A United Nations report aimed at identifying ways to cut costs and boost efficiency has revealed a striking admission: the vast majority of its own reports are barely read, if at all. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres briefed member nations on the findings Friday, noting that a staggering volume of internal documentation is having minimal real-world impact.
The revelation came from the UN80 taskforce, which Guterres launched in March as the international body prepares to mark its 80th anniversary. The taskforce reviewed how U.N. staff implement thousands of mandates issued by governing bodies like the General Assembly and Security Council. According to Guterres, only the top 5% of U.N. reports are downloaded more than 5,500 times, while 20% of reports see fewer than 1,000 downloads. And downloads don’t necessarily mean the reports are read or acted upon.
The report highlights the massive inefficiency plaguing the world’s largest multilateral organization. Guterres previously acknowledged that in 2023 alone, the U.N. system supported 27,000 meetings and produced over 1,100 reports—a 20% increase since 1990.
With a workforce of 37,000 and operations in 193 countries, the U.N. is frequently criticized for bloated bureaucracy and unchecked spending. It now faces a liquidity crisis for the seventh consecutive year, struggling to receive member dues on time or in full. Meanwhile, the U.N. is requesting a staggering $47 billion in donor aid for 2025.
Compounding the crisis is the looming pressure from President Donald Trump, who has long condemned the globalist institution. In a notable 2019 address, Trump told the U.N., “The future does not belong to globalists. The future belongs to patriots.” His return to the White House has stoked fears among officials of funding cuts from key Western contributors.
Tom Fletcher, the U.N.’s new humanitarian chief, warned of a dire year ahead. “The world is on fire,” Fletcher said, expressing dread over the organization’s outlook for 2025.
Among the few solutions proposed, Guterres called for “fewer meetings, fewer reports,” and more focus on producing documents that “fully meet the requirements of all mandates.”
The report confirms what critics have long argued: the U.N. is overrun with ineffective paperwork, unchecked growth, and a widening gap between its ambitions and its actual results.
