Most of the Reports of UN Are Rarely Read

The United Nations has revealed that most of its reports are not widely read. Despite publishing over 1,000 reports every year, only a few gains significant attention. Facing a financial crisis and increasing workload, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has proposed major reforms to reduce unnecessary meetings and reports.

UN’s 80-Year Legacy Faces Financial and Operational Crisis

In 2025, the United Nations turns 80. However, for the past seven years, the organization has been suffering from a financial crisis as many member states fail to pay their dues on time. To address this, Secretary-General António Guterres launched the UN80 Taskforce in March this year to introduce cost-saving reforms and improve efficiency.

Thousands of Meetings, Thousands of Reports

According to a report released on 31 July, in the last year alone:

The UN held 27,000 meetings
Over 1,100 reports were produced
These involved 240 agencies and committees

This is a 20% increase in reports compared to 1990.

Too Many Reports, Too Few Readers

During a briefing to member states, Guterres expressed concern about the massive number of reports and meetings that burden the organization.

গুতেরেস বলেন, “এসব প্রতিবেদনের বেশিরভাগই খুব একটা পড়া হয় না। মাত্র পাঁচ শতাংশ প্রতিবেদন ৫ হাজার ৫০০ বারের বেশি ডাউনলোড হয়। আবার প্রতি পাঁচটির একটির ডাউনলোড সংখ্যা এক হাজারের নিচে। আর ডাউনলোড মানেই যে কেউ তা পড়ছে, সেটাও নয়।”

Translation:
Guterres said, “Most of these reports are rarely read. Only five percent of the reports are downloaded more than 5,500 times. One in every five reports is downloaded less than a thousand times. And even downloading doesn’t mean someone is actually reading it.”

Overwork Leading to Fatigue

তিনি বলেন, “এই বিপুল পরিমাণ সভা ও প্রতিবেদন আমাদের সবাইকে এক প্রকার চূড়ান্ত ক্লান্তির দিকে ঠেলে দিচ্ছে।”

Translation:
He said, “This overwhelming number of meetings and reports is pushing all of us toward extreme exhaustion.”

Mandates and the Pressure to Perform

The UN report highlighted that bodies like the General Assembly and Security Council generate thousands of mandates, which force agencies to hold more meetings and produce more reports. This creates unnecessary pressure on staff and resources.

Ongoing Budget Crisis

The UN has been in a budget deficit for seven years. With 193 member countries, many of them don’t pay their financial contributions on time, which slows down activities and harms the organization’s work.