EU Statement -- UN General Assembly: Fifth Committee (Items 136 and 148)

Madame Chair, Mr. Secretary-General, 

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

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

I would like to begin by expressing our gratitude to the Secretary-General for his outlook, and to the Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) for presenting the Committee´s reports on the revised estimates relating to the proposed programme budget for 2026 and on the support account for peacekeeping operations for the 2025/2026 period.

Mr. Secretary-General, when you introduced the proposed programme budget for 2026 more than one month ago, we anticipated that this year’s budget process would not be “business as usual.” This is because, this year the discussion is not solely budgetary — it is central to the UN80 reform agenda, the implementation of the Pact for the Future, and, ultimately, the political imperative of strengthening effective and efficient multilateralism itself.

In this context, we would like to raise three main considerations.

First, on process: 

The Secretary-General’s revised estimates were issued two weeks later than anticipated, with the ACABQ’s report following more than six weeks after its expected date. As a result, on 1 December we are only now considering the key documents that should guide next year’s programme budget.

The ACABQ rightly notes that Member States should determine the level of ambition and scope of reforms through their review of the revised estimates. Yet this is an unprecedentedly challenge within such a compressed timeframe — all the more so given that on SG report on revised estimates culminated into two advisory reports that are twice the length of the original. 

This Committee needs space and time for a diligent, consensus-oriented, and technical assessment review of these working methods, and to exercise the role of the Fifth Committee, ergo the General Assembly in this process. Our work cannot become a mere automatic endorsement of Secretariat or ACABQ proposals. This needs time for reasoned consideration, which this year has been severely compressed.

The problem is compounded by the fact that we are also called to address a growing length and volume of documentation. This affects efficiency and cost, limits the capacity of Member States—particularly small delegations—to engage fully in the process, and undermines multilingualism, a core value of this Organization, as late and oversized reports hinder timely translation and equal access across all official languages. These are highly unfortunate outcomes.

Second consideration, on content: 

We fully support you, Mr. Secretary-General, in your efforts under the UN80 initiative to match reform ambition with responsibility while ensuring the imperative of a firm balance across the three pillars of peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights. Ambition must also be accompanied by efficiency, accountability, and realism.

In this regard, several issues warrant careful review. The ACABQ indicates that the revised estimates proposal notices varying levels of ambition and rigour that led to uneven results that may impair core functions and mandate delivery. At the same time, the ACABQ also recommends abolishing posts beyond those identified by the Secretary-General while retaining some posts proposed for abolition, offsetting numbers with recommendations against proposed establishments. These proposals could directly affect the integrity and carful balancing of the Secretary-General’s plan and raise the question of whether this should be treated as a separate reform, because the basis for many of these assessments remain unclear and inconsistent. We also note downgrades exceeding the Secretary-General’s proposals, without analysis of their consequences, as well as diverging views on relocations — with the ACABQ recommending against 34% of them — raising concerns about coherence and the feasibility of proper consideration.

Madame Chair,

These elements require careful analysis, particularly regarding reform impact and accountability.

Finally, and in spite these stark challenges, we would like to reassure you that we will work to provide adequate financing for all mandated activities and to strengthen effective and efficient multilateralism.

The European Union and its Member States— as the largest collective contributors to the UN System — approach this process with a strong sense of responsibility. This requires us to look beyond immediate details and also consider cross-cutting strategic measures to improve budgeting, financial management, and delivery processes.

Madame Chair, Mr. Secretary-General,

We remain committed to working constructively toward a consensual and timely adoption of the 2026 budget and count on the full engagement of all delegations, as well as continued support from the Secretariat through timely answers and technical advice. As a substantive part of Workstream 1 of the UN80 initiative, the budget provides an opportunity to demonstrate that efficiencies extend beyond numbers and should be from now on embedded in the Organization’s culture, above and beyond the current exercise.

Mr. Secretary-General, we conclude by commending all those who make our work possible and by expressing our sincere gratitude to UN staff for their unwavering dedication and hard work in delivering the Organization’s mandates, even in times of uncertainty. This delivery is of course challenged, but it is taking place every day, because of that professionalism, that dedication, the passion and the compassion of the UN staff under your leadership.

I thank you, Madame Chair.

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