply forward of the General Assembly’s High-Level Week.

The report is now out there in all six official languages.

It displays intense, months-long, system-wide work.

In May 2025, on the Chief Executive Board, I established seven thematic clusters, involving the entire UN system, bringing collectively experience and views from throughout the system.

Each cluster was tasked with figuring out how programmes is likely to be realigned and the way constructions might be reshaped to ship larger impression.

Inter-cluster periods additionally passed off to coordinate proposals throughout thematic areas.

We obtained many concepts from the system, earlier than holding a sequence of discussions to refine them additional.

The progress report proposes three units of paradigm shifts for the UN system as an entire:

Shifts inside every pillar, shifts in how we work throughout pillars, and shifts how we allow our operations collectively.

Excellencies,

In listening rigorously to your Heads of State and Government throughout High-Level Week, I heard a transparent and resounding message:

Many of you share the premise of my report – {that a} transformation in the best way the UN system organizes its work is urgently wanted to make the Organization match for immediately’s challenges.

This transformation should be anchored in clear ideas – the very ideas which have guided our UN80 effort:

To advance the needs and uphold the UN Charter throughout all three pillars of our work;

To strengthen the UN’s skill to help nations in delivering on the 2030 Agenda and to reply successfully to rising points – together with these recognized within the Pact for the Future;

To maximize the concrete impression of our actions and companies for Member States;

And to undertake the reforms in strict accordance with the relevant guidelines and procedures – together with the established practices of related intergovernmental our bodies.

Excellencies,

My imaginative and prescient for the United Nations system is obvious: Entities that work collectively as one to ship higher – overcoming fragmentation, eliminating duplication, enhancing funding fashions, and maximizing synergies.

Entities which might be extra streamlined – with fewer redundancies;

More collaborative – with totally different components of the system working seamlessly collectively;

And more cost effective – making certain that sources entrusted to us ship most impression for the individuals we serve.

My progress report units out greater than 70 particular person motion factors to assist understand that imaginative and prescient – throughout peace and safety, humanitarian operations, improvement, and human rights, in addition to in our cross-pillar efforts and the enablers of our work.

I’ll spotlight among the key proposals.

First, within the peace and safety pillar. 

I suggest to consolidate and reconfigure groups at Headquarters, in addition to particular political missions beginning with Yemen, Cyprus and Central Africa – to remove duplication and enhance coherence in our help to Member States.

Our peace operations should additionally proceed to evolve and adapt.

To this finish, I’m proposing that the supply of extra programmatic duties of multi-dimensional peace operations be delegated to the best-placed UN system entities – backed by their programmatic funding and the total power of their mandates.

This “networked” mannequin would enable us to ship extra impactfully – however with much less price, much less duplication, and fewer challenges in transitions – whereas retaining full accountability to the mission mandate.

Today, we now have a number of conditions all over the world the place we now have a division of the Mission that has the identical capabilities of an Agency working within the Country Team.  This doesn’t make sense.  It is a lot better to have the likelihood to delegate the capabilities of the Mission to the Agency that’s finest positioned to implement them and that may clearly facilitate the transition when the Mission closes.

I’ll current a complete set of proposals following the conclusion of the Peace Operations Review mandated by the Pact for the Future.

Second, humanitarian operations. 

Humanitarian motion is getting ready to collapse.

Needs are larger than ever, but funding for the UN system’s humanitarian operations is shrinking.

Now is the time for daring, systemic change, constructing on the Humanitarian Reset:

To ship sooner, at decrease price, and with larger reliability – to the hundreds of thousands of individuals whose lives depend upon us in moments of disaster.

With this aim in thoughts, we now have established a New Humanitarian Compact between UN humanitarian businesses – a six-point blueprint to ship higher, restore belief in multilateral motion and maximize the impression of each greenback.

The Compact will convey the UN system collectively in a brand new Collaborative Humanitarian Diplomacy Initiative – fostering coordinated negotiation and unified messaging, in order that we converse and act as one for these in best want.

We will lower coordination forms – by simplifying humanitarian response plans, conferences, and constructions.

We will combine the provision chains of the principal humanitarian businesses – enabling more cost effective procurement, pooled freight, and shared logistics at international and nation ranges.

We additionally suggest to scale up the usage of frequent companies – from workplace house to fleets and safety preparations – in order that entities equivalent to OCHA, WFP, UNHCR, UNICEF and IOM and others can depend on a shared spine of help companies.

Everything that’s particular of the exercise of an Agency ought to be developed by the Agency however every part that’s frequent ought to be executed along with a bigger enhance of effectivity and a significant discount of prices.

We will strengthen our joint capacities to leverage knowledge for sooner, earlier, extra focused and dignified motion, powered by a brand new Humanitarian Data Collaborative.

And we are going to align obligations to cut back programmatic overlaps within the fields of meals, mobility, beneficiary knowledge, well being and vitamin.

