PACT FOR THE
FUTURE / UN80
A NEW UNITED NATIONS:
How Will We Fix the UN?
Pact for the Future /
UN80 Initiative
A UN Charter Convention is the goal—but getting there will take time. In the meantime, there are real efforts underway to improve the United Nations. They haven't fixed things yet, but they are moving in the right direction. And they are building the foundation for the bigger changes we need.
The 2024 Summit of the Future
In September 2024, world leaders gathered at the United Nations and agreed on the Pact for the Future—a roadmap for reforming the UN and strengthening global cooperation. It was adopted by overwhelming consensus, with only 7 countries trying unsuccessfully to block it.
It's important to understand what the Pact is—and what it isn't. It is not finished policy. The Security Council has not been reformed. Nuclear weapons have not been reduced. What the Pact does is commit countries to working toward these goals, and sets out a process for making them happen. Think of it as a serious agreement to get serious about change.
The Pact lays out 56 specific commitments across five key areas:
Security Council reform - The most significant commitment to reforming the Security Council since the 1960s, with plans to improve representation and effectiveness
Nuclear disarmament - The first global recommitment to eliminating nuclear weapons in over a decade
Digital governance - A Global Digital Compact establishing the first shared framework for AI governance and digital cooperation
Youth engagement - A Declaration on Future Generations giving young people more meaningful roles in global decisions
Climate and development - Better financing and governance to address climate change and reduce global poverty
Why This Matters
The Pact is a step, not a solution. But it's a meaningful one—for a few reasons:
It made reform normal.
For the first time in many years, almost every country agreed that major UN reforms are necessary. That wasn't always obvious. This opens the door to bigger conversations about redesigning global governance.
It set the right goals.
The Pact calls for a UN that is "more representative," "inclusive," "transparent," and "accountable." Those are important principles The Human Survival Project is striving for.
It created a path forward.
The Pact includes a progress review in 2028. Policy experts are already calling for that review to kick off serious negotiations about deeper reforms—potentially including changes to the UN Charter itself. That is the opening The Human Survival Project is working toward.
It showed that cooperation is still possible.
Despite major tensions between world powers, 186 countries found common ground. The European Union has called the Pact "our guiding light" at a time when global cooperation is under serious strain. That gives us reason to believe a Charter Convention could also receive broad support.
It showed that citizens matter.
Over 10,000 civil society representatives took part in the Summit process, and their input shaped the final agreement. When citizens get organized and push for change, governments listen.
The UN80 Initiative—and a Funding Crisis
As the United Nations turned 80 in 2025, Secretary-General António Guterres launched the UN80 Initiative to push forward on the Pact's goals and make the UN work better. The plan was to review how the UN operates, cut waste, and propose structural changes.
But almost immediately, UN80 ran into a serious financial crisis—one that shows exactly why the UN needs fundamental reform, not just tinkering around the edges.
By the end of 2025, countries owed the UN nearly $1.6 billion in unpaid dues toward the 2026 regular budget. The United States alone owed an estimated $4.5 billion when we include peacekeeping and additional obligations. Russia and others are also far behind. As a result, the UN entered 2026 having to cut its budget by 7%, eliminate nearly one in five staff positions, and warned of a possible "race to bankruptcy."
So instead of moving boldly ahead with reform, much of UN80's energy has gone into managing a financial emergency—one caused largely by powerful countries simply refusing to pay what they owe.
This isn't a reason to give up. It's a reason to push harder. The fact that a few countries can hold hostage the world's most important institution by withholding dues is exactly what a Charter Convention must solve.
What This All Means
The Pact for the Future and UN80 are real efforts by real people trying to make things better. They matter. But they are modest reforms within a broken system.
Countries have shown they want change. The Pact has given advocates the language and the tools to push for deeper reform. And the financial crisis has made it impossible to ignore just how much damage powerful countries can do when they decide not to cooperate.
The Pact for the Future shows that big UN reform is possible. The financial crisis shows that small reforms aren't enough. Together, they make the most powerful case we could ask for.
Every world crisis makes a stronger case for a Charter Convention.
The Human Survival Project's job—and yours, if you join us—is to make sure citizens around the world understand this, and demand that their leaders act.
HOW WILL WE FIX THE U.N.?
