UN80 Initiative: Workstream 2
Under the UN80 Initiative, and in line with General Assembly resolution 79/318, a new analysis offers proposals to improve how mandates are created, delivered, and reviewed – with a view to enhancing coherence, effectiveness, and real-world impact.
Every step matters for impact: Mandate implementation review
The United Nations has released a report examining how its mandates are created, delivered and reviewed, and offering proposals for the consideration of Member States to strengthen each of these functions. The report forms part of the UN80 Initiative, which overall seeks to support a more aligned, efficient, and results-oriented UN system.
The review focuses on mandates issued by the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Human Rights Council, along with their subsidiary bodies. These mandates are the collective will of Member States guiding the United Nations in all aspects of its work.
We must never lose sight of the people we serve. Mandates are not ends in themselves. They are tools – to deliver real results, in real lives, in the real world.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres
Over the past eight decades, thousands of such instructions have been adopted – establishing peacekeeping missions, advancing sustainable development goals, responding to humanitarian crises, and promoting human rights. Mandates are implemented by UN personnel in over 190 countries and territories and directly improve the lives of more than 440 million people each year.
"At each stage, the report offers possible actions. Some are for Member States consideration. Others are directed to the Secretariat, as appropriate. But one principle runs through them all: We must never lose sight of the people we serve. Mandates are not ends in themselves. They are tools – to deliver real results, in real lives, in the real world.", UN Secretary-General António Guterres said during a briefing to the General Assembly.
A new approach to reviewing mandate implementation
The report does not assess the merits of individual mandates, which remain the responsibility 2 of Member States. Instead, the report focuses on systemic challenges and offers practical proposals for improvement across the full lifecycle of mandates.
Among the systemic challenges identified in the report are the duplication of mandates across different UN bodies, inadequate coordination of their implementation by the UN system, fragmentation in mandate delivery, a growing gap between mandates and resources, and uneven mandate review mechanisms.
The report proposes a series of possible solutions, some to be undertaken by the Secretary-General within his authority, and others requiring action by Member States.
Part of a broader reform effort
The report is part of the wider UN80 Initiative launched by the Secretary-General in March 2025, which includes another two workstreams on organizational efficiency and improvement and on potential structural changes and programmatic realignment in the UN system.
The General Assembly endorsed the overall direction of this initiative in resolution 79/318, encouraging proposals to strengthen the impact and agility of the UN while reducing duplication and improving mandate delivery.
The Secretary-General is committed to acting immediately in areas within his existing authority. Member States will consider how to respond to the proposals with one option being launching an intergovernmental process to review and act on the report’s findings. Further analysis will continue under the UN80 Initiative.
As the UN steps up its implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and of the Pact for the Future, this report marks an important step toward shaping a more agile and accountable Organization, better aligned with the scale and urgency of today’s global challenges.
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