EU Statement – UN General Assembly: Briefing on the UN80 Initiative Workstream 3

Check against delivery

Madam President, distinguished colleagues,

I deliver this statement on behalf of the EU.

Thank you to all the Principals for your detailed and forward-looking briefings. We would like to reaffirm our strong support to the UN80 Initiative, and we particularly welcome your emphasis on the UN Women/UNFPA merger assessment (Work package 4) as well as Technology (WP 15) and Data (WP 16) today. 

Let me start by focusing on the proposed UNFPA and UN Women merger:

We welcome the preliminary findings of the strategic merger assessment of UNFPA and UN Women, which is a constructive step towards reform. It confirms that there are operational efficiencies to be gained that will allow increasingly scarce resources to potentially have more impact, and, as paragraph 20 of the preliminary findings rightly notes, the status quo is not a stable option but a path fraught with risk.

We particularly welcome that the assessment concludes that the mandates will be protected, as has been the EU’s firm position and main caveat in reform discussions from the start. 

Yet, to ensure this proposal (i) results in stronger outcomes and delivery for partner countries and (ii) respects, retains, and advances the full substance of the mandates of the two agencies in their entirety, several critical areas still require further clarification in the final assessment and we would like to kindly ask the following questions to guide our discussions in the next steps of this process:

1. How will the proposal concretely improve efficiency, safeguard mandates, and preserve capacities to engage with all relevant stakeholders to ensure results on the ground? 
2. How can we ensure that the existing complementarities and added value are preserved? And how will the Boards be involved in the next steps of the process?
3. What detailed governance, operational models, and transparent funding mechanisms are required?
4. What strong financial and scenario testing is foreseen to ensure long-term sustainability?
5. How does this proposal integrate with the broader UN80 reform, particularly the other work packages under the sustainable development pillar, and with the reform of the global health architecture?

With regard to Technology (Work Package 15), we welcome the focus on accelerating technology uptake across the system, while reducing fragmentation in basic ICT services through shared and more interoperable solutions, including the proposed Technology Accelerator Platform. We see this as a valuable contribution to a more coherent and future-ready United Nations system.

At the same time, it will be important that next steps are guided by transparency, inclusiveness and a needs-based approach, and that they bring tangible improvements for delivery on the ground. In this regard, we would welcome further clarity on the proposed governance and implementation arrangements, including how agency-specific operational requirements will be taken into account, and how a common approach can support innovation while safeguarding effectiveness, accountability and continuity of services.

Dear colleagues,

The UN80 Initiative has already resulted in progress under Workstream 1 with a revised budget and the recent adoption of the mandate resolution in Workstreams 2. We should now accelerate progress under Workstream 3, ensuring that it builds on and reinforces advances across the other workstreams, guided by a shared commitment to transparency and accountability and shared ownership.

We look forward to continued collaboration and to building on today’s productive exchange.

The United Nations can always count on the support of the European Union to produce a meaningful, tangible and long-lasting change in the system. 

Thank you.