Secretary-General urges civil society to help implement UNIT reforms to accelerate SDGs

The Secretary-General addressed civil society leaders, saying the United Nations must "renew our organization to deliver better for people" and that is why it launched the UNIT initiative, a set of proposals aimed at making the UN "more coherent, more fit for purpose, and more effective." He told participants this was their last chance to speak with him "as secretary general," because after his term he expects to return to civil-society work.

He framed UNIT as a response to global instability, saying "across our world, we see trust eroding and divisions deepening," and warned that conflicts, delayed climate action, and rapidly advancing technologies without guardrails threaten progress. "UNIT is vital to our ability to succeed in an age of profound instability," he said.

Pointing to the Sustainable Development Goals, he said time is short and progress is uneven: "with less than 5 years to go, just 36% of the targets are on track or making moderate progress, and 15% have gone into reverse." He said UNIT should strengthen country-level delivery and better coordinate UN support to help change that trajectory.

Describing the Pact for the Future, the Secretary-General said it "spells out concrete actions to turbocharge the SDGs," including steps to strengthen peace and security, accelerate sustainable development, tackle climate change, and share the benefits of science and technology more equitably while reining in risks. He said UNIT would create "greater efficiencies, stronger synergies within and across pillars, easier access for our partners, and closer proximity to those we serve."

On civil-society engagement, he urged structured, sustained partnerships linked to decision-making and announced an expansion of an interagency civil-society focal point network to cover the whole UN system, its agencies, funds, and institutions. "Genuine engagement must be structured, sustained, and linked to decision making," he said, and invited participants to "not worry with the script" and to offer spontaneous, candid proposals.

He closed by thanking the assembly for its participation and patience and by reiterating his invitation for frank feedback and concrete proposals to improve UN delivery.