How much power does the UN secretary-general have to reform the body?

There are few jobs in the world that carry the prestige, status, and visibility of a United Nations secretary-general, aka the secular pope. But how much real power and influence does the U.N. leader exert over an international system he presides over? Less than you might imagine.

In his bid to usher in a major reform and downsizing of the world body, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres is facing some pretty stiff headwinds from U.N. member states and officials within the U.N.’s own ranks.

UNAIDS, the U.N.’s premier HIV prevention agency, pushed back on a provision in his reform proposal, called the UN80 Initiative, to shutter the agency by the end of 2026.  Instead, UNAIDS has outlined its own reform initiative, which calls for large cuts and consolidation, but leaves open the question of when it would ultimately pack up and go away. “It is with member states and governing bodies to determine the way forward on how UN80 reforms are implemented,” UNAIDS said in a press statement.