UN Chief Antonio Guterres has announced the UN80 Initiative as the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary in 2025.
Background
- Financial Crisis and Budget Constraints: The UN faces a liquidity crisis for the seventh consecutive year.
- The 2025 UN budget is $3.7 billion, covering political, humanitarian, disarmament, economic, and social affairs.
- The US has yet to confirm how much it will contribute to the 2025 budget.
Funding of the United Nations
- Mandatory Contributions: Every UN member is required to contribute to the organization’s budget.
- Contributions are based on a country’s economic capacity.
- These funds primarily cover administrative costs and peacekeeping operations.
- Voluntary Contributions: Many countries provide additional funds for specific UN programs. These contributions support humanitarian aid, development, and other global initiatives.
- Role of the United States: The U.S. has been the largest donor to the UN since its founding in 1945.
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- Key Contributors and Payment Uncertainty
- The US and China are the top contributors to the UN’s regular budget:
- US share: 22% (largest contributor) but owes $1.5 billion in arrears.
- China’s share: 20% (increased by 5% in 2025). China has assured full payment but has not specified the timeline.
- As of March 7, 2025, only 73 member states had paid their full assessments.
- Spending Cuts and Hiring Freeze: Due to financial uncertainty, the UN has:
- Reduced spending by up to 20%.
- Imposed a hiring freeze.
- Remained cautious with financial planning between January and August 2025.
About UN80 Initiative
- Reform Effort: The UN80 Initiative is a reform effort launched by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to improve the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and strategic alignment of the 80-year-old United Nations amid financial challenges and global uncertainty.
History of the UN Foundation
- Early Efforts for Peace (1899–1902)
- 1899: The International Peace Conference in The Hague aimed to prevent wars, settle crises peacefully, and establish warfare rules.
- 1902: The Permanent Court of Arbitration was established, later influencing the UN International Court of Justice.
- League of Nations (1919)
- Created under the Treaty of Versailles after World War I to promote international cooperation and ensure peace.
- The International Labour Organization (ILO) was also founded under the Treaty as an affiliated agency.
- Origin of the United Nations Name (1942)
- Coined by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- The Declaration by United Nations (1942) was signed by 26 nations, pledging to fight against Axis Powers (Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis) and prohibiting separate peace treaties.
- Formation of the United Nations (1945): United Nations Conference on International Organization (San Francisco, USA)led to the signing of the United Nations Charter, the foundational treaty of the UN as an intergovernmental organization.
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- Key Focus Areas:
- Identifying Operational Efficiencies: Streamlining UN processes for better performance.
- Reviewing Implementation of Mandates: Assessing how effectively Member States’ directives are being executed.
- Strategic and Structural Overhaul: Conducting a deeper realignment of UN programs and systems.
- Implementation:
- A dedicated Task Force will develop proposals for these reforms.
- The initiative aims to maximize resources, ensuring the UN remains impactful despite funding constraints.
About United Nations (UN)
- The United Nations (UN) is an international organization founded on October 24, 1945, to promote peace, security, human rights, and development. It currently has 193 Member States and serves as a global platform for international cooperation.
- The UN Charter of 1945 is the foundational treaty of the United Nations, as an intergovernmental organization.
- Main Organs of the UN
Timeline Of Key Reforms in the UN
- 1997: Kofi Annan announces his plan for United Nations reform with two reform packages: “Track One” (structural changes) and “Track Two” (management improvements) to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
- 2000: Millennium Summit & Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): The UN adopted the MDGs, setting global targets for poverty reduction, health, and education.
- 2004: Two models proposed for expanding the Security Council.
- 2005: Kofi Annan presents his most comprehensive reform and policy agenda with his report “In Larger Freedom”.
- The Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) is established.
- 2006: The Human Rights Council replaces the former United Nations Commission.
- 2007-2016: Reforms continue during Ban Ki-moon’s term with the launch of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and adoption of the Paris Climate Agreement.
- 2015-Adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): The SDGs replaced the MDGs, setting 17 goals for global development by 2030.
- 2017-2020: Reforms envisioned by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have been ongoing, focusing on the UN’s peace and security pillar.
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- General Assembly (UNGA): The main deliberative body where all Member States participate.
- Security Council (UNSC): Maintains international peace and security, with five permanent members (P5) and ten elected members.
- Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC): Coordinates global economic, social, and environmental policies.
- International Court of Justice (ICJ): Settles legal disputes between states.
- Secretariat: Led by the Secretary-General, it carries out day-to-day operations.
Need For UN Reforms
- Outdated Structure: The UN was created in 1945 with 51 member states, but now has 193, making its framework outdated.
- The global economy and financial systems have drastically changed, requiring structural updates.
- Global Disparities: Developing nations face increasing debt and inequality, limiting their progress. Existing global systems fail to address sustainable development challenges effectively.
- Legitimacy and Credibility Issues: The UN Security Council’s dominance by a few permanent members weakens trust.
- Inequitable Representation: Asia, Africa, and Latin America remain underrepresented in the Security Council. A fairer distribution of seats would improve global decision-making and legitimacy.
- Example: “Uniting for Consensus” (UfC) is a group comprising Italy, Pakistan, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Turkey, Spain, and Indonesia that opposes the expansion of permanent seats in the UN Security Council.
- Financial and Administrative Reform: The UN faces a funding crisis as demands for peacekeeping and development increase.
- Example: Many UN agencies, such as the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), face chronic underfunding.
- Global Security Challenges: Conflicts, terrorism, and humanitarian crises demand a stronger UN response. A reformed Security Council would enhance preventive diplomacy and peacekeeping efforts.
