A recent United Nations report seeking to improve efficiency and reduce costs has revealed a striking reality: many U.N. reports are barely read. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres briefed member states on Friday about findings from the UN80 reform taskforce, which examined how U.N. staff carry out thousands of mandates from bodies such as the General Assembly and Security Council.
Guterres highlighted the overwhelming volume of work: last year, the U.N. system supported about 27,000 meetings involving 240 bodies, producing some 1,100 reports—an increase of 20% since 1990. “The sheer number of meetings and reports is pushing the system—and all of us—to the breaking point,” he said.
The report shows that only the top 5% of U.N. reports are downloaded over 5,500 times, while one in five reports receives fewer than 1,000 downloads. Moreover, downloading does not guarantee the reports are actually read.
Guterres launched the UN80 taskforce in March 2025 amid a liquidity crisis driven by member states’ delayed or partial payment of dues. Among the taskforce’s recommendations is to hold fewer meetings and produce fewer reports—but with greater focus on meeting mandate requirements effectively.
Reflecting on modern communication challenges, the report captures a central problem: U.N. reports, often written by experts for experts, struggle to engage broader audiences. A TikTok video, for comparison, receives more views in an hour than most U.N. reports get in a year. Guterres and the taskforce urge clearer, more accessible communication to ensure the vital solutions embedded in these reports reach policymakers and publics worldwide.
