Chinese envoy outlines five-point reform plan for more efficient UN

A Chinese envoy said on Tuesday that China is willing to play a constructive role in continuously improving the work of the United Nations and promoting the development of global governance in a more just and reasonable direction.

Sun Lei, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, made the remarks at the meeting of the Informal Ad Hoc Working Group on the UN80 Initiative.

Against the backdrop of mounting global challenges and a deepening liquidity crisis, the reform offers the UN an opportunity for self-renewal by enhancing its governance capacity and better adapting to the evolving circumstances, Sun said.

Sun added that China would like to share five suggestions after drawing on China's own experience in governance, as well as that from other countries.

Firstly, Sun stressed the importance of remaining true to the founding mission.

China believes that the reform must revitalize the UN's authority and vitality, safeguard the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, enable the organization to keep pace with the times, and ensure that it will continue to play a central role in international affairs and make greater contributions to world peace and development, said the Chinese diplomat.

Secondly, he called on countries to strive for real results with higher efficiency. China believes that the reform should focus on improving the quality and efficiency of the UN's work, as well as the agility, responsiveness and resilience of the organization. In this process, wasteful spending, redundant formalities and excessive bureaucracy must be avoided, Sun said.

Thirdly, Sun emphasized the importance of an action-oriented approach. The working group was established by the General Assembly to improve the creation, delivery and review of mandates by identifying principles and follow-up actions, said Sun.

He said that principles alone are not enough, they must be matched with concrete, actionable measures if reform is to be truly implemented with tangible results.

Fourthly, the Chinese diplomat stressed the need to strengthen research and analysis. Noting the mandates of the Secretariat come out of nearly 4,000 resolutions and other sources, Sun said the sheer scale and complexity make it very difficult for member states to see all the details.

Sun said the Secretariat can do more, adding that it should build on the secretary-general's reports and recommendations, summarize past lessons, and put forward practical proposals for the working group.

Lastly, Sun said it's important to take a balanced approach to three pillars, respectively development, peace and security, and human rights.

On development, the reform must fully consider the significant needs of the developing world, Sun said. Noting two-thirds of the Sustainable Development Goals are lagging behind, Sun said that to address this painful reality requires genuine efforts to prioritize development in terms of mechanisms and resources.

On peace and security, the working group should strengthen communication and coordination with the UN Security Council, he said, as some mandates originate from the Security Council.

And on human rights, reform should foster solidarity and cooperation among member states, not division and confrontation, Sun added.