The final report on a year-long consultation to mark the United Nations 75th anniversary was released on 8 January. Amidst climate, health and job fears, the UN’s worldwide consultation reveals optimism for the future and appetite for transformative global action.
During the last 12 months, through surveys and dialogues, the Organization asked people across the world about their hopes and fears for the future, as well as their expectations and ideas for international cooperation, and for the UN in particular.
Launching the report via video teleconference (VTC), Under-Secretary-General Fabrizio Hochschild, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on #UN75, told journalists in New York that “when you ask people about their fears and hopes for the future, when you ask that people about their expectations of international cooperation, about their priorities in the immediate time post-COVD, there is remarkable unity across generations, a remarkable unity across generations, regions, income groups, education groups, and against political, people from different political directions.”
Over 1.5 million people in 193 countries took part. The exercise was the UN’s most ambitious effort to date to gather input from the global public, and the largest survey on priorities for recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
When it comes to longer-term concerns, Hochschild said, “in the majority of regions the chief concern is destruction to our environment and climate change, and that is not limited to a certain age, nor limited to a certain political direction, it is pretty universal.”
Despite these concerns, 49 percent of global respondents believe people will be better off in 2045, compared with 32 percent who think people will be worse off. 97 percent of respondents believe that international cooperation is important for addressing global challenges.
Hochschild said, “there is overwhelming support for international cooperation. No less than 97 percent of people see international cooperation as important for tackling today’s problems, and the vast majority sees it as more than important, as absolutely essential.”
He said, “we would be mistaken in the UN to take that with any degree of complacency or as a pat on the back. While there is recognition of the UN’s contribution, while the UN is seen as even more important moving forward, people are also looking for an upgraded UN, an improved UN, a UN that is more inclusive to today’s stakeholders, a UN that is more accountable and more effective, and better stands up for principles and for its values.”
In January 2020, the UN Secretary-General launched the UN75 initiative, not as a celebration, but as the world's largest conversation about current global challenges, and the gap between the future we want and where we are headed if current trends continue.
UN75 was initiated to better understand people’s hopes and fears for the future, inviting people everywhere to imagine the future they want and contribute ideas on how to make it a reality, building a better and more sustainable world, for all.