UN reforms
Switzerland promotes a strong, modern and efficient UN system, enabling the Organization to remain effective and achieve its goals. It is in Switzerland’s interest that the UN fulfil its mandate. Therefore, reform discussions have always been a priority, including the current UN80 reform initiative of the Secretary-General, launched in March 2025.
Current UN reform initiative: UN80
The current UN reform initiative was announced by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in March 2025 – in honour of the 80th anniversary of the UN's founding, it was named ‘UN80’. UN80 is divided into three key areas of action:
- identification of efficiency potential,
- review of the implementation of mandates, and
- adjustments to the organisational structure.
The UN aims to use fewer financial resources to carry out its tasks in a more targeted manner and to adapt the UN system to the requirements of the 21st century.
In the context of the ongoing reform debates, it is of central importance for Switzerland to clearly position the interests of Geneva as a hub for international governance. This is in line with the goal of utilising and strengthening existing structures. Excessive geographical dispersion of UN activities can hamper cooperation. Switzerland's active involvement in reform issues is therefore particularly relevant given its role as host country: an effective, efficient and broadly based UN ultimately also strengthens Geneva's position and its role in the multilateral system.
Further reform efforts
In addition to the current UN80 reform, further reform efforts are underway at the UN. Perhaps the best known is the reform of the Security Council. From a Swiss perspective, reform of the UN development system is also a key issue. In addition, regular review and revitalisation processes are underway in the UN's various entities and programmes, including the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, the Human Rights Council and UNESCO. Several UN organisations have made periodic reviews part of their mandate.
In recent years, Switzerland has consistently presented concrete proposals to advance UN reforms, for example to improve the Security Council's working methods and to strengthen conflict prevention mechanisms.
Working methods of the UN Security Council
Since 2006, Switzerland has been actively engaged in efforts to improve the working methods of the UN Security Council. In accordance with the UN's Pact for the Future, the aim is to promote the participation of non-Council members, increase the Council's accountability to all UN member states, and improve the transparency and efficiency of its work.
As coordinator of the group “Accountability, Coherence and Transparency” (ACT), Switzerland is actively engaged in improving the Council's working methods. ACT was established in May 2013 and builds on the work of a previous, smaller group of five countries (Costa Rica, Jordan, Liechtenstein, Singapore and Switzerland) known as the “Small Five”. ACT comprises 27 countries from all regions of the world.
ACT recognises and commends efforts made by the Security Council to improve its working methods but notes that the implementation of measures adopted has often proven to be unsatisfactory or inconsistent. Additional measures are needed to enable the Security Council to carry out its mandate with maximum efficiency and effectiveness. (check ACT factsheet)
Reform of the UN Development System (UNDS)
In 2018, member states approved a comprehensive reform initiative by the UN Secretary-General focusing on three key areas: development cooperation, management, and peace and security. While the reforms in the areas of peace and security and management have largely been finalised, the reform of the UN development system is still ongoing. In particular, efforts are continuing to coordinate the work of the individual agencies even more closely in so-called UN country teams under the leadership of UN Resident Coordinators. Avoiding duplication thus leads to increased efficiency in the operational UN system.
Good progress has already been made. One challenge arises from the fact that the full funding required to implement the reform has not yet been provided. In addition, the behaviour of UN member states can also lead to a certain fragmentation of the system. The better UN member states understand the operational system, the more effectively they can support the implementation of this reform. For this reason, Switzerland has published a handbook that explains the UN's operational system in a simple and accessible way (see link).
Links
Documents
Contact
State Secretariat STS-FDFA
Bundesgasse 28
3003 Bern
Phone: +41 58 462 30 50