Reinventing the United Nations:  Report on the Uppsala Workshop, 27–28 August 2026

Image: Hasbi Sahin / Shutterstock

What would it take for the United Nations to act more effectively on today’s conflicts and cross-border challenges? This report draws on a workshop convened by the Toda Peace Institute and the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation in Uppsala on 27–28 August 2026 to discuss drafts of seven commissioned policy briefs. Participants examined what can be done when the Security Council cannot agree, what the General Assembly can realistically achieve, and how collective action can remain legitimate and accountable. The report argues that reinvention should begin with the problem, identify who has the authority, knowledge and resources to address it, and connect those capacities without assuming that the United Nations must become larger or more centralised. Jan Eliasson, former UN Deputy Secretary-General and a former President of the General Assembly, joined the workshop and helped frame its closing reflections.