The UN has finalized the revised estimates for its 2026 programme budget, proposing more than USD 500 million in reductions. The revised estimates align with the ambition of the UN Secretary-General’s UN80 Initiative to create a stronger, more effective UN – and include proposals to improve the Organization’s operations.

The revised estimates were communicated to the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) on 15 September 2025. They propose reductions of 15.1% in resources and 18.8% reductions of posts in the regular budget compared to 2025. Reductions are also envisioned for the support account for peacekeeping operations in the 2025-2026 period.

According to the Secretary-General letter to Member States, the reductions follow an extensive review of how mandates are delivered and resources allocated. The Secretariat sought to optimize the use of resources and improve delivery, while ensuring balance among the three pillars of the UN Charter – peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development.

The letter underscores that the “reductions have been carefully calibrated, and are targeted, not across the board.” For example, programmes and activities directly supporting Member States, particularly least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), and small island developing States (SIDS), were not affected, and neither was advocacy for Africa’s development. Similarly, support for the Peacebuilding Fund and the Resident Coordinator system was left intact. “Smaller adjustments” will affect the regional economic commissions, while the Regular Programme for Technical Cooperation will continue to grow.

The Secretary-General’s letter notes that the reductions’ likely impacts on deliverables include narrowed scope, adjusted timelines, or reduced frequency. The UN will take “mitigation measures to protect core mandates and service quality, including by prioritizing high-impact outputs, pooling expertise across entities and relying on virtual modalities and automation.”

In addition to the reductions, the revised estimates introduce the first set of proposals for the UN Secretariat under Workstream 1 of the UN80 Initiative, focused on management and operations. Creating new administrative hubs in New York and Bangkok, consolidating payroll into a single global team across New York, Entebbe, and Nairobi, and relocating some functions from high-cost duty stations such as New York and Geneva to lower-cost duty stations are among the proposed measures.

The ACABQ will review the revised estimates, with hearings expected to start this week. The UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) Fifth Committee, in which all 193 Member States negotiate and decide on administrative and budget matters, will review the proposals next. A decision is expected by December.

The UN80 initiative aims to support a more aligned, efficient, and results-oriented UN system, conducting work under three workstreams: efficiencies and improvements; mandate implementation review; and structural changes and programmatic realignments. Following its establishment earlier this month, the Informal Ad Hoc Working Group on the UN80 Initiative held its first meeting on 16 September, to begin its consideration of the proposals contained in the report of the Secretary-General on mandate implementation review under UN80’s Workstream 2. [UN News Release]