Third, sustainable improvement. 

The 2017 reform of the United Nations improvement system reshaped how we help the 2030 Agenda.

Yet the present context calls for far more.

Too usually, a patchwork of UN entities and specialised businesses presents governments with a maze of entry factors – and generally competing initiatives – once they search UN help.

This undermines coherence, dilutes our impression on the bottom and weakens supply on nation priorities.

To deal with this problem, I’ve put ahead a number of proposals.

One is to restructure entities the place there could also be overlaps or duplications.

With that aim in thoughts, within the first occasion, we suggest to conduct an intensive evaluation of the potential advantages of a merger between UNDP and UNOPS – to create a stronger engine for sustainable improvement, with larger attain and scale.

Similarly, we are going to conduct an intensive evaluation of the advantages of a merger of UNFPA and UN Women and their respective mandates and capacities.

Bringing these collectively may present the United Nations with a unified and extra highly effective voice on gender equality and the rights of ladies and women.

I imagine it’s price exploring how these constructions is likely to be reconfigured for larger effectivity and impression for sustainable improvement.

We will conduct complete assessments and current preliminary findings and choices to Member States in early 2026.

We are additionally open to contemplating another mergers Member States would possibly counsel primarily based on their very own analysis of the system.

At the regional degree, I suggest a reset, to regroup and host extra capacities across the areas of Regional Commissions and different choices the place viable, led by the Deputy Secretary-General.

At the nation degree, I additionally suggest a reconfiguration of our nation groups.

Today, in lots of nations, we see greater than 20 UN improvement system entities current – usually with restricted budgets and expensive administrative footprints.

We want leaner, extra impactful nation groups – with much less spending on bodily presence and extra sources for experience and impression.

The Resident Coordinators should function the single-entry level – making certain that Member States can entry the total breadth of UN experience.

To that finish, the working group led by the Deputy Secretary-General may also develop suggestions for a reconfiguration of the nation groups by early subsequent 12 months.

In help of those efforts, our specialised businesses, with their deep technical experience, will assist develop a brand new mechanism to proactively ship extra “expertise on demand” via the system together with at nation degree.

This is a particularly vital measure as a result of till now, specialised businesses which were created throughout totally different moments previously that usually depend upon governing our bodies associated to totally different ministries in governments must a sure extent, have been residing in isolation in relation to the remainder of the system.  But they’ve huge capacities that can be utilized by the entire system, each on the international and nation degree and that’s the reason we’re creating this mechanism of experience on demand, placing the specialised businesses on the service of the UN System as an entire. 

In the UN Secretariat, as a contribution to this system-wide push, we may also set up Joint Knowledge Hubs – pooling extra know-how on key points equivalent to local weather change, science, know-how and innovation, or financing for improvement, avoiding current duplications.

I’ll offer you two examples.  Today, we now have two stories on improvement in Africa, one in UNCTAD, one within the African Economic Commission.  Obviously, any longer, we may have just one report.  We have two stories on international improvement, one from DESA, on from  UNCTAD.  Obviously, any longer, we’ll have just one report.  When we now have a number of departments that take care of the identical points, it is smart that we cease this duplication and we convey collectively these capacities in hubs specialised within the areas which might be extra vital for the implementation of the Agenda 2030.   

Turning now to human rights. 

We have already got a robust UN structure in place, led by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

To construct on this basis and additional enhance coordination throughout the system, I suggest establishing a Human Rights Group comprising entities from throughout the UN system.  

This mechanism would be sure that human rights issues are systematically built-in into all UN insurance policies and actions.

Excellencies,

I’ve outlined some choices to strengthen every of our three pillars.

But we should additionally reinforce our cross-pillar strategy – to remove duplication and to deepen cooperation.

More than two-thirds of UN system-wide spending goes to advanced settings – the place peace, improvement, humanitarian motion and human rights converge.

In such contexts, your entire system should work as one.

Starting on the international degree, we are going to streamline our inner coordination – decreasing overlap amongst senior management fora;

Establishing regional cross-pillar platforms;

And unifying coordination for prevention underneath one platform – so the UN system acts as one the place peace, improvement, humanitarian motion and human rights intersect.

I additionally suggest strengthening how we collaborate throughout improvement and humanitarian efforts, via a Shared Platform Initiative that may simplify the techniques and instruments for our Resident and Humanitarian Coordinators.

Finally, let me contact upon the important shifts in key enablers for our system-wide impression:

Administrative help companies, know-how, knowledge, funding, coaching and analysis.

On operational help, we envision an irreversible shift in the direction of shared administrative companies throughout the UN system, each in international operations and in nation back-offices, constructing on the work of the UNSDG.

This ought to be enshrined in a brand new Unified Services Roadmap, and with the New Humanitarian Compact as a catalyst.

On know-how, particularly, we are going to consolidate the fragmented IT panorama throughout the UN system to decrease prices and improve effectivity.

