UN better equipped but under-resourced, Guterres warns

UN Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres warned Monday that the UN system is “better equipped, but increasingly under‑resourced,” as the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals deadline looms just 1,700 days away. Speaking at the ECOSOC Operational Activities for Development Segment, Guterres noted that in 2025 alone, UN entities reported over $900 million in efficiency gains through streamlined services and supply chains. Recent surveys show 94% of governments now assess UN development support as effective, compared to a fragmented and overly competitive system in 2017.

Four essential actions

Guterres called first for deeper alignment with national priorities, noting that country teams do not always have the required capacities. The UN is assessing potential mergers between UNDP and UNOPS, as well as UNFPA and UN Women. Second, the UN80 reform initiative aims to channel more resources toward development results through joint knowledge hubs. Third, he urged stable core funding, revealing that the Resident Coordinator system faced a $46 million shortfall in 2025, and called on member states to reach the 30% core funding target.

Reprioritising spending

Finally, Guterres urged countries to reprioritise spending away from military budgets. “In the context of today’s out‑of‑control military spending, countries need to reprioritise and spend more on the instruments of peace and development and less on the instruments of destruction and death,” he said, renewing his call for meaningful debt relief.