he United Nations stands at a crossroads, faced by the confluence of several inter–related global crises now referred to as the ‘polycrisis.’ The UN will be sorely tempted to try to tackle all these global issues, but should resist that temptation.
Much like businesses that grab for every opportunity and inadvertently overextend themselves, the UN has fallen into a diversification trap. By trying to be impactful everywhere, it ends up having much less impact. In other words, the real crux of the UN's trust and effectiveness problems lie in its sprawling agenda. The UN’s mission has become exceedingly broad, far beyond its foundational mission of promoting peace, security, and cooperation. This expansion dilutes the UN’s focus and ability to execute.
This diversification demands a substantial commitment of resources—financial, human, and technological—which inevitably reduces the resources available for other priorities. The diversification also increases complexity, leading to more bureaucracy and oversight. Additional processes and procedures can slow down decision making, communication, and coordination and require even more resources just for administration. The UN simply can’t afford to be slow and bureaucratic in a world moving at this fast of a pace if it wants to stay relevant.
To reestablish its credibility, the UN should scale back its operations, focusing on a few key pivotal areas: climate change, global health, conflict and peacebuilding, and emerging global technologies—particularly artificial intelligence. These are undeniably transnational issues that no single country or regional alliance can resolve alone, yet each country is significantly impacted.
Meanwhile, issues such as poverty alleviation and gender empowerment, while essential, can be more effectively managed by regional alliances, NGOs, and private sector actors. A more focused UN would better leverage its strengths—global convening power, neutrality, and norm–setting authority—on issues that transcend national borders.
By narrowing its focus, the UN can be leaner and more strategically aligned with the most pressing global concerns. It can also better leverage its existing strengths: convening power, neutrality, and the ability to set global norms. A restructured UN would be the primary convener for issues that cannot be siloed by national borders. In ten years, a credible UN should no longer be everything to everyone, but a decisive force for resolving the world’s most critical transnational challenges, with a clear mandate and stronger institutional cohesion.
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The UN is caught in a diversification trap
September 19, 2024
The real crux of the UN's trust and effectiveness problems lie in its sprawling agenda, writes Lisa Christen.
T
he United Nations stands at a crossroads, faced by the confluence of several inter–related global crises now referred to as the ‘polycrisis.’ The UN will be sorely tempted to try to tackle all these global issues, but should resist that temptation.
Much like businesses that grab for every opportunity and inadvertently overextend themselves, the UN has fallen into a diversification trap. By trying to be impactful everywhere, it ends up having much less impact. In other words, the real crux of the UN's trust and effectiveness problems lie in its sprawling agenda. The UN’s mission has become exceedingly broad, far beyond its foundational mission of promoting peace, security, and cooperation. This expansion dilutes the UN’s focus and ability to execute.
This diversification demands a substantial commitment of resources—financial, human, and technological—which inevitably reduces the resources available for other priorities. The diversification also increases complexity, leading to more bureaucracy and oversight. Additional processes and procedures can slow down decision making, communication, and coordination and require even more resources just for administration. The UN simply can’t afford to be slow and bureaucratic in a world moving at this fast of a pace if it wants to stay relevant.
To reestablish its credibility, the UN should scale back its operations, focusing on a few key pivotal areas: climate change, global health, conflict and peacebuilding, and emerging global technologies—particularly artificial intelligence. These are undeniably transnational issues that no single country or regional alliance can resolve alone, yet each country is significantly impacted.
Meanwhile, issues such as poverty alleviation and gender empowerment, while essential, can be more effectively managed by regional alliances, NGOs, and private sector actors. A more focused UN would better leverage its strengths—global convening power, neutrality, and norm–setting authority—on issues that transcend national borders.
By narrowing its focus, the UN can be leaner and more strategically aligned with the most pressing global concerns. It can also better leverage its existing strengths: convening power, neutrality, and the ability to set global norms. A restructured UN would be the primary convener for issues that cannot be siloed by national borders. In ten years, a credible UN should no longer be everything to everyone, but a decisive force for resolving the world’s most critical transnational challenges, with a clear mandate and stronger institutional cohesion.
