This paper argues that if true multilateralism in the global socio-economic arena is to be saved, there needs to be a radical re-think of what the UN delivers to its increasingly heterogeneous group of member states in the development field. The fundamental challenge for the UN development system is to reposition itself so that it remains relevant and provides an added value to all its member states.
The international development community, in the so-called post-2015 development process, is now scrambling to agree on how to follow up on the Millennium Development Goals when they expire in 2015. The stakes are high and there is no doubt that multilateral solutions will be needed to solve some of the more pressing global challenges. At the same time the UN development system is being put into question more than ever before. The need for renewal is as real as it is urgent.