EU Statement – 81st UN General Assembly 3rd Committee Interactive Dialogues
7 October 2026, New York – EU Statement at the Interactive Dialogue with Representatives from UN DESA, UNESCO and Zvezdan Pirtošek, Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons
Chair,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.
We thank UN DESA, UNESCO and the Independent Expert, Mr Pirtošek, for this opportunity to exchange on recent social development trends.
While progress has been made in some areas, notably unemployment, we cannot be satisfied. More than 800 million people still live in extreme poverty, over 2 billion face food insecurity, and we continue to see rising inequality, challenges in educational outcomes and literacy, and slow progress on gender equality and disability inclusion.
Upholding the human rights is essential for achieving the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and fulfilling the core promise to leave no one behind. With three years remaining to the target date, the implementation of SDGs is insufficient and we need to accelerate actions.
Last year’s World Social Summit in Doha, held 30 years after the Copenhagen Summit, marked an important milestone. We welcome its Political Declaration, that is anchored in human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The EU and its Member States will continue to promote social development and social justice across our policies, in line with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and guided by the European Pillar of Social Rights that will mark its 10th anniversary next year.
We are also mindful of our own challenges, particularly the risk of poverty and social exclusion, educational outcomes, adult learning and aging. This is why we introduced earlier this year the first ever EU Anti-Poverty Strategy and are placing particular emphasis on strengthening the European Child Guarantee and tackling housing exclusion; and we will work on a European Care Deal for 2027. In this regard, the EU will also continue to support efforts to enhance the protection of older persons, including in the context of poverty, health, social exclusion and situations of dependency.
The EU and its Member States remain the world’s largest providers of Official Development Assistance, contributing over 42% of global ODA. Our investments support poverty eradication, decent work, stronger social protection systems, gender equality, and inclusive and sustainable growth in partner countries. Through SOCIEUX+, we also provide demand-driven technical assistance to support inclusive social protection, employment and labour policies.
Governments cannot act alone, especially in times of budgetary pressure. Mobilising private investment and strengthening partnerships with the private sector, financial institutions, social enterprises, social partners and civil society is essential. Multilateral partners, especially the ILO, also play a key role.
We remain committed to promoting decent work and adequate, sustainable social protection for all, especially persons with disabilities and those in vulnerable situations, and to promoting the full enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, without discrimination, including through the ongoing intergovernmental process, as well as combating poverty and social exclusion.
Mr Katoanga, could you elaborate on how cooperation across the UN system and with other partners can be strengthened – as recommended in the SG’s report – including good practices and areas for improvement?
Thank you.
12 October 2026, New York – European Union Statement at the United Nations General Assembly 81st Session Third Committee Interactive Dialogue Item 66: Rights of the Child
Chair,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.
We thank the five briefers for their presentations today.
Madam Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict,
We reiterate our full support for your mandate, as we mark its 30th anniversary, and our appreciation for the tireless work of your Office. The EU continues to attach the greatest possible importance to the promotion and protection of the rights of children to live free from all forms of violence, abuse and exploitation, including in situations of armed conflict, where they have unique vulnerabilities.
We are deeply concerned by the record number of children affected by verified grave violations, committed with near-total impunity, and by the fact that, for the first time, government forces were responsible for the majority of verified violations. We are equally alarmed by the sharp increase in the killing and maiming of children, the scale of harm caused by the rapid evolution of new technologies used in warfare, including in populated areas, and the unacceptable denial of humanitarian access, which prevents countless children from receiving basic and life-saving services.
Madam Special Representative, how can Member States effectively uphold their obligations under international law to ensure that the special protections afforded to children are upheld at all times, particularly in armed conflict?
Madam Special Representative on Violence against Children,
The EU and its Member States remain deeply committed to the protection and promotion of the rights of every child, and to ending all forms of violence against children. We strongly support your mandate and thank you for your work on advancing prevention, protection, participation and accountability.
Twenty years after the UN Study on Violence against Children, the report offers an important opportunity to take stock of progress while recognising persistent and emerging risks, including in the digital environment and amid humanitarian, climate and economic crises. We welcome the growing mobilisation of States and other stakeholders, including children and young people, and the report’s emphasis on translating commitments into sustained action and stronger national child protection systems.
Madam Special Representative,we welcome your emphasis on the rapidly evolving digital environment and the need to address online violence and its links to offline abuse and exploitation. Can you share any positive examples or case studies of measures that have been successful in ensuring effective safeguards in this regard?
Mister Deputy Executive Director,
We commend UNICEF’s leadership in protecting and promoting the rights of children and welcome you highlighting the need for particular attention to those in humanitarian and crisis settings, facing the greatest barriers and left the furthest behind, including children with disabilities.
