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SDSN to Host 2025 High-Level Conference on UN Reform

By SDSN

The United Nations is more vital than ever. The world faces conflicts, environmental crises, and disruptions beyond the capacity of national or regional solutions. The case for stronger global governance is overwhelming. However, global governance is under threat due to great-power tensions, insufficient financing, frequent vetoes, limited enforceability of international law, and, in general, shortcomings in the global architecture of global governance.

The Summit of the Future (SOTF) in 2024 discussed some of these structural shortcomings and adopted a Pact for the Future, calling for UN system reform. The challenge now is to implement meaningful reforms that match the needs of our times. Future reforms will most likely require changes to the UN Charter to ensure that the multilateral system is fit for the balance of the 21st century. While the UN Charter was amended several times in its eighty-year history, the most recent amendment was in 1973, more than fifty years ago.

The SDSN will host a one-day, high-level brainstorming on Reform of the UN Charter, with special consideration of Article 109 of the UN Charter, which enables a General Conference of the Members of the United Nations to consider changes to the UN Charter. Explore the full agenda below.

Register to attend. Note: In-person Tickets are now sold out. Please join our waitlist to be notified if additional In-Person Tickets are made available, or tune in virtually by registering for an Online Ticket.

Agenda:

9.00 - 9.30 AM: Welcome and Keynote Speech by Jeffrey Sachs, President of the SDSN

9.30 - 10.30 AM: Panel I: Reimagining the UNSC – Power, Veto, and Representation

This panel examines prospects for reforming the UNSC, focusing on three core themes: the concentration of power, the use and legitimacy of the veto, and the demand for more balanced global representation. Nearly eighty years after its creation, the Council faces pressure to adapt to shifting geopolitical realities and calls for greater inclusivity from underrepresented regions.

Speakers:

  • H.E. Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Former President of the UN General Assembly
  • H.E. Vuk Jeremić, Former President of the UN General Assembly
  • H.E. Maged Abdelaziz, Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States to the United Nations
  • Miguel Ruiz Cabañas, Former Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs of Mexico
  • Richard Gowan, Director, UN and Multilateral Diplomacy, International Crisis Group

10.30 - 11.30 AM: Panel II: Sustainable Mechanisms for Financing Global Public Goods

This panel explores how the international community can design sustainable financing systems for global public goods such as climate action, pandemic preparedness, sustainable development, and peace and security. A central challenge is ensuring long‑term debt sustainability for developing countries, while still mobilizing predictable and fair resources at scale. Traditional models of aid and national financing are proving insufficient, raising urgent questions about innovation, equity, and accountability.

Speakers:

  • Dr. Obiageli Katryn Ezekwesili, Economic Policy Expert, Former Minister of Education, Nigeria
  • H.E. Stan Oduma Smith, Permanent Representative of the Bahamas to the UN
  • H.E. Tesfaye Yilma Sabo, Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the UN
  • Professor Jose Antonio Ocampo, President - Initiative for Policy Dialogue, Columbia University

11.30 AM - 12.30 PM: Panel III: Should We Invoke Article 109

Session description and guiding questions: This panel examines the question of whether to invoke Article 109 of the UN Charter, which allows for a General Conference to review the Charter itself. While the provision has never been used, some advocates see it as a potential mechanism to achieve meaningful structural reform, particularly in areas such as UNSC reform, global economic governance, and the role of international law.

  • Speakers:
  • Mr. Ben Majekodunmi, UNRWA Chief of Staff
  • H.E. Nuala Ní Mhuircheartaigh, Deputy Permanent Representative of Ireland to the UN
  • Mr. Augusto Lopez-Claro, Executive Director and Chair of the Global Governance Forum

12.30 - 1:00 PM Discussion: Next Steps on UN Reform

  • Moderated by Jeffrey Sachs, President of the SDSN
Jeffrey Sachs, President of the SDSN, addresses the audience at the SDSN's Pre-Summit of the Future 2024 event