UN Secretariat building in New York. The UN begins work on revising 40 thousand mandates UN
Reform of the United Nations system under the UN 80 initiative is entering a new stage – from “diagnosing” problems to practical changes. This was stated by the President of the General Assembly, Annalena Burbock, speaking at an informal meeting of the General Assembly in New York on Monday.
According to her, a year after the launch of the initiative, significant progress is already visible. In particular, an important step was the adoption last week of a key resolution on the creation, implementation and revision of mandates.
Revision of mandates
Over more than 80 years of the UN’s existence, over 40 thousand mandates have been created. At the same time, some of them have lost relevance, are duplicated or are not used.
“This is not just about administrative reform, but about ensuring that UN resources meet modern priorities and needs,” Burbock emphasized, expressing gratitude to Member States for their active participation in this process.
She also recalled that in the near future it is planned to appoint two co-chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Review of Mandates, which should resume its work until May 1, 2026.
Structural changes
According to the President of the General Assembly, the work on reviewing mandates is already making it possible to identify duplication and fragmentation of efforts in the UN system, which creates the basis for deeper structural and programmatic changes.
In particular, the meeting discussed the possibility of combining UN Women and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), as well as issues related to technology development and the use of data.
Acceleration reforms
Berbock stressed that the expected comprehensive report from UN 80 could provide additional impetus to reforms, both by accelerating their pace and improving their content.
She called on Member States to continue to actively and constructively participate in the process.