The Archive
Essays, policy briefs, and reform proposals from diplomats who have spent careers inside the system.
After decades of deadlock, a convergence of geopolitical pressures and generational leadership may finally open a window for meaningful reform. A former Under-Secretary-General reflects on what it will take.
Ambassador Elena Vasquez
Former Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs
August 2026
·12 min read
Topic
UN Reform9 publications
After decades of deadlock, a convergence of geopolitical pressures and generational leadership may finally open a window for meaningful reform. A former Under-Secretary-General reflects on what it will take.
Ambassador Elena Vasquez
·Former Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs
·12 min read
The gap between climate ambition and multilateral delivery is not a scientific problem. It is a governance problem — and it has a governance solution.
Dr. James Okafor
·Former Special Envoy for Climate and Environment
·8 min read
Membership criteria, politicization, and the erosion of universal standards — a frank assessment from someone who negotiated inside the room.
Ambassador Mei-Lin Chen
·Former Permanent Representative, Human Rights Council
·6 min read
Decades of incremental reform have not kept pace with the changing nature of conflict. A structural proposal for the next generation of peace operations.
General Sir David Hartley (Ret.)
·Former Force Commander, UN Peacekeeping Operations
·15 min read
No single mechanism has done more to frustrate the Security Council's mandate. But abolition is not the answer — reform is. Here is what that looks like.
Ambassador Kofi Mensah-Asante
·Former Permanent Representative, Ghana
·10 min read
The Sustainable Development Goals represent the world's most ambitious collective commitment. The accountability mechanisms to deliver them do not match that ambition.
Dr. Amara Diallo
·Former Director, UN Development Programme
·9 min read
The International Court of Justice has no army. Its authority rests entirely on political will. What happens when that will evaporates — and what can be done.
Professor Ingrid Larsson
·Former Legal Counsel, United Nations
·7 min read
The tension between state sovereignty and the responsibility to protect civilians has never been more acute. A veteran humanitarian negotiator draws lessons from four decades in the field.
Ambassador Fatima Al-Rashid
·Former Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
·11 min read
The United Nations is chronically underfunded relative to its mandate. This is not an accident — it is a political choice. Here is how to change it.
Ambassador Elena Vasquez
·Former Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs
·13 min read