The United Nations (UN) enters 2026 at a moment when global disorder and institutional constraints converge, placing unprecedented pressure on how multilateral governance is exercised.
The UN remains indispensable, and the expectations placed on it have expanded. Yet its authority and effectiveness are increasingly contested, while political support and resources have narrowed.
Against this backdrop, the UN80 Initiative, a reform effort to modernize how the organization operates, and, to some extent, the Pact of the Future before it, reflect a pragmatic attempt to restore the ability to govern the UN system despite persistent political fragmentation and fiscal constraints, rather than a grand redesign of multilateralism. Their ambition lies in treating reform as a system-wide exercise in method, coherence, and prioritization: aligning mandates, structures, and resources.
2026 is also the year when leadership at the UN will change hands. The 2026 Secretary-General selection will take place in a context in which mandate delivery is greatly hampered by political uncertainty, and UN governance is expected to operate under fiscal constraints. The results of the Secretary-General selection process will also serve as a political signal about the direction the major powers would like the institution to take. And the extent to which they are willing to pursue deeper structural reform to make the UN fit for purpose and relevant to addressing the myriad existing and emerging global challenges.
