Check against delivery

Thank you, Secretary-General, for your remarks. We also appreciate Poland’s leadership as ECOSOC Vice-President during this year’s Operational Activities for Development segment.

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the EU and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, as well as Armenia align themselves with this statement.

The EU and its Member States reaffirm our commitment to effective multilateralism and the rules-based international order with the United Nations at its core.

We believe last year’s QCPR outcome can better guide the UN development system to address gaps and deliver more effectively, collaboratively, and coherently, leaving no one behind. This is especially important amid reduced funding, ongoing reforms, and the UN80 Initiative.

We have three key messages:

1. Progress in UNDS Reform

We welcome the SG’s Report on QCPR, showing 98% of host governments confirm that UN country teams effectively respond to national SDG priorities. This reflects progress from ongoing reform.

We recognize the Resident Coordinator’s role in providing leadership, advancing the UN’s normative agenda, reducing duplication, and promoting collective SDG action. Reported efficiency gains of over USD 596 million in 2024—mainly through shared services and premises—are encouraging. These measures should be scaled up across UN Country Offices.

Tailored country support remains essential. The UN supported 109 countries in special or complex situations, accounting for 70% of spending. While country-specific configurations have improved, misalignment with agency staffing, structures, mandates, and business models persists. Better alignment with national needs is critical, including through the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks, to support coordinated delivery of the 2030 Agenda.

We also call for full implementation of the System-wide Action Plan on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women across the UN development system.

2. Operational Challenges

Despite progress, challenges remain:

• Funding: Development contributions fell 16% in 2023. Core funding remains inadequate, threatening the sustainability of results and reforms.

• Fragmented programming: Many agencies still work in silos.

• Weak joint action: Joint resource mobilization and accountability are limited; only 26% of UN teams fully include RCs in planning.

To address these, we must accelerate reforms, with agencies working more strategically and collaboratively under RC leadership. Governance should be simplified, alignment increased, transparency strengthened, and high-impact cooperation models expanded.

Member States should meet commitments under the Funding Compact to sustain reform and its impact. Data and evaluation are also key. The new System-Wide Evaluation Office should help refine policies through better evidence use.

These QCPR-based solutions should inform our efforts under the UN80 Initiative.

3. The UN80 Initiative

The UN80 Initiative, under the SG’s leadership, must stay grounded in shared priorities and help translate the Pact for the Future into implementation—especially the 2030 Agenda and SDGs. As emphasized last week and yesterday on the General Assembly briefing on UN80, the UN Charter’s three pillars—peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights—are interlinked and must be addressed together.

We welcome this year’s Segmen’s focus on the links between development and peacebuilding via the nexus approach. Reform should create a more streamlined, effective UN that delivers impact with strong country-level ownership and leaves no one behind. Transparency, accountability, value for money, and oversight must guide reform.

This requires bold leadership, simplified processes, and improved coordination, including stronger interagency cooperation. The initiative must be driven by evidence-based decisions and the principles of responsibility, effectiveness, transparency, and accountability.

Mr. Vice President,

Mr. Secretary-General, 

The EU and its Member States— the UN’s largest collective contributors—remain committed to multilateralism and the UN. With meaningful reform, adequate financing, and a broader donor base, the UN can achieve more and deliver greater impact.

You can count on our continued support and constructive engagement.

Thank you.