President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Albania^*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina^* and Georgia, and the EFTA countries Liechtenstein, member of the European Economic Area, as well as San Marino align themselves with this Explanation of Position.

At the outset, we wish to reiterate our strong commitment to multilateralism and to the Secretary-General’s efforts aimed at making the United Nations more effective, efficient, fit for purpose and impactful for the people it serves.

That being said, we deeply regret that the process leading to the adoption of this resolution was premature and unnecessarily rushed. The limited time available for meaningful consultation and reflection did not allow for the constructive engagement such an initiative requires. While the resolution aims to address duplication and promote efficiency, the process leading to its adoption, regrettably, did not reflect these principles. Unfortunately, this is yet another example of unconstructive approach of the proponent of the draft resolution.

Nonetheless, we welcome the engagement of Member States in the UN80 Initiative—a process rooted in the shared belief that multilateralism is and must remain the way forward. We have participated in this initiative in good faith and with a constructive spirit, despite our reservations regarding the necessity of this particular resolution at this stage.

It is important to recall that both the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly have already initiated a transparent and inclusive process under the UN80 Initiative—one that underscores, rather than undermines, the central role of Member States.

We recognize that this resolution reaffirms the role of the Secretary-General as Chief Administrative Officer of the Organization and the system-wide scope of the UN80 Initiative. In that context, we reiterate our full support for the Secretary-General’s vision to review, restructure, and revitalise the UN system to achieve greater coherence, impact, and accountability.

We look forward to receiving the Secretary-General’s proposals under the UN80 Initiative. We believe this resolution, after significant changes, provides a further supportive framework for the Secretary-General to present clear, evidence-based, and bold recommendations. Ultimately, we expect the UN80 Initiative to result in a United Nations that is stronger, more agile, resilient, transparent, cost-efficient, and effective—capable of delivering equally across the three pillars of the Organization: peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development, as well as its humanitarian work, in a balanced and integrated manner. We will remain focused on this goal.

We have joined the consensus on this resolution, despite deep doubts about its timing, in the spirit of constructive engagement and with a view to contributing meaningfully to the success of the UN80 Initiative.

I thank you.

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.