The UN is facing a major budget crunch. So how is it responding? One answer is UN80—a reform effort championed by the Secretary-General aimed at reducing the cost of operating the world body. Some proposals are beginning to take shape, including staff cuts, merging certain agencies, and—more controversially—shifting operations out of expensive cities like New York and Geneva to more affordable locations. Into this mix, Rwanda has thrown its hat in the ring, proposing Kigali as a new UN hub. Will that idea take off? What impact will these cost-cutting measures have on the UN’s effectiveness? And why do UN member states keep demanding more from the UN while paying it less?
Anjali and Mark break it all down in this episode of To Save Us From Hell. But first, Mark shares highlights from his recent reporting trip to a UN meeting focused on a potential treaty to ban AI-powered “killer robots.”
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