Secretary-General’s report on “Our Common Agenda”

“Our Common Agenda” report looks ahead to the next 25 years and represents the Secretary-General’s vision on the future of global cooperation and reinvigorating inclusive, networked, and effective multilateralism. The Secretary-General presented his report to the General Assembly in September 2021 before the end of the 75th session of the General Assembly.

A moment for reinvigorating multilateralism

The UN’s 75th anniversary in 2020 arrived at a time of great upheaval and peril. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Member States came together to recognize that our challenges are interconnected and can only be addressed through reinvigorated multilateralism with the United Nations at the centre of our efforts.

They pledged to strengthen global governance for the sake of present and coming generations and, to that end, requested the Secretary-General to report back with recommendations to advance our common agenda and to respond to current and future challenges.

If the world is to recover from COVID-19 and we are to deliver on our promises to future generations - to secure a world where everyone can thrive in peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet – then 2021 must be the year we change gear.

Member States identified 12 areas of action that can only be addressed through reinvigorated multilateralism.

We must think big. We need to reshape the foundations and reaffirm the core values that underpin collective action.

Time is of essence and the choices before us are stark. Our welfare, and indeed the permanence of human life, now depend on us working effectively together across borders and sectors to manage many shared risks and achieve a vital set of common goals, including but not limited to, those set out in the UN75 Declaration.

A global consultation process

In response, we embarked upon a process of reflection, engaging a broad array of stakeholders, including Member States, thought leaders, young people, civil society and the UN system and its many partners.

Our Common Agenda builds on many of the ideas that emerged during the year-long global listening exercise conducted in the context of the 75th anniversary where more than 1.5 million people in all 193 Member States voiced strong public support for international cooperation, and a desire for more effective, more inclusive and more networked multilateralism in the future.

This report synthesizes key ideas that emerged during the reflection process and offers suggestions on how to take them forward.

Based on these findings, we launched an extensive consultation process including four different tracks:

An Inclusive Approach

Our Common Agenda is led by the Executive Office of the Secretary-General with support from the UN Foundation and Igarapé Institute, along with a network of partners from all regions engaging a diverse ecosystem of global experts, youth, civil society, parliamentarians, private sector, universities and think tanks.