The financial savings we obtain can then be reinvested in a brand new Technology Accelerator Platform – strengthening our enterprise practices and scaling up our joint capacities in leveraging digital capability and Artificial Intelligence – constructing on the event already achieved by sure departments and businesses.

This joint programme will leverage UN 2.0 capabilities and can be led by these entities from the Secretariat, specialised businesses, funds and programmes which have already developed essentially the most superior capabilities on this subject that should be put on the service of the entire UN System to speed up its know-how transformation.

At the identical time, we are going to advance a UN System Data Commons – in an effort to discover all our knowledge, statistics and shared experience simply in a single place.

On analysis and coaching, we suggest to consolidate a number of entities into two stronger pillars:

Merging the UN Staff System College into the UN Institute for Training and Research to create a unified coaching pillar;

And integrating the UN Research Institute for Social Development into the UN University.

Finally, we suggest a overview of our core and pooled funding mechanisms, to make them less complicated, cheaper and extra impactful for contributors than fragmented financing.

They should be essentially the most compelling decisions.

Madam President, Excellencies,

You have heard various concepts and proposals.

Let me as soon as once more emphasize that the last word path of the UN80 Initiative rests with you, the Member States of the United Nations.

As I stated in my report, the proposals have been framed with the intention to be sure that all reforms are undertaken in accordance with the relevant guidelines and procedures – together with the Charter of the United Nations and selections, resolutions and established follow of the competent intergovernmental organs.

It is your prerogative – and your accountability, as reaffirmed by the General Assembly’s decision 79/318.

During the High-Level Week, a lot of your leaders underscored one other message:

That we should flip disaster into alternative – to safeguard multilateralism and to strengthen the United Nations to fulfill the challenges that lie forward.

I hear that very same message echoed by the ladies and men of the United Nations who serve throughout responsibility stations all over the world…

Often in hardship… all the time with dedication.

They ship important companies, shield these in hurt’s manner, and work tirelessly for peace.

They, too, aspire to serve a United Nations that delivers extra successfully.

I intend to make full use of the remaining time in my mandate to safe concrete realignments that may strengthen this Organization – and to make sure that my successor inherits a United Nations firmly set on the trail of renewal and transformation.

I stay up for listening to from you immediately.

Building in your insights, I’ll set up a devoted UN80 implementation staff.

Its job can be to advance proposals in order that they are often introduced to the related intergovernmental organs for determination;

And, the place proposals fall inside my authority, to maneuver ahead with the required steps for his or her implementation.

Later this month, I intend to current a UN80 motion plan to the UN system’s Chief Executives Board – to make sure full engagement throughout the United Nations household.

Following that dialogue, I’ll current to you concrete deliverables and timelines for advancing various the proposals contained on this report.

Over the approaching months, we are going to proceed to seek the advice of Member States and our workers, and offer you common updates on the efforts undertaken via the UN80 Initiative.

Proposals underneath Workstreams 1 and a couple of are continuing via established channels within the Fifth Committee and the Ad Hoc Working Group of the General Assembly for dialogue and decision-making.

Many of the proposals underneath Workstream 3 are broader in scope.

They contact upon a number of entities of the UN system, and that are topic to a wide range of governing preparations.

For this purpose, we are going to introduce developed proposals in numerous fora, as applicable for every proposal.

As we transfer ahead, we are going to make each effort to uphold the Organization’s ideas relating to geographic and gender range, in addition to our dedication to youth and incapacity inclusion.

Please relaxation assured that each one relevant guidelines and procedures can be totally revered, and that Member States can be consulted at each step of the best way all through the method.

I stay up for your regular steering as we stock this work ahead collectively.

Madam President, Excellencies,

You might need observed already a progressive convergence between the three workstreams.

The revised estimates earlier than you already embody the outcomes of some restructuring actions and programme realignments.

More will observe within the programme finances for 2027. 

The work you’re at present enterprise within the working group on mandates will enable for enhancements in your entire life cycle of mandates – creation, implementation, and supply.

At the identical time, the conclusions of Member States on mandates will information additional programme realignments and structural modifications to be undertaken and may have clear budgetary implications.

Taken collectively, the measures of the three workstreams will produce a way more coherent, impactful, and cost-effective UN system as an entire.

I imagine that the General Assembly is the correct place for the general oversight of the work forward.

As you mirror on the proposals contained within the report, my staff and I stay totally at your disposal for any consultations it’s possible you’ll want to maintain.

And if Member States ought to really feel that these proposals usually are not formidable sufficient, I stand able to work hand in hand with you to pursue any alternate options it’s possible you’ll want to contemplate to fulfill the challenges earlier than us.

The path ahead is yours to resolve.

The decisions you make will form the way forward for this initiative and the capability of the United Nations to ship on the guarantees of the Charter within the years forward.

I stay up for your concepts and to your steering.

Thank you.