KATHMANDU, Nepal, Could 20 (IPS) – How would the UN80 Initiative, designed to mark the eightieth Anniversary of the United Nations, turned out to be, if Kamala Harris had received the American presidential election in November final yr?
As extra particulars are rising on plans being drawn by Secretary Normal António Guterres to drastically restructure and re-organize the entire United Nation system, I couldn’t cease fascinated about this query.
The UN has change into an actual “galaxy” of companies, packages and workplaces, usually with overlapping mandates and capabilities. But and not using a second Trump Administration, it is vitally possible that the UN80 Initiative would have taken a a lot totally different form.
In spite of everything, the UN 2.0 blueprint, a timid proposal to reform and modernize the United Nations, developed in 2022 as a key pillar of the formidable Our Widespread Agenda, by no means actually took off.
A frank evaluation would take into account the UN 2.0 as a blueprint filled with hype and catchy phrases however profoundly missing substance.
But at the very least the UN 2.0 talked, even when in generic phrases, about an necessary want that the United Nations ought to have taken care of: change its inner tradition.
However as a substitute of focusing solely on the UN turning itself right into a “ahead considering” group as proposed within the blueprint, the cultural shift on the UN ought to be rather more formidable and radical.
Does the UN must begin to suppose and act as a startup group? Maybe it may possibly assist eliminate a purple tape tradition however on the identical time, some warning may be welcome, contemplating additionally all of the destructive penalties stemming from embracing a enterprise capitalist strategy to organizational tradition.
That’s why the profound rethinking that now could be below place on the UN ought to be grounded on easy values of humbleness and humility.
As stunning as they may appear, these two components are the cornerstone of principled management and the UN, if it actually needs to be a “lighthouse” in conditions wherein humanity and the planet face troubling darkish occasions, these ought to be embedded in any new restructuring.
Over time the UN has change into aloof and distant even in locations like within the so-called World South the place it has a powerful presence and its mandate is usually nicely acquired by locals.
This example might be emblematically regarded as a working tradition that lacks responsiveness and doesn’t do sufficient to succeed in out to the locals.
That is partly because of the UN’s mandate to work and help with nationwide governments however it has change into an excuse to not have interaction civil society and the citizenry.
The issue, as a substitute, is deeper and it begins with the truth that UN workers ended up, even unconsciously and involuntarily, as a “caste” of particular “ones”.
I don’t doubt the seriousness and dedication of the overwhelming majority of UN personnel however the system is so flawed that it’s inevitable that, regardless of your good intentions, you find yourself being remoted from the bottom actuality.
As naïve as it would look, why don’t we begin from the fundamentals? Are the extremely paid jobs on the UN morally justified?
One factor is to have a superb wage however one other factor is to have perks and services that solely the privileged “ones” are alleged to be entitled to. Then, why not tax the salaries of UN personnel?
These points do snowball and change into greater and affect a whole working mindset and, on the finish, they change into deeply entrenched within the organizational tradition of the UN.
Why is it so troublesome to safe appointments with the UN officers or getting a solution for some concepts which have been proposed to them?
It’s definitely unattainable for the UN companies and packages to entertain any requests, however, I do consider it might make sense for the UN to have a way more responsive strategy.
One other instance: why operating occasions in 4 or 5 star lodges?
Once more, this query might be shot down with disdain and as a trivial matter however, it’s only a symptom of a much wider malaise that has an actual end result: a variety of wasted assets that might be higher spent.
There’s a broader acceptance, even when it is going to be hardly admitted, that the UN are neither responsive nor accountable. The discussions being prioritized in the intervening time by the UN SG are usually not tackling these underlying points.
The continuing debate is extra about eliminating the huge quantity of inefficiencies by merging and elimination of overlapping entities. It isn’t that these potential shake ups don’t make sense.
It’s really welcome however, except there’s a deep reflection on how the UN might be actually extra accountable and clear and accessible, the change received’t be as highly effective as many hope.
Proper on the prime, many of the govt heads of companies and packages are very well-meaning and dedicated professionals however lots of them are former excessive stage officers of their nation of origin.
They’ve been accustomed to excessive workplaces that always are far faraway from the bottom actuality. Subsequently, they don’t seem to be nicely suited to attempt to create efficiencies and re-tool the whole working strategy. However the issue can also be with the mandate of the United Nations.
Fairly than focusing completely on aiding its member nations, the UN also needs to reposition its capabilities to do a a lot better job at partnering with civil society organizations. This additionally is smart as a result of freedoms are shrinking each within the North and within the South and total democracy is in decline.
A extra agile and humble UN might have a core mandate of supporting grassroots organizations and the entire civil society. A sensible method to begin doing it’s for the UN to interact and seek the advice of extra and higher with the society at massive, even when the internet hosting nations wouldn’t recognize it.
I do usually suppose that the UN as a system is oftentimes too submissive to the host governments even when the latter are recipients of giant quantities of help. It acts and obliges as if it didn’t have any negotiating powers.
To usher in efficiencies, furthermore, the UN companies and packages ought to cease being implementers on behalf of different donors.
It usually occurs that, at nation ranges, the workplaces of main UN companies signal partnership agreements with bilateral companies.
There are higher practices to implement growth help slightly than counting on the “technical’ experience of UN Businesses.
Why can’t bilateral companies straight help civil society or why can’t the UN companies solely play a way more restricted position? As a substitute of organising complete groups made up by contracted officers, in impact long run consultants, why not really help native NGOs when it comes to organizational growth and technical data by a way more nimble strategy?
All these proposals may be simply dismissed by those that have been thriving all through the years in a system whose potential of actual affect has been trimmed by a working tradition that doesn’t any extra meet the thresholds set by the excessive functions for which the UN had been created.
However the established order can not proceed.
Sadly, solely Donald Trump might set off a daring limiting of the UN. Merging and reducing companies and packages ought to be one aspect of the revolution that Mr. Guterres has been compelled to sort out.
Let’s not neglect the much less seen, maybe softer aspect of the coin. With out eradicating a mindset that ended up self-justifying and self-promoting, the UN will stop to exist.
And this shall be an actual drawback for our humanity.
That’s why the established order on the UN have to be defeated.
https://press.un.org/en/2025/sgsm22644.doc.htm
Simone Galimberti writes in regards to the SDGs, youth-centered policy-making and a stronger and higher United Nations.
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