Our Common Agenda: A Quick Scan

On Friday 10 September, Secretary-General António Guterres presented Our Common Agenda, his response to the request for recommendations, made by UN member states in the 75th anniversary declaration adopted in 2020.

The SG does not mince his words about the problems the world is facing, from the pandemic that is upending our world, conflicts that continue to rage and worsen, and the disastrous effects of a changing climate -famine, floods, fires and extreme heat- that threaten our very existence.

If ever there was a need for global collective action, it is now. Rather than dwell on geopolitical tensions, decades of international failure in Afghanistan, or the weakening of multilateral institutions, Our Common Agenda focuses instead on what we need to accomplish together and the urgency of getting to work.

The most important UN policy document this year, the report is set to shape the SG’s second term and — hopefully — make the United Nations more effective and relevant to people’s lives.