Over the past several months, NEAR facilitated a consultation with our members – local and national civil society organisations from Afghanistan to Colombia, Mali to Indonesia, and many countries in between – anchored in one central question: what kind of a United Nations (UN) do you need? The debate about the future of the UN is often framed as a choice between preserving the existing system and dismantling it. What are our members describe is a more useful way through. The question is not whether the UN should remain, but whether it is willing to redefine its role in a world where local systems already exist and endure. This is captured by a NEAR member in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region: “Localisation does not mean demanding the UN disappear. It means redefining the UN’s role so it supports, protects, enables, and provides resources for local and national organisations rather than leading by default.”