On the final day of UN 2.0 Week, something powerful happened. Thousands of participants from around the world gathered virtually for "Culture Day"—a deep dive into how the United Nations is transforming its organizational culture to better serve humanity.
Change on the Ground
In a simple yet profound moment: a collective mindfulness practice, led by Liliana Uruburo, in which participants from 155 countries paused, breathed deeply, and set intentions for change. It was a fitting start to conversations about transformation that begins from within.
The stories shared during the Expo (slides) were both inspiring and practical. Luis Cervantes shared how indigenous communities in Mexico are now co-designing consultation processes, moving beyond traditional top-down approaches. In Syria, despite 14 years of crisis leading to a rise in gender-based violence (GBV), Huda Kaakeh described how a multi-component intervention program is reducing intimate partner violence rates from 79% to 44%. Angelo Ghelardi explained how applying behavioral insights and human-centered design is improving childhood vaccination rates in Mozambique, while Samuel Fraiberger demonstrated how AI-powered counter speech is reducing online hate speech by nearly 5% in Nigeria. These aren't pilot projects—they are real interventions creating measurable change.
Gabriel Tuan introduced the concept of "Transformative Spaces"— where hierarchies dissolve and authentic co-creation happens. He posed a question to participants: "Do you know that every mindset, interaction, everything you do, has an impact?" emphasizing how individual intentions scale to organizational transformation.
Leading by Example
"Culture is the foundation everything else is built on," stated moderator Shauna Carey at the opening of the High-Level Panel. "Without the right culture, the best plans and strategies in the world won't deliver the change we need."
Felipe Paullier, the UN's youngest Assistant Secretary-General, challenged traditional thinking: "It's about ending the idea that we do things this way because we've always done them this way." His message resonated: transformation requires intergenerational collaboration, where young people are partners, not just beneficiaries.
Raúl Sánchez inspired participants to consider their future impact, citing participatory creativity and multi-generational collaboration: “Instead of thinking, what do you want to create, ask, what movement do you want to be a part of?”
From Rwanda, UN Resident Coordinator Ozonnia Ojielo highlighted the power of storytelling through a powerful parable about camels and inheritance, illustrating how complex challenges require experimentation and innovation. "Development is complex," he said, "and you need the mindset of experimentation, of exploration, of innovation. Be ready for change and transformation. If you can do that, you will succeed." He also emphasized that the UN System should focus on addressing challenges where there are gaps, rather than trying to do it all.
The day concluded with a clear message: culture change isn't just a top-down mandate but a collective movement. Ayaka Suzuki stressed that, “Skills alone are not enough. It’s about our mindset, and ultimately, we have to shift our culture. UN may be 80, but we have to stay young at heart and be nimble and agile.”
One thing is certain—the UN's transformation is already underway, through one conversation and one experiment at a time.
Culture Day proved that organizational change isn't just possible; it's happening right now, led by people who believe the UN can and must evolve to meet today's challenges.