UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has voiced strong support for the reforms suggested by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to make the United Nations more efficient, coherent, and impactful.
The plan, part of UN chief’s broader UN80 initiative, seeks to modernise how the UN functions as it approaches its 80th anniversary in 2025.
Speaking to the General Assembly, Guterres warned that duplication, fragmentation, and outdated mandates are overstretching resources and undermining the organization’s ability to deliver. “We cannot expect far greater impact without the means to deliver,” he said. “By spreading our capacities so thin, we risk becoming more focused on process than on results.”
Pakistan has also voiced strong support for the reforms.
Pakistan also backs proposals to streamline global body’s workings, unveiled ahead of its 80th anniversary
“We support efforts to make the UN more efficient, responsive, and fit-for-purpose,” said Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative.
“Mandates should be judged by implementation, not age.” He called for clarity in distinguishing between duplication and shared relevance.
Since 1945, mandates—directives issued by the General Assembly, Security Council, and Economic and Social Council—have multiplied dramatically. Today, more than 40,000 active mandates are overseen by 400 intergovernmental bodies, requiring over 27,000 meetings and generating around 2,300 pages of documentation daily, at an annual cost of $360 million.
While mandates guide the UN’s work in over 190 countries, from peacekeeping to development, many are outdated, overlapping, or overly complex.
Another key issue is the lack of coordination: Multiple UN entities often cite the same mandate to justify separate programs and budgets, resulting in duplication and diluted impact.
“Effective reviews are the exception, not the rule,” said Guterres, noting that many mandates are revisited each year with only minor revisions.
Concluding, Guterres praised his staff, saying: “To improve implementation, we must also empower those who carry it out.”
Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2025
