UN reform overdue after Gaza and Ukraine

 

10 UN Reforms for a Leaner, Fairer, Future-Ready UN

UN is slow to act on genocide in Gaza and Ukraine after 2 years of warfare. While Myanmar, Sudans and Haiti conflicts rumble on with minimal action. Even basics such as food and vaxx are delayed.

Time for substantial reform beyond ineffective bureaucracy.

1. Open Elections for UN Secretary-General

  • Replace backroom Security Council selection with General Assembly-wide voting.

  • Candidates should publish manifestos, undergo public debates, and face term limits.

2. Permanent Seats for Africa, India, and Global South

  • Expand UNSC to include 2 African nations (or a revamped African Union), India, and Latin America.

  • End the WWII victor monopoly — reflect today’s geopolitical realities.

3. Audit and Reduce UN’s 30,000+ Vehicle Fleet

  • Many UN agencies maintain fleets far exceeding operational needs - certainly beyond Africa.

  • Propose a global audit, with fleet downsizing and transition to EVs or shared logistics.

4. Merge Overlapping Departments

  • Combine peacekeeping, humanitarian, and development arms into 4 core pillars.

  • Eliminate duplication across WHO, WFP, UNICEF, and UNDP — streamline reporting and budgeting.

5. Relocate Staff from High-Cost Cities

  • Move posts from New York and Geneva to Nairobi, Bangkok, or Addis Ababa.

  • Slash lease costs and reinvest savings into field operations not pampered First World bureaucracy.

6. Mandate Transparency Dashboards

  • Every UN agency must publish real-time budget, staffing, and impact dashboards.

  • Include named contacts, FOI portals, and country-level breakdowns.

  • Shouldn't there be 2 divisions at its simplest: Africa and ROTW, given EU etc

7. Cap Departmental Bloat

  • Set a ceiling on admin-to-field staff ratios — e.g., no more than 1:3.

  • Departments exceeding thresholds must justify roles or face restructuring.

8. Digital Transformation Mandate

  • Automate routine tasks, digitize archives, and deploy AI for translation and logistics.

  • Reduce reliance on paper reports and manual workflows.

9. UNHAS and Logistics Reform

  • Consolidate UNHAS with WFP and WHO logistics — create a single humanitarian air wing. And with air forces rotation for aid flashpoints. UK with 300 choppers sat idle far from Sudan or Nigeria or DRC Congo.

  • Prioritize road-building and drone corridors over costly air drops.

10. UN Peacekeeping Overhaul

  • Shift from static missions to mobile, tech-enabled rapid response units.

  • Cancel showboat operations eg Cyprus: clearly an EU police function at most.

  • Integrate LIDAR, UAVs, and predictive analytics for conflict zones.


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