New York, January 8 – A year-long United Nations-led campaign of survey and dialogues involving more than 1.5 million respondents in 193 countries showed that a majority of them are supporting international cooperation to resolve global problems from heath to climate issues.

The UN said its consultations around the world resulted in a good response as people shared their short- and long-term priorities, their ideas for action and calls for a more inclusive, transparent UN to deal with pressing global challenges. They also showed optimism for a better future in the midst of the pandemic.

The survey was made public under the title, “Shaping our future together: key findings of UN75 survey and dialogues.” It was launched by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in January 2020 as he sought to provide an opportunity to listen to people and to allow them to share their hopes and fears for the future and to discuss who they expected to work together to address the challenges.

“The UN75 global consultation showed that 97 percent of respondents support international cooperation to tackle global challenges,“ Guterres said. “That represents a very strong commitment to multilateralism, and to the mission of the United Nations. Now it is up to us – Member States and the UN Secretariat – to meet the expectations of the people we serve.”

The survey said a majority of respondents (52 per cent) believe that international cooperation is essential for addressing global challenges, while 34 per cent believe it is very important, and 11 per cent believe it is fairly important. Only 3 per cent believe international cooperation is not important or not important at all.

The highest percentage of respondents supporting international cooperation are from North America and from higher human development countries who believe more in international cooperation than those in lower human development countries.

The report said respondents look to the UN to “lead in international cooperation to address immediate and longer-term global challenges, and many also want the organization to innovate – to be more inclusive, engaged, accountable and effective. “

The respondents strongly favor the UN to provide:

· Moral leadership.

· A reformed, more representative and more agile UN Security Council.

· A revised Charter that includes today’s most pressing global challenges, like climate change.

· Continued management and leadership reforms, including more inclusive hiring practices,

more accountability and more transparency.

· An inclusive and participatory UN system, with improved understanding of the work of the

UN among citizens around the world, and which shows more care for the needs of ordinary

people.

· Improved implementation, monitoring and evaluation of UN programmes globally, to more

effectively solve international problems.

Key findings from the UN75 survey and dialogues include (as provided by the UN):

As COVID-19 reversed progress in human development and widened inequalities, many

prioritized access to basic services and support to the hardest hit places and communities in

the short-term

· Amid a striking shortfall in healthcare to meet the needs generated by the pandemic,

respondents’ top immediate, short-term priority globally was ‘Universal access to healthcare’.

· As COVID-19 forced children out of schools around the world, ‘More investment in education

and youth programmes’ ranked high among respondents, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa

and Central and Southern Asia.

· Reflecting the stark reality that three billion people lack a basic hand-washing facility with soap

and water at home, ‘Access to safe water and sanitation’ was another critical immediate

priority for respondents during the pandemic, across all human development levels.

· Many respondents, especially in low and middle income countries, prioritized ‘Global

solidarity’ and the need to provide ‘Support to the hardest hit people and communities’, and

to ‘Address inequalities that have deepened as a result of COVID-19.’

· Less respondents in Very High Human Development countries viewed ‘Support to the hardest

hit places’ as a high priority.

Respondents living in lower human development countries and those living in conflict

situations tended to express greater optimism about the future

· Globally, many more respondents believed people will be better off (49%) in 2045 than today,

compared with those who believe people will be worse off (32%).

· Respondents in Sub-Saharan Africa were the most optimistic about the future (59%), followed

by Central and Southern Asia (52%), and Eastern and South-eastern Asia (51%). Respondents

in Northern America (49%), Europe (48%), Latin America and the Caribbean (48%) and Oceania

and Antarctica (47%) were most pessimistic about the future.

· Respondents in regions with lower human development countries were far more optimistic

about the future than respondents in regions with higher human development countries.

Respondents living in conflict situations were more optimistic about the future.

While they expect access to health services to improve over the next 25 years, respondents in

all regions identified climate change and environmental issues as the number one long-term

global challenge

· ‘More environmental protection’ is the number one long-term priority for respondents,

globally, ranking in the top three priorities across all regions.

· The highest percentages of respondents who chose ‘Climate change and the environment’ as

a top threat were in Latin America and the Caribbean (73%), while the lowest was is Sub- Saharan Africa (37%).

Other longer-term priorities vary according to income levels, but include rising concern with

employment opportunities, respect for human rights and reducing conflict

· While respondents in UNDP’s category of higher human development countries tended to give

the highest priority to the environment and human rights, those in lower human development

countries tended to accord the highest priority to less conflict and meeting basic needs, such

as employment, healthcare and education.

· ‘More respect for human rights’ ranked number three globally as a long-term priority. It

ranked number one in Northern Africa and Western Asia and number two in Northern

America and Europe.

· ‘More employment opportunities’ rose from the tenth long-term priority identified by

respondents in April 2020 to the sixth priority in December 2020. This may reflect the

dramatic COVID-19 related workplace closures, working-hour and labour income losses.

· Reducing conflict is a high priority among respondents in Eastern and South-eastern Asia,

Northern Africa and Western Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

· While respondents in countries that are not in conflict are more concerned about tensions

between countries, those in conflict situations are more concerned about violence within their

borders.

97% of respondents believe that international cooperation is important for addressing global

challenges, with variation in the degree of importance across regions

· The majority of respondents believe that international cooperation is essential (52%) for

addressing global challenges, while 34% believe it is very important, and 11% believe it is

fairly important. Only 3% of respondents believe international cooperation is not important

or not important at all.

· The degree of importance of international cooperation varies across regions, with the highest

percentage of respondents who viewed it favorably from Northern America.

· Respondents in higher human development countries tend to perceive the need for

international cooperation as greater than those in lower human development countries.

· A majority of respondents globally say that COVID-19 has increased their view of the

importance for greater cooperation between countries.

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