Photo UN/M. Tsovaras A road sign pointing in the direction of the UN headquarters in New York. UN80: Reforms are entering a decisive phase UN
The UN Secretary-General presented a report on Tuesday on the progress of the UN 80 initiative, in which he spoke about the ongoing reforms in the Organization’s system and called on Member States to become more actively involved in the process.
António Guterres stressed that “the status quo is unacceptable” and that the choice now must be between planned reform driven by states and forced changes caused by crises. duplication of functions within the Organization.
During 2026, 21 percent of the staffing levels of the UN Secretariat will be reduced. About 230 positions will be moved from New York to lower-cost regions of the world.
A new review of peacekeeping operations will be completed by June, which will present an updated peacekeeping architecture.
Reforms will affect UN country teams. Countries’ access to expert support will be improved and joint “knowledge hubs” created.
The report also calls for the creation of a Human Rights Group to better coordinate work in this area.
Shared responsibility
The next phase of reform will determine directly member states. According to the Secretary-General, many proposals will be promoted through existing intergovernmental mechanisms.
António Guterres warned that inaction in the current situation would be a “mistake.” – Our common task is to prevent this.”