---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The United Nations must focus on delivery…"
description: "\"The United Nations must focus on delivery rather than process and on people rather than bureaucracy.\" — Antonio Guterres"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/antonio-guterres-4430_bureaucracy_the-united-nations-must-focus-on-deliver_2433667.png"
---

#  The United Nations must focus on delivery rather than…

![“The United Nations must focus on delivery rather than process and on people rather than bureaucracy.” quote by Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/antonio-guterres-4430_bureaucracy_the-united-nations-must-focus-on-deliver_2433667.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/antonio-guterres-4430_bureaucracy_the-united-nations-must-focus-on-deliver_2433667.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/antonio-guterres-4430_bureaucracy_the-united-nations-must-focus-on-deliver_2433667.png)

> “The United Nations must focus on delivery rather than process and on people rather than bureaucracy.”

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He urges the UN to prioritize delivering results and serving people over bureaucratic procedures

**In simple terms:** Focus on delivering help to people, not just paperwork

Key Takeaway

Prioritize action and people over process

Themes

global governance humanitarianism efficiency

Mood

determined optimistic

Type

political strategic

When to use this quote

- development projects
- humanitarian aid
- policy reform

Key Concepts

policy implementation resource allocation

Questions to Reflect On

- How can the UN reduce bureaucratic delays?
- What mechanisms ensure people‑centered outcomes?

A Different Perspective

Implementation can be hindered by political disagreements

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bureaucracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bureaucracy/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Focus Delivery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus-delivery-312449/) [Nations Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations-focus-312447/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Bureaucracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-bureaucracy-312448/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Process People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process-people-312450/) [United nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-nations/)

## Related quotes

> [ \[The Bill of Rights is\] designed to protect individuals and minorities against the tyranny of the majority, but it's also designed to protect the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-tribe/the-bill-of-rights-is-designed-to-protect-individuals-and-minorities/)

[Laurence Tribe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-tribe/)

> [No politician in a European sense is happy with 26 million people unemployed. Nobody can be happy with 6 to 9 million young people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/no-politician-in-a-european-sense-is-happy-with-26-million-people/)

[Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/)

> [In the recording process, sometimes people feel that there isn't a space for them to contribute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-taylor/in-the-recording-process-sometimes-people-feel-that-there-isn-t-a/)

[Alexis Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-taylor/)

> [I get a huge kick out of training people, out of helping people, out of just being a part of a process that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-jackson/i-get-a-huge-kick-out-of-training-people-out-of-helping-people-out-of/)

[Greg Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-jackson/)

> [Well, you know, certain - for one reason, I think that the intervention process is a good process for most people, but for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanya-tucker/well-you-know-certain-for-one-reason-i-think-that-the-intervention/)

[Tanya Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanya-tucker/)

> [There was a definite process by which one made people into friends, and it involved talking to them and listening to them for hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-was-a-definite-process-by-which-one-made-people-into-friends/)

[Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/)

> [Seeing people in person is a big part of how you drive any change process. You have to show people a positive view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-immelt/seeing-people-in-person-is-a-big-part-of-how-you-drive-any-change/)

[Jeffrey R. Immelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-immelt/)

> [My music is also one part of my inner process, and people also seem to connect with me on that - especially the ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/volker-bertelmann/my-music-is-also-one-part-of-my-inner-process-and-people-also-seem-to/)

[Volker Bertelmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/volker-bertelmann/)

> [Management is getting people together to figure out how to transform inputs into outputs. In the process of figuring out the process of how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-christensen/management-is-getting-people-together-to-figure-out-how-to-transform/)

[Clayton Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-christensen/)

> [I think humans are just hard-wired to process people's faces and understand meaning and expression at such a more granular level than other types…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/i-think-humans-are-just-hard-wired-to-process-people-s-faces-and/)

[Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/)

> [The total elimination of nuclear weapons remains the highest disarmament priority of the United Nations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/the-total-elimination-of-nuclear-weapons-remains-the-highest/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

> [United Nations Day marks the birthday of our founding Charter - the landmark document that embodies the hopes, dreams and aspirations of 'we the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/united-nations-day-marks-the-birthday-of-our-founding-charter-the/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

> [Since the shock of former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's death, I have been reflecting on what made him so special. To my mind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/since-the-shock-of-former-united-nations-secretary-general-kofi-annan/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

> [I am totally committed to the cooperation between the African Union and the United Nations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/i-am-totally-committed-to-the-cooperation-between-the-african-union/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

> [The United Nations needs to be nimble, efficient, and effective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/the-united-nations-needs-to-be-nimble-efficient-and-effective/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

## More by Antonio Guterres

> [Thus, on this World Refugee Day, let us take time to recognize and draw inspiration from these ordinary people who have shown such extraordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/thus-on-this-world-refugee-day-let-us-take-time-to-recognize-and-draw/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

> [Migration powers economic growth, reduces inequalities, and connects diverse societies. Yet it is also a source of political tensions and human tragedies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/migration-powers-economic-growth-reduces-inequalities-and-connects/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

> [As populations continue to increase, and the climate continues to deteriorate, and as people flock in ever increasing numbers to large, underdeveloped cities, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/as-populations-continue-to-increase-and-the-climate-continues-to/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

> [The governments of south Sudan must make sure that everybody will get a nationality - that nobody will become stateless because of this separation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/the-governments-of-south-sudan-must-make-sure-that-everybody-will-get/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

> [Our own objective is to make Africa overcome its difficulties, to make Africa a continent of hope, to make Africa a continent of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/our-own-objective-is-to-make-africa-overcome-its-difficulties-to-make/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

> [Conflicts are multiplying - people are suffering. But we don't give up, because we know every man, woman, and child deserves a life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/conflicts-are-multiplying-people-are-suffering-but-we-don-t-give-up/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

