Leaders Pledge to Renew the UN and Multilateralism Through UN Leadership Transition

Ministers and senior officials from 16 UN Member States and the European Union pledged to reform the UN and renew multilateral cooperation at the start of the United Nations General Assembly.  

At a high-level meeting sponsored by the Governments of Jamaica, Liechtenstein, Romania, Singapore, and South Africa, as well as the United Nations Foundation, leaders agreed to champion five specific actions, underlining that reform must be owned and sustained by Member States — backed by the next Secretary-General’s commitment to the organization and its renewal. 

• Providing strong, cross-regional political leadership for reform now and through the transition to a new Secretary-General. 

• Working with the next Secretary-General to propose, innovate, and execute reforms, recognizing that reform depends on close partnership between Member States and the Secretary-General. 

• Treating reform as an ongoing priority, not a discrete process, including through recurring mechanisms for Member State review and engagement beyond any single report or resolution. 

• Pursuing bold, structural options to advance the organization’s purpose and priorities, alongside the necessary work of continued efforts at institutional and budgetary efficiency.  

• Working across regions and political priorities to strengthen international cooperation, recognizing that a multilateral system worth investing in must be renewed multilaterally.  

Ministers and senior representatives from Barbados, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, the European Union, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Liechtenstein, Maldives, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Senegal, Singapore, and South Africa also discussed what the multilateral system must be capable of delivering, for whom, and how it should organize itself to best do so.  

H.E. Ms. Sabine Monauni, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Environment and Culture of the Principality of Liechtenstein, said: “For some, reform is simply a byword for budget cuts. But all of us want the UN to do what it promises: prevent wars, enable sustainable development and stand up for human rights everywhere.” 

H.E. Ms. Oana-Silvia Țoiu, Foreign Minister of Romania, said: “Robust reform must go hand in hand with a renewal of organizational culture. Renewal is how we turbocharge the trust — and the investment — that countries are willing to place in the UN in the future.” 

H.E. Mr. Ronald Lamola, Foreign Minister of South Africa, said: “The strengthening of this institution depends on all of us together.”  

H.E. Ms. Iruthisham Adam, Foreign Minister of the Maldives, said: “Reform cannot simply mean a smaller UN presence. It must mean a UN that delivers better.” 

H.E. Dr. Luke Goh, Permanent Secretary for Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore, said: “We find ourselves at an inflection point. Beyond specific measures, we need to give people renewed confidence that the UN is making progress.” 

H.E. Mr. Brian Wallace, Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the United Nations, said: “The sustained enthusiasm of the Member States to drive reform is essential.” 

Dr. Elizabeth Cousens, UN Foundation President and CEO, said: “Multilateralism is not a nice-to-have but a must. There’s new appetite today for hard conversations about the purpose and performance of the international system and how to produce decisive and lasting change.” 

Leaders also discussed how ongoing reforms have strengthened the UN, while exploring deeper transformation to make the UN fit for 21st-century challenges. These discussions build on two years of engagement of the so-called Princeton Group — an informal cross-regional network whose members are committed to frank, off-the-record debate about the future of the UN and international system. Since its founding in early 2025, the Group has provided a space for ambassadors and UN officials to strategize on revitalizing the organization.  

About the UN Foundation
The United Nations Foundation has built novel innovations and partnerships to support the United Nations and help solve global problems at scale for nearly 30 years. As an independent charitable organization, the Foundation was created to work closely with the United Nations to address humanity’s greatest challenges and drive global progress. Learn more at www.unfoundation.org.