Transparency data

Multilateral Reform and Elections programme summary 2023 to 2024

Published 27 March 2025

Overview

The 2023 Integrated Review Refresh reinforced the UK’s long-standing commitment to multilateralism. Multilateralism allows us to address the world’s most fundamental challenges; indeed, many of today’s and future challenges will be tackled effectively only through multilateral approaches. However, we need to ensure multilateral institutions remain relevant and effective. We also need to ensure that the UK continues to shape multilateral institutions so that they reflect UK priorities and values. One means to this end is the Multilateral Reform and Elections portfolio of the International Programme, with a total allocation in Financial Year 2023 to 2024 of £1.27 million non-ODA.

Objectives

FY 2023 to 2024 funding is allocated to projects led by FCDO United Nations and Multilateral Department and the UK Mission to the UN in New York. As well as meeting multilateral commitments in the Integrated Review and the White Paper on International Development, activity also contributes to the following goals:

• advancing UK objectives for peace and security, and UN effectiveness through greater alignment to and investment in UN political and peacekeeping activity
• increasing UK influence in key UN and other multilateral institutions through the creation of a deeper and more diverse UK talent pipeline maximising the chances of getting UK nationals into priority multilateral roles

Project examples for FY 2023 to 2024 include:

• support to Ghana in hosting the 2023 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial (a biennial conference to convene Foreign and Defence Ministers from around the world to make pledges to UN Peacekeeping and its continued reform), and co-hosting a preparatory conference with the Netherlands, Rwanda, and Indonesia (covering strategic communications and countering mis- and dis-information in UN Peacekeeping)

• ongoing expansion of the UK multilateral talent pipeline, including the UK-funded UN Junior Professional Officers programme and support for UK priority election candidates

• continued support to the ‘Strategic Action Plan on Addressing Racism and Promoting Dignity for all in the UN Secretariat’. This enables the Special Advisor to promote accountability and a dignified workplace, and benefits from the diverse perspectives, skill sets and life experiences of its personnel

• support to improve the UN Security Council’s ability to anticipate and respond more effectively and prevent emerging crises from escalating through informal early warning mechanisms with the International Crisis Group

• support to the ‘Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect’ to 1) strengthen capacity and ensure a common approach to monitoring online hate speech for the UN system, and 2) ensure efforts to tackle this phenomenon are based on strong data and analysis

• support to the Office of Victims’ Rights Advocate to produce audio versions of the Victims’ Right Statement in the 6 UN official languages. This enables greater accessibility for victims of sexual exploitation and abuse to be aware of their rights and how to claim them

• continued support to the ‘Office of the Special Coordinator on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse’ (SEA) to build a resource toolkit aimed at senior UN leaders across the UN system, including resident coordinators and Humanitarian Coordinators and Country Directors