UN / UN80 INITIATIVE UPDATE

UN chief António Guterres has outlined further progress in the wide-ranging UN80 Initiative, a major reform and restructuring project aimed at making the global body more effective, agile and better equipped to respond to global challenges. UNIFEED

• Video Length: 00:05:06
• Production Date: 28 May 2026
• Asset Language: English; French
• Personal Subject: ANTONIO GUTERRES; ANNALENA BAERBOCK
• Subject Topical: UNITED NATIONS REFORM
• MAMS Id: 3578920
• Parent Id: 3578920
• Alternate Title: unifeed260528a

Description

STORY: UN / UN80 INITIATIVE UPDATE
TRT: 05:06
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / FRENCH / NATS

DATELINE: 28 MAY 2026, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UN headquarters

28 MAY 2026, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Annalena Baerbock, President, General Assembly:
“Thank you for joining this now regular meeting on progress under the UN80 Initiative, which, today, will include an update from the Secretary-General on the Comprehensive Report. The timing of this report is apt, coming just over one year since the launch of the UN80 Initiative by the Secretary-General.”
4. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Annalena Baerbock, President, General Assembly:
“Under Workstream one, the Membership responded to the ongoing liquidity crisis with the necessary restraint, meeting the revised estimates put forward by the Secretary-General while helping place the Organization on a more sustainable fiscal footing.”
6. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Annalena Baerbock, President, General Assembly:
“Through it all, the voices of Member States must continue to be reflected at each new juncture. And on this, they have been clear: decisions under the UN80 Initiative, across all three workstreams, must be predicated on efficiency and delivery.”
8. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
9. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Notably, we realized a 21 percent reduction in posts for 2026 – while also minimizing impact on staff, facilitated by actions we began taking in early 2024. We merged 11 teams into a common administrative platform serving 6,000 personnel in New York – with five additional duty stations to follow. We launched a Digital Hub in Valencia to support Secretariat-wide digital service delivery. We consolidated 10 payroll centres into a single global team. Relocated 220 Secretariat posts from high-cost locations, plus approximately 1,900 more across the UN system.”
10. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
11. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“We have begun piloting the New Humanitarian Compact – a push for innovation, impact, and integration as we grapple with soaring needs and plummeting resources. This includes simplifying humanitarian planning. Unifying humanitarian supply chains, which account for 70 percent of overall humanitarian spending. Strengthening the use of data and digital systems to better anticipate needs, target assistance, and improve interoperability across the humanitarian system. Aligning roles and responsibilities across UN agencies. And strengthening humanitarian diplomacy. These new approaches are being piloted in five crisis settings – Afghanistan, Haiti, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Somalia, and Sudan – and we are looking at how they can be adapted and scaled for wider use. And through the Shared Platform Initiative, we are helping Resident and Humanitarian Coordinators to bring together their teams around shared priorities, performance expectations, and accountability.”
12. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
13. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“We are also developing joint knowledge hubs that pool thematic know-how and analysis. The first ones will focus on trade and regional integration, productive transformation, and strategic foresight. A Unified Services Roadmap is moving the system from fragmentation of support services to common arrangements.”
14. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
15. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Work on other potential structural reforms is also advancing. The transition of UNAIDS, with its capacities and mission mainstreamed into the co-sponsors of UNAIDS; The consolidation of research and training capacities and the creation of a system-wide coordination mechanism co-led by UNU and UNITAR; And the assessments of the potential mergers of UNFPA and UN Women, and of UNDP and UNOPS.”
16. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
17. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“I am particularly concerned when it comes to our work on human rights, which received far fewer resources than other pillars – despite commitments made in the Pact for the Future. That is why I established the Human Rights Group – to clarify responsibilities on this cross-cutting issue, share information, support coherent action across pillars, and help the system deliver more effectively.”
18. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
19. SOUNDBITE (French) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Taking the UN80 Initiative forward is a shared responsibility. Change is inevitable. We are, however, faced with a choice between strategic, planned reform or, conversely, change left to chance — costly and driven by events beyond anyone's control.”
20. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
 

Storyline

UN chief António Guterres has outlined further progress in the wide-ranging UN80 Initiative, a major reform and restructuring project aimed at making the global body more effective, agile and better equipped to respond to global challenges.

Today (28 May) Guterres told the General Assembly, “Taking the UN80 Initiative forward is a shared responsibility. Change is inevitable.”

Launched in March 2025, the initiative seeks to ensure that “every mandate, dollar and decision” delivers greater impact for people and the planet, at a time of growing demands and constrained resources.

The UN chief described the project as “a paradigm shift in how the UN system organizes its work and collaborates for greater impact,” and declared that the project has now entered a critical new phase of decision-making and delivery.

A progress update released on Tuesday highlights the steps that have been taken to improve efficiency, review how mandates are implemented, and explore changes to the internal structure of the system, including the potential merger of some UN bodies.

Work to streamline operations within the UN Secretariat and beyond – including measures to reduce duplication and improve coordination – is already underway. These efforts form part of a broader push to modernise how the organisation operates.

The initiative also aims to simplify administrative processes and strengthen services across the UN system, with a focus on delivering faster and more cost-effective support to Member States.

Another key pillar of the reform effort centres on how mandates – the tasks assigned by Member States – are designed, implemented and reviewed.

The report highlights ongoing work with national governments to improve transparency, reduce reporting burdens and better align mandates with resources and results.

With tens of thousands of mandates guiding how the UN operates, the review process is intended to ensure they remain relevant, coherent and focused on delivering measurable outcomes.

Proposals for changes to the structure of the UN include closer alignment across departments and agencies, and stronger collaboration across the entities concerned with peace and security, development and human rights.
The initiative has identified the need for fewer silos and more integrated approaches, alongside new tools such as shared data platforms and strengthened coordination mechanisms.

However, decisions on changes to the structure of the UN rest with Member States, which will have the final say on priorities and implementation.

Describing UN80 as a “work in progress,” the Secretary-General has emphasized that sustained engagement is the way to create a more coherent and effective UN system.

As the initiative continues to evolve, its different strands are expected to come together to form a unified framework delivering stronger, more coordinated action.