Final act of the series "The Vision in 3 Acts". After peace through development and the renewal of multilateralism, President Macky Sall addresses Pillar III of his vision: the governance of the Organization itself. A UN that is credible abroad must first be exemplary at home.
The diagnosis is clear-eyed. Mandates overlap. Structures duplicate one another. Procedures have piled up over decades. The Secretariat employs 37,000 staff, whose commitment deserves a working framework worthy of it. For President Macky Sall, every dollar absorbed by bureaucracy is a dollar that never reaches the field, where people need it.
The answer holds in three verbs: streamline, simplify, optimize. Streamline mandates to eliminate duplication. Simplify procedures to speed up action. Optimize resources to maximize impact. The vision proposes management that is predictable, disciplined and results-oriented. Every programme must be able to show what it concretely changes for the people it serves.
UN management reform is also about people. Pillar III stands for equitable geographic representation and gender parity at every level of the Organization. A global institution must look like the world it serves. That is a matter of justice. It is also a condition of effectiveness, because diverse perspectives improve the quality of decisions.
This ambition takes shape in a leadership style. President Macky Sall defines himself as a facilitator and a bridge-builder. Listen before deciding. Involve before imposing. Account for results before asking for trust. His career as a reforming head of state illustrates this method applied to public management.
"Trust is built through constancy, fairness and efficiency," President Macky Sall sums up. The series "The Vision in 3 Acts" closes on this conviction: a UN that works is the best answer to those who doubt multilateralism. The full vision is available at www.mackysall.net.