At a recent UN80 Informal Ad Hoc Working Group meeting, Sun Lei, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, outlined a five-point roadmap to revitalize the world body. Against a backdrop of global challenges—ranging from deepening liquidity strains to lagging Sustainable Development Goals—the proposal aims to sharpen the UN’s impact and responsiveness.
Five-Point Reform Roadmap
- Stay True to the Charter: Reaffirm the UN’s founding mission by safeguarding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. This renewal of authority and vitality will help the organization keep pace with evolving global needs.
- Deliver Results Efficiently: Focus on quality over bureaucracy. By cutting redundant formalities and wasteful spending, the UN can boost its agility, responsiveness and resilience in crisis response.
- Adopt Action-Oriented Measures: Move from principles to practice. Concrete, actionable steps must accompany each mandate to ensure real-world impact and clear accountability.
- Strengthen Research & Analysis: With nearly 4,000 resolutions shaping its work, the UN faces information overload. Sun Lei calls for deeper analysis of past lessons and practical proposals to streamline decision-making.
- Balance the Three Pillars: Reform must equally prioritize development, peace and security, and human rights. Two-thirds of the SDGs are still off track, so mechanisms and resources should tilt toward developing needs, while fostering cooperation rather than division on rights issues.
As the UN celebrates eight decades of global cooperation, these ideas invite member states, activists and global citizens to join the conversation. By blending data insights with bold action, the organization can renew its central role in shaping a more just, efficient and united world.
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Chinese envoy outlines five-point reform plan for more efficient UN
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