In March, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched the UN80 Taskforce – a reform initiative aimed at reviewing how the Secretariat implements thousands of mandates and at reducing administrative overload.
According to a report, the Secretariat published 1,100 reports last year – a 20% increase since 1990 – and supported 27,000 meetings involving 240 entities.
“The sheer number of meetings and reports is pushing the system – and all of us – to the breaking point,” Guterres stated during a briefing.
” Many of these reports are not widely read. The top 5% of reports are downloaded more than 5,500 times, while one in five reports receives fewer than 1,000 downloads. And downloading doesn’t necessarily mean reading.”
It remains unclear how many people downloaded the latest report about reports, but a UN tweet about the efficiency reform effort – despite featuring an engaging video clip – had gathered fewer than 5,000 views.
Founded in the aftermath of World War II by the Soviet Union, United States, UK, France, and China, the organization initially had 51 members and was created to prevent wars and promote cooperation. Now with 193 member states, the UN faces what many experts describe as a credibility crisis.
Guterres has pushed back, insisting that “our values have never been more relevant.”
