The UN Secretariat has published a guide providing comprehensive coverage of all three UN80 Initiative workstreams by bringing together one-page summaries of the 31 work packages that make up the UN80 Initiative Action Plan. Its goal is to provide Member States with an overview of the status of each work package and outline the pathways to decision making.
The report is titled, ‘UN80 Initiative Progress and Next Steps: A Comprehensive Guide to UN80 Initiative Work Packages.’ Under structural changes and programmatic realignments (Workstream 3), the guide spells out programme and structure shifts within pillars, shifts in cross-pillar approaches, and shifts in UN system-wide enablers. It also updates on the work packages related to mandate creation, implementation, and review (Workstream 2) and UN Secretariat efficiencies and improvements (Workstream 1).
Under-Secretary-General for Policy Guy Ryder presented the guide to Member States on 29 April 2026, during a UN General Assembly (UNGA) briefing on the UN80 Initiative. During the briefing, Member States received updates on progress on Work Package 6 (regional reset), Work Package 7 (Joint Knowledge Hubs), and Work Package 13 (Shared Platform Initiative).
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Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed briefed Member States on the Shared Platform Initiative, which aims “to increase cross-pillar collaboration and coordination and reduce fragmentation in responses,” and on the regional reset, seeking “to reorganize regional capacities of the UN development system for more effective delivery, better linking global mandates, regional strategies and country-level implementation.”
Speaking about the Joint Knowledge Hubs, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua highlighted that “[b]y pulling existing knowledge across the entities around the shared priority issues, these hubs reduce duplication, strengthen the system-wide coherence and ensure that the wealth of the UN knowledge is more easily available to support the needs and priorities of the Member States.”
Acting Secretary-General of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Pedro Manuel Moreno explained that the hubs will focus on three main areas: trade and regional integration; productive transformation; and strategic foresight. Currently in their pilot phase, these hubs are expected to be fully functioning by September 2026.
According to a news release, among the next steps for the UN80 Initiative is a broader analysis of UN80 progress that the Secretary-General is expected to present in late May. Further opportunities for engagement include June meetings of intergovernmental organs and the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Operational Activities for Development Segment.
New tools are being developed relating to mandate creation support and the data commons. Ten standalone official reports with UN80-relevant information and over 20 information briefs will also be released. [Publication: UN80 Initiative Progress and Next Steps: A Comprehensive Guide to UN80 Initiative Work Packages] [Publication Landing Page] [Letter from UNGA President Dated 23 April 2026] [UN News Story] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on UN80 Action Plan] [SDG Knowledge Hub on UN80 Initiative Actions Dashboard]