New York, January 8 – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched a survey-and-dialogues campaign in January 2020 and the results now show a clear sign as to what the 75-year-old United Nations should do: provide moral leadership, enact UN reform and strengthen international cooperation to resolve global problems ranging from the Covid-19 pandemic to poverty and climate change.
“The UN75 global consultation showed that 97 percent of respondents support international cooperation to tackle global challenges“, Guterres said at the release of the year-long campaign of consultations. “That represents a very strong commitment to multilateralism, and to the mission of the United Nations. Now it is up to us – Member States and the UN Secretariat – to meet the expectations of the people we serve.”
The survey was made public under the title, “Shaping our future together: key findings of UN75 survey and dialogues.”
It said a majority of respondents (52 per cent) believe that international cooperation is essential for addressing global challenges, while 34 per cent believe it is very important, and 11 per cent believe it is fairly important. Only 3 per cent believe international cooperation is not important or not important at all.
The UN said its consultations around the world resulted in a good response as people shared their short- and long-term priorities, their ideas for action and calls for a more inclusive, transparent UN to deal with pressing global challenges. They also showed optimism for a better future in the midst of the pandemic.
The highest percentage of respondents supporting international cooperation are from North America and from higher human development countries who believe more in international cooperation than those in lower human development countries.
The report said respondents look to the UN to “lead in international cooperation to address immediate and longer-term global challenges, and many also want the organization to innovate – to be more inclusive, engaged, accountable and effective. “
The respondents strongly favor the UN to provide:
· Moral leadership.
· A reformed, more representative and more agile UN Security Council.
· A revised Charter that includes today’s most pressing global challenges, like climate change.
· Continued management and leadership reforms, including more inclusive hiring practices, more accountability and more transparency.
· An inclusive and participatory UN system, with improved understanding of the work of the UN among citizens around the world, and which shows more care for the needs of ordinary people.
· Improved implementation, monitoring and evaluation of UN programmes globally, to more effectively solve international problems.
Key findings from the UN75 survey and dialogues include:
As COVID-19 reversed progress in human development and widened inequalities, many prioritized access to basic services and support to the hardest hit places and communities in the short-term
· Amid a striking shortfall in healthcare to meet the needs generated by the pandemic, respondents’ top immediate, short-term priority globally was ‘Universal access to healthcare’.
· As COVID-19 forced children out of schools around the world, ‘More investment in education and youth programs’ ranked high among respondents, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia.
· Reflecting the stark reality that three billion people lack a basic hand-washing facility with soap and water at home, ‘Access to safe water and sanitation’ was another critical immediate priority for respondents during the pandemic, across all human development levels.
· Many respondents, especially in low and middle income countries, prioritized ‘Global solidarity’ and the need to provide ‘Support to the hardest hit people and communities’, and to ‘Address inequalities that have deepened as a result of COVID-19.’
· Less respondents in Very High Human Development countries viewed ‘Support to the hardest hit places’ as a high priority. Respondents living in lower human development countries and those living in conflict situations tended to express greater optimism about the future.
· Globally, many more respondents believed people will be better off (49%) in 2045 than today, compared with those who believe people will be worse off (32%).
· Respondents in Sub-Saharan Africa were the most optimistic about the future (59%), followed by Central and Southern Asia (52%), and Eastern and South-eastern Asia (51%). Respondents in Northern America (49%), Europe (48%), Latin America and the Caribbean (48%) and Oceania and Antarctica (47%) were most pessimistic about the future.
· Respondents in regions with lower human development countries were far more optimistic about the future than respondents in regions with higher human development countries. Respondents living in conflict situations were more optimistic about the future. While they expect access to health services to improve over the next 25 years, respondents in all regions identified climate change and environmental issues as the number one long-term global challenge
· ‘More environmental protection’ is the number one long-term priority for respondents, globally, ranking in the top three priorities across all regions.
· The highest percentages of respondents who chose ‘Climate change and the environment’ as a top threat were in Latin America and the Caribbean (73%), while the lowest was is Sub- Saharan Africa (37%).