Miguel Panadero, Acting Director at UNSSC

I’m proud to share the findings from the 2025 survey of the State of Change Management in the United Nations (UN) System, the second conducted by the UN Lab for Organizational Change and Knowledge (UNLOCK) at the UN System Staff College (UNSSC).

At UNSSC, we believe in learning as a driver for a better world. We also advocate for a strategic, structured, and inclusive approach to change, one that equips individuals, teams, and organizations to adapt and sustain long-term transformation.

We share these results to reflect on what’s working – and what isn’t – in change management across the UN system. We hope the survey’s findings and recommendations on leading, sponsoring, managing, and implementing change will prove both strategic and practical in today’s complex environment.

The newly released UN80 Initiative Action Plan outlines a path toward a more coherent, efficient, and impactful UN system. The scale of change in the Action Plan is significant. Achieving its goals will require a strategically informed and operationally sound approach to change management.

Change management is both a discipline and a profession, with opportunities for certification and development at all levels. Supporting the growth of change sponsors, managers, and practitioners is a core commitment of UNSSC.

In this report, you’ll find insights into current priorities and challenges faced by change leaders, the importance of shared ownership, and the evolving role of leadership and AI in change management. You will also find practical recommendations for those leading and managing change – within the UN80 Initiative and beyond.

Finally, my thanks to all survey respondents and to the UNLOCK team at UNSSC for leading this important work once again.