Decision-Making In UN
- Simple Majority Vote: Most decisions in the UN are made by a simple majority vote of all members.
- Two-Thirds Majority: Required for critical decisions, such as membership issues.
- Consensus-Based Decisions: Some bodies, like the Conference on Disarmament, require full agreement, effectively giving each member a veto.
- Security Council Veto Power: The P5 (China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US) have veto power, allowing them to block any substantive resolution.
- Each P5 member has veto power, meaning they can block any substantive resolution, even if all other members support it.
- This applies to issues like sanctions, military interventions, and peacekeeping operations.
- Example: Israel-Palestine Issue: The United States has frequently used its veto power to block resolutions critical of Israel, even when there is broad international support, thus preventing the Council from taking action to address the long-standing conflict.
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Reform Ideas for the United Nations
- Security Council Reform: The UN Security Council’s permanent membership reflects the world order of 1945 and lacks adequate representation of emerging powers.
- Proposals for reform include:
- G4 Nations Proposal: Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan seek permanent seats.
- Uniting for Consensus Group: Opposes new permanent members, advocating expanded non-permanent seats.
- UN Secretariat Transparency Reform: Proposals include:
- Merit-based promotions instead of regional quotas.
- Ending dominance of powerful nations in senior Secretariat positions.
- Democracy Reform: Advocates for making the UN more democratic and representative. Some of the suggestions are:
- Direct election of the Secretary-General and General Assembly representatives.
- A blend of direct and indirect democracy mechanisms.
- Consideration of the subsidiarity principle to prevent over-centralization of power.
- Financing Reform: Proposed mechanisms for funding the UN independently:
- Arms Tax Proposal: Taxing weapons sales to fund UN peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts.
- Global Resources Dividend: A tax on global resource use to ensure sustainable funding.
Groups Advocating for UNSC Reform
- G4 (India, Brazil, Germany, Japan): Seeks permanent membership and expanded UNSC representation, especially for developing countries.
- L69 (Developing Nations Group): Advocates for Global South representation and broader UNSC reforms.
- Members: It consists of 42 developing nations (including India) from Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific (Small Island Developing States).
- Nomenclature: Based on the draft document number “L.69”, tabled in 2007-08, which led to the initiation of the Intergovernmental Negotiation (IGN) process
- C-10 (African Nations Group): A group of ten African states namely Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Libya, Namibia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia
- Supports the Common African Position (CAP) for stronger African presence in the UNSC.
- IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa): Calls for comprehensive UN reforms, aligning with G4 and L69 demands.
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India and UN
- Founding Member: Signed the Declaration by the United Nations (1942) and participated in the San Francisco Conference (1945) to establish the UN.
- Leadership in Decolonization: Co-sponsored the 1960 Declaration on Independence and chaired the Decolonization Committee.
- Fight Against Apartheid: First country to raise apartheid at the UN (1946) and backed the 1965 Anti-Racial Discrimination Convention.
- Advocate for Developing Nations: Founding member of NAM and G77, pushing for a fairer global order.
- Leading in Peacekeeping: Largest troop contributor, with 244,500+ personnel in 49 missions since 1948.
- Women in Peacekeeping: First country to deploy an all-women police unit (2007, Liberia), boosting women’s role in security.
- Non Permanent Member of UNSC: India has served as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council on multiple occasions, specifically during the periods: 1950-51, 1967-68, 1972-73, 1977-78, 1984-85, 1991-92, 2011-12, and 2021-22.
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India’s Concerns About the United Nations
- Failure in Addressing Global Crises: The UN has struggled to tackle major global challenges like COVID-19, the Russia-Ukraine war, terrorism, and climate change. India calls for urgent reforms to make the organization more effective and relevant.
- Unfair Veto Power Structure: Today, there are 193 member-states of the UN and only fifteen members of the UNSC (less than 8% of the member states).
- The veto power held by the five permanent members (P-5) creates an imbalance in decision-making.
- India advocates for greater representation of regions like Africa, South America, and Asia in the Security Council.
- Slow Progress on UN Reforms: Despite the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) process starting, UN reforms have been sluggish. India insists that reform efforts must be accelerated to reflect today’s geopolitical landscape.
- India, as part of the G4 nations in the Intergovernmental Negotiations on UNSC reform, proposed a detailed model advocating for democratically elected permanent members by the General Assembly while demonstrating flexibility on the veto power issue.
- Developmental and Economic Asymmetries: India has expressed concerns over the North-South divide in economic development and climate negotiations.
Way forward
- Strengthening Advocacy for UNSC Expansion: India should continue pushing for a reformed Security Council with equitable representation for developing nations.
- Example: Strengthening alliances with the G4 and the African Union can build diplomatic pressure for change.
- Enhancing Multilateral Financial Contributions: Advocating for sustainable funding mechanisms like a UN reserve fund can reduce dependency on major donors.
- Reforming the UN General Assembly (UNGA): Proposing a bicameral parliamentary system can enhance the effectiveness of UNGA’s decision-making. Strengthening the implementation of UNGA resolutions will ensure better global impact.
- Leveraging Regional and Thematic AlliancesEngaging with BRICS, QUAD, and the Global South can help push for UN reforms.
- Strengthening Engagement Outside the UN
- India must actively participate in multilateral forums beyond the UN to shape global governance.
- Expanding diplomatic outreach in NAM, WTO, and trade blocs will ensure India’s interests are protected.
Conclusion
The United Nations plays a crucial role in maintaining global peace, security, and development, but its structures must evolve to meet modern challenges. Reforming the UN is essential to ensure greater inclusivity, effectiveness, and legitimacy in decision-making.
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