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Policy Briefs and Reports Books

From Reform to Reinvention: Reimagining the United Nations for the 21st Century

Jordan Ryan

April 7, 2026

Shutterstock AI Generator / shutterstock.com

This report argues that, in the face of a crisis of financial fragility, political paralysis and declining institutional legitimacy, the UN requires not reform but reinvention: a political redesign of incentives, authority and financing, not simply the restructuring of mandates and budgets. Drawing on the views of global leaders and a sober assessment of institutional failings, the report reframes the UN as an unfinished political project. The report concludes with a three-phase framework for transformation and six strategic priorities for member states, the Secretariat and civil society that build on the 2024 Pact for the Future while moving decisively beyond it.

A summary version of this report is also available at PassBlue.