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A United Nations report focused on enhancing efficiency and reducing costs has highlighted a concerning trend: UN reports are rarely read. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres briefed member states on Friday about the findings, which were produced by his UN80 reform task force. The report examines how UN staff carry out thousands of mandates issued by bodies such as the General Assembly and Security Council.
Guterres mentioned that last year, the UN supported around 27,000 meetings involving 240 different entities, and produced 1,100 reports—a 20% rise compared to 1990. “The enormous volume of meetings and reports is exhausting the system—and all of us,” he stated.
He added, “Many of these reports are not being widely read. The top 5% of reports are downloaded more than 5,500 times, but one in five reports gets fewer than 1,000 downloads. Downloading does not necessarily mean they are being read.”
In March, Guterres initiated the UN80 task force as the organization approaches its 80th anniversary amidst a financial crisis. For at least seven consecutive years, not all 193 member nations have paid their dues fully or on time, contributing to the organization’s liquidity issues.
The report, released late Thursday, delves into just one aspect of ongoing reform efforts. Among the ideas Guterres proposed on Friday are reducing the number of meetings and reports, focusing instead on producing fewer, more comprehensive documents that fulfill all mandates effectively.
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