As expected in Year Two, assessed Sub-Actions saw more implementation progress compared to Year One. The below figures 2.1 and 2.2 show that 252 of 452 Sub-Action indicators (based on 40 out of 56 total Actions), or 56%, demonstrate some level of advance—29% with substantive progress and 27% with minimal progress—while 30% indicate no progress. Regrettably, 14% of Sub-Action indicators reveal regression. While 80% of Pact implementation was mandated to Member States, 20% was mandated to the UN system to be tracked by the Secretary-General’s office. According to the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, 53.2% of UN-mandated Sub-Action “milestones” have been met.186 Notable progress was made in 2026 through the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), which helped to sustain momentum on international financial architecture reforms (Pact Actions 47-52); the Global Dialogue on AI governance and appointment of 40 members to the new Independent International Scientific Panel on AI (Action 30) have shown progress on AI governance globally; the Beyond GDP final report and indicator dashboard created by the High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP pushed forward the Action 53 agenda; and the Secretary-General’s report on rising military expenditure impact on sustainable development played a vital role for Action 13 and contributed to analysis relevant to Chapter 2 (Actions 13-27). Noteworthy progress on the digital divide in rural-urban internet use (Action 27) saw rural access increase substantially between 2024 and 2025 (from 48% to 58%), while urban access increased only slightly (83% to 85%) in the same period.

Considered thematically, while there has been progress in some areas, the regress in other areas is telling: The data shows regress in 12% of indicators for Chapter 1 (Sustainable development and financing for development), almost 7% of Chapter 3 (Science, technology and innovation and digital cooperation), and 10% of Chapter 4 (Youth and future generations), which compare favorably with regress on 20% of Chapter 2 (International peace and security) and 17% of Chapter 5 (Transforming global governance). The major areas of concern (with zero progress or regression) are financing for development through ODA, as well as persistent political deadlocks on key areas of peace and security architecture reform (as elaborated in GGIR’26 section three). Figures 2.1 and 2.2 show that, despite waning multilateral cooperation, elements of the Pact demonstrate durable and growing areas of collaboration across a range of global governance issues, with two years to go until the September 2028 high-level review of progress.

Further steep funding cuts are anticipated and have already harmed Pact implementation across the board, as many countries pull back from foreign aid and international organization financing. In short, the UN remains on the verge of financial collapse, with roughly $1.57 billion in outstanding UN Secretariat regular budget dues at the end of 2025 and the 2026 UN budget cutting some 2,900 posts.188 The General Assembly-approved $5.38 billion budget for UN peacekeeping operations in 2025-26 is a sharp decline from $6.1 billion (for 2023-24) and $5.6 billion (for 2024-25), a trend expected to continue.189 The SG’s revised 2026 overall budget specifically reduced OHCHR’s budget by 15.2%, from $420.1 million to $377.7 million, raising serious concerns about the UN’s ability to fulfil its human rights mandate.

The Pact responds to critics of the United Nations and other multilateral institutions by demonstrating two key points: first, that broad international consensus can still be reached on urgent reforms to make the global governance system fit for the future; and second, that Summit of the Future implementation efforts are yielding tangible and, in some instances, significant results (as elaborated in section four of this report). While the geopolitical landscape has changed, the Pact remains a framework that retains both political and normative weight. As an agreement reached by Member States, it serves as a critical reference point for sustaining momentum and holding stakeholders accountable for advancing its commitments. The Pact serves as a proxy for governments and non-state actors seeking to reinvest in multilateral approaches to global problemsolving. Importantly, the concrete Actions tracked in this report do not depend on expanding bureaucracy or significantly increasing financial burdens, aligning with ongoing efforts to modernize the UN system and increase its efficiency. These efforts are reinforced by the Secretary-General’s UN80 Initiative, which is working to update UN structures, priorities, and operations for the 21st century. Together, the Pact for the Future and the UN80 Initiative are mutually reinforcing: the former sets out a shared vision and agenda, while the latter provides an operational pathway to deliver a more agile, cost-effective, and impactful multilateral system.