What have the UN bureaucracy, climate change and the global automotive crisis have in common? By linking them, they can help making the world a better place. And here is how:1. Insights
The UN is seen by many primarily as a big bureaucracy. While thedre is of course more to the UN, there is no doubt that it is big and slow.
The UN is not in best shape. Even though the US hardcore attitude towards the UN has changed, it has lost much of its relevance and central stage.
For many the UN is also associated with a fleet of big, fat, white SUVs. While this is good for visibility, protection and often important in difficult terrain, big SUVs are now also a sign of the past, throw-away society. The latest car shows in Detroit and Geneva are a clear sign that the dominant colour of the automotive industry will be green.
Climate change is the biggest global challenge of our times and so far the UN has played an important role in putting the issue on the global agenda by trying to set targets and monitoring them. However, success in the real world has been meagre and where it happens it is difficult to credit the UN for it.
The global automotive industry is in crisis and is now going through a major transformation. Carmakers need to reposition themselves as providers of sustainable mobility.
2. The idea
The UN and its agencies/affiliates can use its global procurement power to commission the World Car of the future, helping to fight climate change and accelerating the transformation of the automotive industry. Doing this will also help reposition the UN as a foreward looking organisation with tangible impact in the real world.
3. How?
With a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles the UN is one of the biggest owners and buyers of vehicles worldwide. Rather than buying what is on the market, the UN procurement experts should sit together with aid workers, engineers, car designers and environmentalists and draw up the specifications for the global UN car of the future. Car makers would then have to design a car with the incentive of winning the biggest global supply contract. The car itself can then also be produced in mass production after the UN initial orders have been filled. And all those car makers which did not get the UN contract will still be able to get their car design into production.
4. What are the benefits?
A better vehicle fleet will reduce CO2 emissions of the UN and make the UN lead by example. UN member states and donors will be confident that their contribution is used in a good way.
The action will positions the UN as a doer not just talker. It will also position the UN as innovative and relevant in the real world, and will turn the outdated UN SUV image into a proactive green image.
And the car industry will have a first global client who commits to making a big first mover order. This first big order will fund part of the development and production costs of the winning global car of the future.
The UN is not in best shape. Even though the US hardcore attitude towards the UN has changed, it has lost much of its relevance and central stage.
For many the UN is also associated with a fleet of big, fat, white SUVs. While this is good for visibility, protection and often important in difficult terrain, big SUVs are now also a sign of the past, throw-away society. The latest car shows in Detroit and Geneva are a clear sign that the dominant colour of the automotive industry will be green.
Climate change is the biggest global challenge of our times and so far the UN has played an important role in putting the issue on the global agenda by trying to set targets and monitoring them. However, success in the real world has been meagre and where it happens it is difficult to credit the UN for it.
The global automotive industry is in crisis and is now going through a major transformation. Carmakers need to reposition themselves as providers of sustainable mobility.
2. The idea
The UN and its agencies/affiliates can use its global procurement power to commission the World Car of the future, helping to fight climate change and accelerating the transformation of the automotive industry. Doing this will also help reposition the UN as a foreward looking organisation with tangible impact in the real world.
3. How?
With a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles the UN is one of the biggest owners and buyers of vehicles worldwide. Rather than buying what is on the market, the UN procurement experts should sit together with aid workers, engineers, car designers and environmentalists and draw up the specifications for the global UN car of the future. Car makers would then have to design a car with the incentive of winning the biggest global supply contract. The car itself can then also be produced in mass production after the UN initial orders have been filled. And all those car makers which did not get the UN contract will still be able to get their car design into production.
4. What are the benefits?
A better vehicle fleet will reduce CO2 emissions of the UN and make the UN lead by example. UN member states and donors will be confident that their contribution is used in a good way.
The action will positions the UN as a doer not just talker. It will also position the UN as innovative and relevant in the real world, and will turn the outdated UN SUV image into a proactive green image.
And the car industry will have a first global client who commits to making a big first mover order. This first big order will fund part of the development and production costs of the winning global car of the future.
And this is how you turn a difficult image (big, fat bureaucracy) into an advantage (big customer power) and help to make the world a better place. Sounds too easy, but let's try.
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