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EU Statement – UN General Assembly: Informal meeting on the UN80 Initiative Workstream 2

11.12.2025
New York

11 December 2025, New York – Statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States by H.E. Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations, at the Informal meeting of the General Assembly on the UN80 Initiative (Workstream 2)

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Madam President, distinguished colleagues,

I deliver this statement on behalf of the EU and its member states.

 

The Candidate Countries Türkiye, North Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina* and Georgia, as well as Monaco and San Marino align themselves with this statement.

Thank you, Madam President, for gathering us here today. We would also like to thank the Secretariat for sharing updates on the UN80 Initiative, and the co-chairs for their excellent coordination of the Informal Ad-hoc Working Group on Mandate Implementation Review. 

Since the establishment of the working group, we have made significant progress. Let me now highlight our main considerations regarding our work on workstream 2, following months of well-structured and constructive dialogue:

  • First, we must ensure the visibility, effectiveness and continued relevance of both existing and future UN mandates through action-oriented language. We also need to set up clear and objective review mechanisms linked to budgetary realities and provide sunset and review clauses.
  • Second, we call for the streamlining and rationalisation of meetings and reports, as well as the further enhancement of the digital mandate registry, to be able to identify and address duplications and overlapping functions.
  • Third, we also support granting greater flexibility to the Secretary-General to assign mandated tasks according to comparative advantages and resource availability, and to the Secretariat for the reallocation of resources, following the implementation of accountability frameworks regulated by clear criteria.

Moreover, we welcome the establishment of the UN80 Action Plan as a system-wide framework for holistic and ambitious action and structural reform across all three workstreams, and look forward to receiving more updates from the Secretariat on concrete timelines and milestones.  

Colleagues, 

It is now time for us, the Secretariat and the UN Member States, to translate our proposals into concrete and actionable pathways to achieve maximal operational effectiveness based on sound cost-benefit analyses, while respecting UN principles and values. 

Lastly, we encourage the Secretariat to continue fostering constructive dialogue through prompt responses, valuable briefings and regular updates, and further develop digital tools to enhance transparency and facilitate member states’ informed decision-making. Your efforts have been, are, and will be fundamental to our success. In this spirit, we reiterate our strong support and appreciation for the crucial role of the co-facilitators in steering the process under workstream 2 through the upcoming production phase towards ambitious outcomes.

The European Union and its member states stand ready to translate our inputs into tangible action.

I thank you.


 

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