Headlines
UN report finds United Nations reports are not widely read
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on August 1, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on August 1, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
A UN report reveals low engagement with its publications, suggesting fewer meetings and reports to improve efficiency.
By Michelle Nichols
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -A United Nations report seeking ways to improve efficiency and cut costs has revealed: U.N. reports are not widely read.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres briefed countries on Friday on the report, produced by his UN80 reform taskforce that focused on how U.N. staff implement thousands of mandates given to them by bodies like the General Assembly or Security Council.
He said last year that the U.N. system supported 27,000 meetings involving 240 bodies, and the U.N. secretariat produced 1,100 reports, a 20% increase since 1990.
"The sheer number of meetings and reports is pushing the system – and all of us – to the breaking point," Guterres said.
"Many of these reports are not widely read," he said. "The top 5% of reports are downloaded over 5,500 times, while one in five reports receives fewer than 1,000 downloads. And downloading doesn't necessarily mean reading."
Guterres launched the UN80 taskforce in March as the U.N. - which turns 80 this year - faces a liquidity crisis for at least the seventh year in a row because all 193 U.N. member states pay their mandatory regular dues in full or on time.
The report issued by the taskforce late on Thursday covers just one of several reform angles being pursued.
Among the suggestions Guterres put forward on Friday: "Fewer meetings. Fewer reports, but ones that are able to fully meet the requirements of all mandates."
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Diane Craft)
The report found that many U.N. reports are not widely read, with the top 5% receiving over 5,500 downloads while one in five reports gets fewer than 1,000 downloads.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres briefed countries on the report produced by his UN80 reform taskforce.
Guterres suggested having fewer meetings and reports, focusing instead on producing reports that fully meet the requirements of all mandates.
The U.N. is facing a liquidity crisis for the seventh consecutive year, which affects its ability to implement mandates effectively.
The UN80 taskforce was launched to explore ways to improve efficiency and cut costs within the U.N. system as it approaches its 80th anniversary.
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