Despite some hard-won gains for children, progress remains fragmented and uneven. We are concerned by the increasing normative threat against established child-rights standards, as well as regressions in some areas, such as an increasing number for seven years in a row of children being out of school, and reduced funding impacting the Global Programme to End Child Marriage, which reached approximately four million fewer girls at risk in 2025 than in 2024.
In this context, the EU reaffirms the need for sustained, predictable and flexible investment in children.
Mister Deputy Executive Director, drawing on UNICEF's global experience, what positive examples can you share of measures to ensure that children with disabilities are systematically included in child protection, education and social protection systems, particularly in humanitarian and crisis settings?
Madam Chair,
We thank you for your work as Chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and reiterate our full support to the work of treaty-based bodies.
The report on the Status of the Convention on the Rights of the Child presents a wide-ranging set of recommendations to advance early childhood development through a child rights-based approach. These recommendations address key issues such as financing for early childhood development, inclusion of marginalised children and families, protection of children in the digital environment, and the integration of child-focused strategies into emergency response, peacebuilding efforts and national development planning. We underline the importance of ensuring equitable access to early childhood intervention and inclusive early childhood education and care, including for children with disabilities and developmental difficulties, through coordinated support for children and their families.
Madam Chair, could you share how the Committee incorporates these recommendations into its review processes and engagement with State Parties?
Madam Special Rapporteur,
We welcome your appointment and strategic vision, and reiterate our full support for your mandate to prevent and eliminate the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children.
The EU underscores the importance of strengthening the entire child protection continuum, from prevention and early intervention to justice, reparation and reintegration. We welcome your emphasis on the meaningful, informed and safe participation of children, including victims and survivors. Such participation must be voluntary, age-appropriate, accessible to children with disabilities, supported by communication adapted to their individual needs, and guided by the principle of "do no harm". Effective responses also require strong cooperation among States, civil society, national human rights institutions, academia, the private sector, families and communities.
The EU also welcomes your focus on emerging forms of exploitation linked to evolving technological developments and intersecting global crises, as well as your emphasis on evidence-based approaches and capacity-building for frontline professionals, including those working in early childhood education and care.
Madam Rapporteur, how can Member States ensure that the voices and lived experiences of child victims and survivors meaningfully inform child protection policies, while safeguarding them from retraumatisation? Are there any concrete best practices you would wish to highlight?
Thank you.
12 October 2026, New York – European Union Statement at the United Nations General Assembly 81st Session Third Committee Interactive Dialogue with the Executive Director of UNODC, Ms. Monica Juma
Chair,
I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.
We thank the UN Office on Drugs and Crime for sharing its findings and for its continued work in advancing crime prevention, strengthening criminal justice systems, promoting the rule of law, and supporting international cooperation and technical assistance.
The EU reaffirms its steadfast support for UNODC’s mandate, firmly anchored in the promotion and protection of human rights for all, international law, and multilateral cooperation. Our partnership with UNODC is built on shared values, mutual trust, and a common commitment to effective, victim-centred responses to crime and person-centred, public health-oriented responses to drug-related challenges. The EU and its Member States remain one of the main contributors to UNODC’s budget through voluntary funding, supporting over 60 UNODC projects worldwide.
We take note of UNODC’s latest reports, which highlight the scale and complexity of current threats, such as the continued expansion of synthetic drugs, rising organised fraud and criminal misuse of technology, corruption as an enabler of organised crime, and persistent pressures on criminal justice systems and prison management.
Allow me to outline three relevant EU priorities:
First, we attach particular importance to stronger action against transnational organised crime in all its forms, including drug trafficking, trafficking in persons, migrant smuggling, firearms trafficking, corruption, crimes affecting the environment, and cybercrime, including online child sexual abuse and exploitation. We also reaffirm our commitment to countering terrorism.
Second, we remain committed to a rights-centred, evidence-based and comprehensive approach to drug policy. The EU’s new Drugs Strategy aims to enhance preparedness, protect public health, and reduce drug-related harm through prevention, treatment, harm reduction, rehabilitation and social reintegration, while strengthening security and international cooperation. The EU Action Plan against Drug Trafficking 2026-2030 complements these efforts by strengthening action against drug trafficking and related organised crime, including through enhanced operational cooperation, international partnerships, research and innovation.
Third, we support efficient, coordinated, and actionable multilateral action, including through the UN80 process, while ensuring that UN reform strengthens UNODC’s operational impact, effectiveness, and normative role.
Madam Executive Director,
Women who use drugs may face stigma, discrimination and violence, as well as barriers to accessing health and social services. How is UNODC addressing their specific needs and protecting their rights, and what measurable results have been achieved?
How does UNODC intend to deepen its support for responses to online child sexual abuse and exploitation, including through child-sensitive investigation methods, cooperation with technology companies, and specialist trauma-informed support for victims?