Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the British agenda is for reform of the UN; and if he will make a statement. [182084]

Mr Lidington, Minister of State for Europe: The UK has been and will continue to be a strong advocate of reforming the UN system, including UN specialised agencies. We believe the UN should do more to prioritise its activity and work to achieve the greatest possible results with its limited resources. We support the UN Secretary-General’s work to modernise the UN which includes ensuring that UN staff are employed as far as possible on front-line activity; performance management systems fully reflect international best practice; and the UN harnesses modern IT to drive efficiencies including via more streamlined budgeting. The UK also continues to push for reforms to ensure the cost of UN activity are apportioned fairly among member states.

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