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STORY: UN / UN80 INITIATIVE GUTERRES
TRT: 04:23
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 12 MAY 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, United Nations headquarters
12 MAY 2025, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Trusteeship Committee Chamber
3. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Yes, these are times of peril. But they are also times of profound opportunity and obligation. The mission of the United Nations is more urgent than ever. And it is up to us to intensify our efforts to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals and be laser-focused on implementing the Pact for the Future with its many pathways to strengthen multilateralism.”
4. Wide shot, Trusteeship Committee Chamber
5. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“As indicated in my letter of 11 March, the UN80 Initiative is structured around three key workstreams: First, we are striving to rapidly identify efficiencies and improvements under current arrangements. Second, we are reviewing the implementation of all mandates given to us by Member States. And third, we are undertaking consideration of the need for structural changes and program realignment across the UN system. Under the first workstream on efficiencies and improvements, Under-Secretary-General Catherine Pollard is leading a Working Group for the Secretariat that is developing a management strategy to design a new business model for the Organization. The Working Group is focused on developing cost-reduction and efficiency-enhancement proposals in management and operations across the UN Secretariat.”
6. Wide shot, Trusteeship Committee Chamber
7. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“We have already completed an identification of all mandates reflected in the programme budget—and will soon do so for the rest of the system. The review has so far identified over 3,600 unique mandates for the Secretariat alone. It is now deepening its examination, clustering those mandates using various analytical lenses. After this analytical work, relevant entities and departments will be invited to identify opportunities for improvements or consolidation of efforts.”
8. Wide shot, Trusteeship Committee Chamber
9. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The UN system is highly diverse consisting of organizations with a wide variety of structures and mandates. To advance our three workstreams, I have established seven UN80 clusters –under the coordination of the UN80 Task Force and in close cooperation with the Secretariat Working Group. Each of the seven clusters bring together the organizations that contribute to specific global objectives and areas of work. They will advance efforts in the three UN80 workstreams –identifying efficiencies and improvements, mandate implementation review, and possible structural changes.”
10. Wide shot, Trusteeship Committee Chamber
11. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“We expect meaningful reductions in the overall budget level. For example, let me describe what is under consideration in the peace and security cluster. First – resetting DPPA and DPO, merging units, eliminating functional and structural duplications, getting rid of functions that are also exercised in other parts of the system. I believe we’ll be able to eliminate 20 per cent of the posts of the two departments. Second – a similar exercise of streamlining the civilian part of Peacekeeping. Third – the consolidation within OCT of all counterterrorism activities spread in the system. Fourth – a review of the present structure of Regional Offices, Special Representatives and Envoys aiming at a consolidation of the system – with increased functionality and meaningful savings.”
12. Wide shot, Trusteeship Committee Chamber
Briefing the Informal Meeting of the General Assembly Plenary on UN80 Initiative UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Yes, these are times of peril. But they are also times of profound opportunity and obligation. The mission of the United Nations is more urgent than ever.”
During the briefing today (May 12), Guterres described the UN80 Initiative as a blueprint structured around three primary workstreams aimed at revitalizing the organization’s operations. “First, we are striving to rapidly identify efficiencies and improvements under current arrangements. Second, we are reviewing the implementation of all mandates given to us by Member States. And third, we are undertaking consideration of the need for structural changes and program realignment across the UN system,” he explained.
Under the first workstream, Under-Secretary-General Catherine Pollard is leading a Working Group for the Secretariat to design a new business model focused on cost reduction and operational efficiency. “The Working Group is focused on developing cost-reduction and efficiency-enhancement proposals in management and operations across the UN Secretariat,” Guterres said.
Addressing the second workstream, Guterres announced that the Secretariat has already identified over 3,600 unique mandates within its program budget and is now clustering these mandates for deeper analysis. “After this analytical work, relevant entities and departments will be invited to identify opportunities for improvements or consolidation of efforts,” he told the Assembly, highlighting the push towards strategic alignment and streamlining.
To advance the three workstreams, Guterres revealed the creation of seven UN80 clusters under the coordination of a UN80 Task Force, working in close cooperation with the Secretariat Working Group. “Each of the seven clusters brings together the organizations that contribute to specific global objectives and areas of work. They will advance efforts in the three UN80 workstreams – identifying efficiencies and improvements, mandate implementation review, and possible structural changes,” he stated.
The clusters will be managed at the Principals’ level and will consist of the following:
Peace and security, coordinated by DPPA, DPO, OCT, and ODA; Development (Secretariat), coordinated by DESA, UNCTAD, ECA, and UNEP; Development (UN System), coordinated by UNDP, UNOPS, UNICEF and DCO; Humanitarian, coordinated by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, WFP, UNICEF, UNHCR, and IOM; Human Rights, coordinated by OHCHR; Training and Research, coordinated by UNU and UNITAR; and Specialized Agencies, coordinated by ITU and ILO.
Guterres also pointed to significant budgetary reductions planned for the peace and security cluster, including structural adjustments to the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) and the Department of Peace Operations (DPO). “We’ll be able to eliminate 20 percent of the posts of the two departments,” he announced, adding that similar streamlining efforts would target the civilian part of Peacekeeping and the consolidation of counterterrorism activities under the Office of Counter-Terrorism (OCT).
