By Simone Galimberti*
KATHMANDU, Nepal | 30 May 2025 (IDN) — Is the UN salvageable, or is it doomed to irrelevance and perhaps even a complete collapse?
The drastic cuts imposed by the United States on development cooperation following the closure of USAID, combined with a significantly weaker appetite among many traditional donors for international aid, represent a real threat to the operational functioning of the UN system.
Admittedly, these are bold propositions that might be easily pushed back. They should be encouraged.
Idea 1: Have a CEO in charge
At the foundation of this is the fact that at the highest levels of the UN bureaucracy, there are officials who have spent most of their lives within the UN System itself or have had careers in positions of power, holding important posts, often at ministerial levels or even at the level of heads of state and government.
That’s why they are not accustomed to running an organisation from both management and operational angles. They are mostly engaged, as defined by their job descriptions, in high-level political discussions with counterparts from around the world.
The UN needs someone from a different mindset, with a different outlook and background, who can run the “house” by looking at the nitty and gritty from a more managerial and operational angle.
How to implement it:
A second Deputy Secretary-General position could be created, or a Director-General of the United Nations System could be established. This person would examine the entire UN system, ensuring that goals and objectives are met and that efficiencies and overlapping issues are consistently addressed.
Ultimately, the Secretary-General and the existing Deputy Secretary-General role would continue to work at diplomatic and political levels, focusing on resolving the most pressing issues, helping to forge agreements, and reaching consensus on some of the most consequential matters. At the same time, someone else would make sure that the UN can deliver effectively and efficiently.
This new position would effectively oversee and manage operations at the country level around the world.
Idea 2: More Mergers and More Closures
The plans that have emerged so far are not going far enough. There is a significant need to further simplify the entire UN System by merging and consolidating many programs and agencies with overlapping mandates. For example, UNICEF and UNESCO should be merged.
With an American President who simply does not care about the UN or aid in general, there is a unique opportunity to devise the boldest plans ever for eliminating waste and overlap.
How to implement it: Antonio Guterres, the UN SG, should be much more open and keen to initiate a global debate on how to redesign the UN System. Right-sizing does not necessarily mean down-sizing the scope and overall mission of the UN.
Ultimately, the entire exercise should involve not only member states but also experts and civil society and focus on answering the following question: how can the UN be better positioned to deliver on its essential goals?
Elimination and reduction of inefficiencies in a reformed UN won’t represent the end of the UN, but rather the opposite: more resources would be freed for the delivery of important goals, and more money could be attracted by donors who would see a greater scope to support a reformed UN.
Additionally, it would be crucial to empower further the role of the UN Resident Coordinators, who should act as local CEOs.
Idea 3: Expand the Mandate of the UN
Where can the UN offer its best deliverables? Does it make sense for it to continue working on development in countries that are low-middle-income economies? Even with the LDCs, how can the UN foster an inclusive private sector?
Perhaps there is a need to do less but better. To start with, UN agencies or programs should not run their own projects, nor should they serve as implementing agencies.
Moreover, the UN should do a much better job of working with civil society rather than just focusing on strengthening the capacities of the national governments it supports.
Moreover, supporting the hosting governments at the country level could be seen as counterproductive as it can induce and foster dependency. If a hosting nation does not agree to allow the UN country system to work more effectively with NGOs and members of civil society, then the UN can close its operations, except its humanitarian work.
How to implement it: The role of the UN Resident Coordinators must be further empowered to ensure that each UN system at the country office has a comprehensive and ambitious outreach plan to engage with civil society and youth alike.
At a symbolic level, open house days can be organised to welcome youths and members of society. At the operational level, UN system in-country offices can establish permanent advisory forums comprising local, independent experts, with a significant proportion of them being under 35 years old.
The same UN Country offices (not individual agencies or programs) should also prioritise the design and organisation of calls for proposals targeting local organisations that are now suffering globally as the entire development system is collapsing.
