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EU Statement – UN Informal Ad-Hoc Working Group on the UN80 Initiative: Final Meeting

28.02.2026
New York

27 March 2026, 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 final meeting of the IAHWG on the UN80 Initiative (Workstream 2)

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Distinguished co-chairs, colleagues,

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

 

As we gather for the final meeting of this Informal Ad-Hoc Working Group, I would like to express our deep appreciation to the co-chairs for their remarkable coordination of this process and the collaborative approach adopted in carrying out their mandate. We acknowledge your commitment to a truly inclusive member state-led process and your efforts to maintain an open and continuous dialogue with all delegations.

Throughout this long process, the European Union and its member states have consistently called for a truly transformative framework for how this organization designs, implements, and reviews its mandates. Our objective was – and remains – the highest possible level of ambition in this regard, to enable the UN to deliver most effectively on the ground. It is therefore regrettable that, in the final revision that you presented to us on Monday, the language has been weakened in some key areas – including the system-wide nature of this reform exercise, the scope of the mandate review, the requests to the Secretary-General, as well as mandate retirement clauses and funding arrangements. 

However, while we hoped to maintain a high level of ambition, we are conscious of the fact that this final revision reflects a delicate balance that carries the broadest possible support – as we have seen today at the successful adoption with overwhelming majority – and we believe that this final text still represents a step forward in ensuring a substantive, meaningful and potentially long-lasting improvement in the management of the whole mandate lifecycle. 

We don’t think that more time is needed. The time schedule for our work in the WG has been clear from the beginning. 

Therefore, the European Union and its member states can support this outcome of the working group and stand ready to translate this resolution into tangible action.

I thank you.