The United Nations outlined how it intends to advance one of its most comprehensive system-wide reform efforts in decades, as Under-Secretary-General for Policy Guy Ryder presented the UN80 Initiative Action Plan. The plan brings the Secretary-General's major UN80 reform proposals into a single, coherent structure to streamline efforts that will make the UN system deliver better.
The plan does not introduce new proposals but sets out how the UN system intends to advance the ones already on the table: 87 actions, grouped into 31 work packages across 3 workstreams, stretching from peace operations and humanitarian response to technology, shared services and institutional mergers.
"Its purpose is to bring structure, transparency and coherence and an operational framework to move ahead with all aspects of the UN80 Initiative - and also to enable you to see how each element will move forward: who is responsible for what, and on what timeline" Mr Ryder told Member States during an Informal Meeting of the General Assembly.
A plan for how the UN changes
The Action Plan sits at the heart of the UN80 Initiative, a bold, system-wide transformation to make the UN system work better - so that every dollar, decision and mandate delivers greater results for people and the planet.
Launched in March 2025, and welcomed by the General Assembly in resolution 79/318 , the Initiative is not about redefining what the UN system does. The focus is on how it is structured, managed, and coordinated: modernising outdated arrangements, reducing bureaucracy, fragmentation and duplication, and strengthening impact.
The UN80 Initiative advances through three workstreams - all united in the Action Plan: proposals to improve efficiency across the UN system, with initial proposals reflected in the revised estimates for the 2026 Secretariat proposed programme budget; the Report of the Mandate Implementation Review , now under consideration by the Member State-led Informal Ad Hoc Working Group ; and " Shifting Paradigms: United to Deliver ," the Secretary-General's report outlining potential structural and programmatic realignments.
The Action Plan brings these three workstreams under one roof, translating their recommendations into a clear structure that identifies responsibilities, timelines and the intergovernmental bodies that will consider the proposals.
"If we maintain the momentum and approach this initiative in the right spirit, the months ahead can be a moment of real transformation", Mr Ryder told Member States.
From three reports to 31 work packages
In practical terms, the Action Plan is a roadmap. It takes up the dense architecture of the UN80 Initiative and breaks it down into work packages, ranging from discreet technical changes to far-reaching system shifts.
Some of the most consequential packages focus on what senior officials call the "big tickets" for a more coherent UN system. On the peace and security side, this means new models for peace operations, including how tasks and resources are delegated to entities best placed to deliver. In the humanitarian sphere, it advances the New Humanitarian Compact to simplify emergency response plans, integrate supply chains, expand common services so that every dollar can deliver more.
Another cluster of work packages centres on how the UN development system is configured, including a "reset" of regional capacities and a reconfiguration of UN Country Teams that better combines expertise and cost-effectiveness.
The plan will also advance the assessments of possible mergers between UNDP and UNOPS, and UNFPA and UN Women , and the path forward for UNAIDS .
Critically, the Action Plan gives prominent place to joining up all "operational enablers" that underpin the UN system's daily work: common data; shared technology platforms; unified services for supply chains and all other back-office functions; and a simpler approach to training and research.
Steering Committee and Task Force at the centre
A new Steering Committee, chaired by the Secretary-General every month, will ensure strategic direction and coherence among UN system leaders.
Beneath it, the UN80 Task Force, chaired by Mr Ryder, will meet weekly to coordinate implementation, monitor timelines and prepare recommendations for the Steering Committee's review.
"As a basic principle, all actions will be undertaken in accordance with the applicable rules and procedures, as set out in the Charter, as well as the decisions, resolutions and established practice of the competent intergovernmental organs", Mr Ryder recalled.
He noted that the Action Plan contains proposals falling under three different decision-making scenarios. The first scenario relates to proposals that fall within the Secretary-General's authority. The second relates to proposals that require further work, including the potential mergers outlined in the workstream 3 report. The third scenario relates to proposals involving financial considerations relating to the programme and peacekeeping budgets and are submitted to the General Assembly for review and approval in accordance with standard procedures.
Not a cure for the cash crunch - but part of the answer
The plan is being rolled out at a time when the UN System continues to grapple with serious funding cuts, with system resources estimated to fall 25% (from $66 to $50 billion) in 2026, compared to 2024.
The Secretary-General has been explicit that the UN80 Initiative is not a solution to the UN system's financial crisis but a commitment to protect maximum impact, including in the most vulnerable settings.
A public dashboard for a complex overhaul
To help make sense of a reform that touches almost every corner of the UN system, the Secretariat has launched an interactive UN80 Initiative Actions dashboard .
The online platform allows users to see, at a glance, each work package, its objectives and leadership, and how it connects back to the three foundational reports. The dashboard will be expanded with timeline and milestones and updated regularly as work advances.
For an initiative whose success will ultimately be measured not in new documents but in real-world impact, the Action Plan is a turning point: moving from design into a phase where progress, gaps, and results will be tracked in one place.