> [To give to those in need is a central pillar of Islam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/to-give-to-those-in-need-is-a-central-pillar-of-islam/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

> [We must make sure that when someone sees the Blue Flag, she or he can say, 'I am protected.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/we-must-make-sure-that-when-someone-sees-the-blue-flag-she-or-he-can/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

> [It is essential to understand that the U.N.'s strength lies in its values. The values enshrined in the Charter, the values the U.N. stands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/it-is-essential-to-understand-that-the-u-n-s-strength-lies-in-its/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

> [The United Nations needs to be nimble, efficient, and effective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/the-united-nations-needs-to-be-nimble-efficient-and-effective/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

> [I think Australia is an extremely relevant partner and a key instrument for the stability, the progress, and the support of the East Timorese.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/i-think-australia-is-an-extremely-relevant-partner-and-a-key/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

> [There is never a humanitarian solution for a humanitarian crisis. The solutions for the humanitarian crisis are always political ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/there-is-never-a-humanitarian-solution-for-a-humanitarian-crisis-the/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

> [There's corruption in many parts of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/there-s-corruption-in-many-parts-of-the-world/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

> [Far too often, girls are not given the space and opportunities they need to achieve their full potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/far-too-often-girls-are-not-given-the-space-and-opportunities-they/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

> [Stateless people are hidden. During the 2011 refugee crises, it was obvious that people were fleeing Somalia and Libya - there was a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/stateless-people-are-hidden-during-the-2011-refugee-crises-it-was/)

[Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

[Explore all 111 Antonio Guterres quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/)

## More Bureaucracy quotes

> [ When the fountains of government \[borrowing\] abundance began to dry up, when through lack of funds and the impossibility of negotiating fresh loans the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-flynn/when-the-fountains-of-government-borrowing-abundance-began-to-dry-up/)

[John T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-flynn/)

> [There's nothing wrong with the Democratic Party that talks more about - and more loudly about - jobs, and cutting red tape, and bureaucracy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hickenlooper/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-the-democratic-party-that-talks-more-about/)

[John Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hickenlooper/)

> [Socialism would gather all power to the supreme party and party leaders, rising like stately pinnacles above their vast bureaucracies of civil servants no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/socialism-would-gather-all-power-to-the-supreme-party-and-party/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [I believe that government should confine itself to the public realm and that it should be as stripped down as possible, within reason. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-believe-that-government-should-confine-itself-to-the-public-realm/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [I think Kafka was right when he said that for a modern, secular, nonreligious man, state bureaucracy is the only remaining contact with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/i-think-kafka-was-right-when-he-said-that-for-a-modern-secular/)

[Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/)

> [If there's one thing you should know about me it's that I'm utterly unsuited for bureaucracy. I don't know my passwords to anything. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-torres/if-there-s-one-thing-you-should-know-about-me-it-s-that-i-m-utterly/)

[Julio Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-torres/)

> [ \[The Utopia of Rules\] should offer a challenge to us all. Should we just accept this bureaucracy as inevitable? Or is there a way… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-tett/the-utopia-of-rules-should-offer-a-challenge-to-us-all-should-we-just/)

[Gillian Tett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-tett/)

> [“Catholics form a majority in Chile, although there are more and more Evangelicals and Pentacostals who irritate everyone because they have a direct understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/catholics-form-a-majority-in-chile-although-there-are-more-and-more/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [“Plato argued that good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will always find a way around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/plato-argued-that-good-people-do-not-need-laws-to-tell-them-to-act/)

[Philip K. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-howard/)

> [Trump conducts meetings and actually tries to get something done rather than just have the meeting and rather than just announce a framework and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/trump-conducts-meetings-and-actually-tries-to-get-something-done/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [So many signatures for such a small heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/so-many-signatures-for-such-a-small-heart/)

[Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/)

> [“Uniformity in the common law, consisting of broad principles like the "reasonable person" standard, generally permits adjustment for the circumstances. This type of uniform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/uniformity-in-the-common-law-consisting-of-broad-principles-like-the/)

[Philip K. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-howard/)

> [“It is horrible to think that the world could one day be filled with nothing but those little cogs, little men clinging to little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/it-is-horrible-to-think-that-the-world-could-one-day-be-filled-with/)

[Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/)

> [“Bureaucracy will be the deity of the twentieth century.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-ter-esterh-zy/bureaucracy-will-be-the-deity-of-the-twentieth-century/)

[Péter Esterházy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-ter-esterh-zy/)

> [the greater the bureaucratization of public life, the greater will be the attraction of violence. In a fully developed bureaucracy there is nobody left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/the-greater-the-bureaucratization-of-public-life-the-greater-will-be/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

[Browse all 636 Bureaucracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bureaucracy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The United Nations must focus on delivery rather than process and on people rather than bureaucracy.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Antonio Guterres"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/the-united-nations-must-focus-on-delivery-rather-than-process-and-on/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bureaucracy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/the-united-nations-must-focus-on-delivery-rather-than-process-and-on/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/antonio-guterres-4430_bureaucracy_the-united-nations-must-focus-on-deliver_2433667.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/antonio-guterres-4430_bureaucracy_the-united-nations-must-focus-on-deliver_2433667.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52e/antonio-guterres-4430_bureaucracy_the-united-nations-must-focus-on-deliver_2433667.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The United Nations must focus on delivery rather than process and on people rather than bureaucracy.” — Antonio Guterres",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Antonio Guterres",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The United Nations must focus on...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/the-united-nations-must-focus-on-delivery-rather-than-process-and-on/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/the-united-nations-must-focus-on-delivery-rather-than-process-and-on/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```