Idea 4: Strengthen the Human Rights and Humanitarian dimensions of the UN System
While there are many good reasons for merging and closing most UN entities, the defence of human rights and, indirectly, the just and fair rule of law, together with humanitarian affairs, must not only be protected but also expanded.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is indispensable and must be even further strengthened. Both human rights and humanitarian assistance are going to be more and more critical amid the rise of authoritarianism and climate and war-induced calamities.
How to implement it: The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights should be provided with more resources, and its current regional offices must be further strengthened, including the establishment of satellite offices at the country level. Their outreach efforts and overall level of accessibility must be expanded, and they should be in a position to support local human rights organisations financially.
The Special Procedures mechanism within the United Nations Human Rights Council must be strengthened with additional resources and greater authority, and it should be made more accessible to individuals and organisations.
Concerning humanitarian affairs, there is considerable scope for reforming the way the UN operates, starting with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). However, even if drastically changed, its core functions must be enhanced rather than downsized.
Idea 5: Youths to be really engaged
There is a need to go beyond tokenistic ways of engaging youths in profound and meaningful ways. Whatever effort has been made to involve young people so far is not enough. The establishment of the United Nations Youth Office, while positive, represents only the foundation of a holistic process centred on providing youths with more powerful means of representation.
How to implement it: The Secretary-General, based on Our Common Agenda’s work related to youth, should initiate a global conversation. One idea could be to establish a permanent UN Youth Assembly, which would provide input and ideas on the entire development agenda currently covered by various agencies and programs.
As many agencies and programs could end up being merged, it would not make sense to have several tokenistic initiatives involving youths, as has been the case until now. It would be better to have one powerful (even if still without binding powers) body to represent the youths at the UN as a whole.
Idea 6: Simplify the governance of the Paris Agreement
There is unanimity that the architecture of the Paris Agreement has now become almost uncontrollable. There are too many mandated working groups and too many funding mechanisms in place.
Moreover, the two Secretariats, respectively governing the UN Climate Convention (now primarily assisting with the implementation of the Paris Agreement) and the UN Biodiversity Convention (responsible for supporting the realisation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework), should come together, even though they have different roles and responsibilities.
Idea 7: Being serious about volunteerism or shut it down
I have mixed feelings about this idea because UNV is a program that I highly value, being part of the UNDP. However, it has evolved into an outsourcing human resources agency, while continuing to play an important role in advocating for volunteerism.
How to implement it: The UNV should stop placing full-time, paid volunteers, also known as UNVs, within UN agencies and organisations. This should be a task that must be done differently and by someone else. UNV, as an autonomous agency within UNDP, makes sense only if it focuses on supporting and facilitating the implementation of volunteerism and civic engagement at both the local and global levels.
It would also be crucial to start implementing the Global Synthesis Report, which was approved in 2020, with a focus on localising the SDGs through volunteerism. This should be the core task of UNV.
Otherwise, I can imagine a Volunteerism and Civic Engagement Fund within a new global development entity that would replace the current UNDP.
Conclusions
Each of these ideas would require a tremendous amount of work in terms of brainstorming and planning. Yet, even if they might be seen as provocations, they could offer some “food for thought” on rethinking the UN with an out-of-the-box mindset.
Most of the envisaged reforms will indeed require the support of the member states. But we are living in unique times, and a majority of member nations might welcome a strong and radical shake-up of the UN.
Let’s not forget that we need a stronger yet more agile and humble United Nations system.
Radical changes could truly embolden the UN with a more focused approach, increased resources, and a fresh mandate or action. It is now up to the SG to be bold rather than being trapped in politicking and playing it safe.
If Antonio Guterres wants to leave a mark on his work at the helm of the UN, radical thinking, radical actions, and the willingness to push for them are now an unavoidable must.
*Simone Galimberti writes about the SDGs, youth-centred policy-making and a stronger and better United Nations. [IDN-InDepthNews]
Image: A view of the UN building-
