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UN unveils “UN80” plan to guide coordinated System-Wide reforms
The United Nations has introduced a comprehensive roadmap to implement one of its most ambitious institutional reform efforts in decades. The plan, known as UN80, was presented in New York by Guy Ryder, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Policy, who described it as a coordinated framework bringing together the main reform proposals already introduced by the Secretary-General.
Rather than proposing new measures, the UN80 Action Plan explains how the UN system intends to advance 87 ongoing reform actions, grouped into 31 workstreams and organized around three major pillars. These initiatives span a wide range of areas, from peacekeeping and humanitarian response to technological capacity, shared services, and potential institutional mergers.
Ryder told Member States that the objective is to provide “structure, transparency, and coherence” to the reform process, clarifying responsibilities, schedules, and the intergovernmental bodies tasked with reviewing each proposal.
A roadmap for systemic transformation
Launched in March 2025 and endorsed by the General Assembly through Resolution 79/318, the UN80 Initiative aims to modernize how the UN system functions—streamlining outdated processes, reducing duplication, improving coordination, and maximizing impact—without redefining the organization’s overall mission.
The plan incorporates three lines of work:
- measures to strengthen the UN system’s effectiveness (already reflected in revised budget estimates for 2026),
- the mandate implementation review currently examined by an intergovernmental working group,
- and the Secretary-General’s report “Shifting the Paradigm: United for Action”, outlining potential programmatic and structural realignments.
The Action Plan translates these elements into a unified operational structure detailing who does what, when, and under which governance mechanisms.
From three reports to 31 workstreams
The plan breaks the complex reform architecture into practical work packages. Some focus on major strategic issues, including new models for peacekeeping operations with clearer task delegation. Others concern humanitarian reform, with a push to simplify emergency response planning, integrate supply chains, and expand shared services.
Additional workstreams address development-system adjustments, such as updating regional capacities and redesigning UN country teams for better expertise and cost efficiency.
The plan also advances studies on potential mergers—for example between UNDP and UNOPS, or between UNFPA and UN Women—and outlines next steps for UNAIDS.
A central component concerns improved coordination of operational “enablers”: shared data systems, common technology platforms, unified supply-chain services, and streamlined training and research approaches.
New governance architecture
A new Steering Committee, chaired monthly by the Secretary-General, will ensure strategic direction. The UN80 Working Group, chaired weekly by Guy Ryder, will monitor implementation, timelines, and recommendations.
According to Ryder, all measures will be carried out in line with the UN Charter and established intergovernmental procedures. The plan distinguishes three decision-making scenarios:
- reforms fully under the Secretary-General’s authority;
- initiatives requiring further study, including potential mergers;
- proposals with financial implications that must be approved by the General Assembly.
Reform amid shrinking budgets
The reform effort comes as the UN faces significant funding cuts, with expected resources falling 25% between 2024 and 2026. While the UN80 plan is not intended to solve the financial crisis, the Secretary-General has framed it as a commitment to maintaining strong impact even with reduced means.
To support transparency, the UN has launched an interactive online dashboard for the UN80 Initiative, enabling users to track each workstream, its objectives, leadership, and links to the three foundational reports.
The plan marks a shift from conceptual discussions toward an implementation phase in which progress and gaps can be monitored in one place.