EU Statement -- Consultations of the Informal Ad-hoc Working Group on UN80 – Mandate Creation

Distinguished co-chairs, distinguished colleagues,

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the European Union and its member states.

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

We would like to thank the co-chairs for convening us today and for coordinating our efforts to maximize the impact of mandates under the UN80 reform. We would also like to express our gratitude for the responses provided to the inquiries raised during the last session. These new details will constitute the baseline of our joint efforts to drive forward the Mandate Review in the next steps of the process.  

In this regard, let me now highlight our main considerations on mandate creation:

On mandate creation, our topic of today, we must acknowledge that effective mandates demand effective design and have full visibility across the entire mandate system, which includes what mandates already exist on the same or related topics, who and how is implementing them and with what results. Therefore, we welcome measures designed to:

• First, amplify the overall impact and sustainability of new mandates and eliminate implementation ambiguities. This should be done through the adoption of concise, action-oriented and outcome-driven language. The implementation and impact of mandates should be measurable and system-wide evaluation would be critical ;

• Second, introduce sunset clauses with a robust mechanism for periodic review to minimize perpetual extensions and ensure mandates evolve or conclude in alignment with their objectives, as well as review clauses to ensure that regular assessment and evaluation of the relevance and efficiency of the mandates can take place.

• Third, accompany the creation of new mandates in the UN system with clear resource estimates, timely and transparent programme budget implications, from the very start 

• Fourth, strengthen a culture of efficiency and responsibility on mandate resourcing, by exploring all options on resource allocation, and then make sure that new mandates leading to new activities can be funded by the required corresponding resources, and with appropriate oversight as a prerequisite for new mandate creation.  

• Fifth, further implement comprehensive digital mandate registries, including by an open, transparent and trustworthy use of artificial intelligence, to conduct a preliminary review and gain full awareness of active mandates, to maximize mandate coordination, clear roles, responsibilities and impact, and eliminate duplication in the creation of new ones;

We also encourage the Secretariat to identify and put forward rationalizations in terms of mandate execution among Secretariat entities every time mandates allow it.

Colleagues,

The European Union and its Member States strongly support the Secretary-General’s efforts to enhance mandate visibility and coordination across mandating bodies. To ensure effective implementation, the Secretary-General must be able to act with appropriate flexibility. Therefore, we welcome greater Secretariat support to Member States during mandate creation, without establishing new bodies or structures, and encourage the Secretary-General to assign tasks according to comparative advantages and resource availability across the UN system to ensure the implementation of agreed mandates. 

Colleagues,

It is us Member States that are responsible for mandate creation, and we must guide their design and implementation with transparency, accountability, added value, due diligence, fiscal responsibility and a strong sense of common purpose. It is therefore important that the work under this workstream also links up with the discussions about structural reforms under workstream 3. We also believe that the above criteria and lessons learned from earlier processes should also inform, in due course, the review of existing mandates.

In conclusion, we appreciate the opportunity to engage in this important discussion and welcome the Secretary-General’s proposals and vision under the UN80 reform initiative. As members of the organization, we encourage further ambitious proposals from the Secretariat and remain committed to sustaining the momentum and ensuring continuous ownership of this process.

Chairs, 

We will also submit a more detailed written version of our input.

Thank you.

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