2 June 2025 Speech by Federal Minister Reem Alabali Radovan on UN reform at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference

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Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

When the United Nations was formed almost 80 years ago, large parts of the world lay in ruins. Under the impression of the horrors of the Second World War, which Nazi Germany and its allies had inflicted on the world, the international community resolved that such a disaster should never happen again. That common rules are needed which are respected by everyone. That strong international institutions are necessary to ensure peaceful, safe and secure coexistence of all people.

For almost 80 years, the United Nations has been the backbone of an international order that is built on fair rules and the protection of human rights. Yet, this international order has come under pressure. Geopolitical tensions, tight budgets and nationalistic self-interests have thrown multilateralism into crisis.

That may sound rather abstract for many people. But as all of us in the room know, it is not. The crisis of multilateralism has very tangible effects on people worldwide, especially in countries of the Global South, as we have just heard from my previous speaker. Many thanks for your clear and strong message.

One region where it is now more obvious than ever how irreplaceable the United Nations is, is Gaza. The horrific terrorist attack carried out by Hamas and the ongoing war in Gaza have brought immeasurable suffering to the people in the region. I talked about that in my opening keynote today in the morning. I will now just say again: We need the humanitarian agencies of the United Nations on the ground. We need them to stop the people in Gaza from starving.

I spoke about that with UN Secretary-General António Guterres – about the situation in Gaza and about the current crisis of the United Nations – when we met about two weeks ago. I assured him that Germany stands firmly behind the United Nations. And that Germany will continue to be a strong voice for multilateralism. Because the global challenges of our times – such as poverty, hunger and inequality, wars and the climate crises – can only be solved on the basis of international cooperation, trust and common rules.

And that is particularly true for Germany. Our prosperity as an exporting nation has been built on openness towards the world, on stable international markets and on reliable international partnerships. Our security is based on international partnerships and cooperation and strong alliances; it is closely linked to the security and stability of other regions of the world. Germany needs a stable international order and strong United Nations.

However, it is evident that the current global situation calls for comprehensive reforms at the United Nations. It is for that purpose that Secretary-General António Guterres launched the UN80 Initiative. I support the ambition to make the United Nations more efficient, transparent and effective. And I am pleased that Under-Secretary-General Guy Ryder, head of the UN80 Task Force, is here to give us more insight into the reform process. Germany will support him in his work. We have five key priorities for this process:

Firstly, the UN pillar for sustainable development needs to be maintained – on an equal footing alongside human rights, peace and security. The UN development system is indispensable for reducing poverty, hunger and inequality in the world. For making societies resilient against crises. And for securing a peaceful coexistence of all people.

Secondly, the UN needs to continue to be guided by the normative compass that the international community has given itself. This includes the Pact for the Future that was agreed last year, the 2030 Agenda and the United Nations Charter, of course. The international community must not settle for less than these achievements. The same is true for the progress on human rights, gender equality and climate action that has been achieved over the last years and decades.

Thirdly, the UN organisations must reduce unnecessary duplication and redundancies, overcome silos and improve UN-wide cooperation. All measures taken must be aligned with the goal of making the United Nations more effective and coherent – when it comes to reducing poverty, hunger and inequality and securing a liveable planet.

Fourthly, we need less competition among UN organisations when it comes to raising funds. Competition for ideas is very good, but joint implementation needs to be given greater attention. The donor community must of course also play its part – working with less or softer earmarking and providing more in core contributions.

And fifthly, the United Nations needs to become more representative and inclusive. The member countries – big and small, North or South, East and West – must be included in the reform process. Because a reform of the United Nations can only be successful if it is backed by the member countries.

Germany and other member countries have formed an alliance to support the UN development system. I am happy to see many of the supporters here today. And I would be very pleased to welcome many more countries as members of the alliance. Please feel encouraged to join us.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Almost 80 years after it was founded, the United Nations is at a crossroads. I will work hard as a minister to ensure it emerges stronger from this challenging time. And I am glad to have many strong partners like you at my side.

Perhaps no one embodies this commitment for strong United Nations more than UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner – to whom I now hand over. Thank you very much.