The United Nations needs deep reforms to become more focused on people and better respond to today's global challenges, former UN Under-Secretary-General Erik Solheim said on the sidelines of the 2026 Global Governance Forum in Xiong'an, north China's Hebei Province.
Hosted by the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs, the three-day forum opened on Friday in Xiong'an New Area under the theme "Rebuilding Confidence and Cooperation: Reforming and Improving Global Governance in a Transforming World," with discussions centered on multilateral cooperation, artificial intelligence and sustainable development.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Solheim echoed Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's remarks on multilateralism at the forum, saying that solidarity among countries is the only way to address shared challenges.
"You have huge international challenges: peace in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, other places, protecting the planet against destruction and climate change and bringing everyone out of poverty, and these are huge global challenges. We cannot solve them -- one country by itself. We need to find a common solution. If we work together, we are stronger. It's nothing like a zero-sum game. All the big issues of our time, we can win together or lose together," he said.
Stronger multilateral cooperation and a reformed UN are essential to tackling those challenges, Solheim added.
"I think that's absolutely critical, because all big challenges of our time need answers to come from China, from the United States, but also from India, Europe or Africa -- all the rest of the world together. We can resolve these issues. There's nothing we cannot achieve if we work together. However, the United Nations, which is at the core of the multilateral system, needs deep reforms. We need a new leadership; we need a new Security Council composition. And we need a different culture in the UN much more focused on the people out there, much less focused on bureaucracy and process. It's not like there will be peace tomorrow, it is not that simple, but unless you make a concerted effort, you will never get there," he said.
Solheim also hailed the way Xiong'an has been planned and built, saying its scientific approach has produced a smart, digital and livable city from which others can learn.
"What makes Xiong'an different from any other city in the world is that [it was] a planned city from the very beginning. All other great cities in the world where there is Xi'an and Beijing in China, or Mumbai in India, or Paris in Europe, they have grown organically over a long time. Xiong'an is a planned city and that has made it probably the smartest city in the world, most digital city in the world, with a fantastic underground network of canals which can solve problems for people, all that has been taken care of in the planning process in Xiong'an. While of course other cities cannot just take a blueprint from Xiong'an because they already exist, they can learn from this planning so that all other cities are better planned than they are at the moment, because without a plan, we cannot make a people-friendly city," he said.
Former UN official urges deep reforms to help world body meet today's challenges
