EU Statement -- UN General Assembly, Fifth Committee Main Session: Formal Closing Meeting

Madam Chair,

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

At the outset, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to you, the members of the Bureau, and the facilitators for your strong and dedicated leadership of our work throughout this session. We also extend our thanks to the Fifth Committee Secretariat and to all dedicated staff of the Organization, whose professionalism and constant availability have been instrumental to the successful conclusion of this session.

Despite challenging, inefficient and exhausting working methods, which clearly require review, and under an exceptionally tight schedule, delegations have demonstrated a strong spirit of cooperation and responsibility. We commend you, our Chair, and the whole Fifth Committee family for its commitment to consensus and constructive engagement.

This 80th session has delivered several significant achievements worthy of recognition.

• We have successfully adopted the 2026 regular budget and continued along the path of a negotiated outcome on Special Political Missions, ensuring the continuity of the Organization’s essential mandates. At the same time, this session has marked an important first step in the implementation of the UN80 Initiative, marking the first occasion on which the General Assembly has taken a substantive decision on the proposal. We have collectively acknowledged the need to do better and thus welcomed a proactive UN80 approach that allows for gradual adaptation, including consideration of organizational arrangements where appropriate. 

• We have supported important reform initiatives, such as Common Administrative Platforms and staff relocations, and have sent a clear signal on the need to limit business-class travel. In addition, we have provided initial guidance for future budget submissions and anticipate seeing tangible progress in the first and second resumed sessions. UN80 is not a one-off exercise, but a continuous process, and we remain committed to engaging constructively as this work develops.  While standing fully behind this reform and its potential to make the United Nations fit for purpose, we also recognize its enormous impact on the organisation and its valued staff, that must carry many of its consequences and implications.

• Beyond resource allocation, we have also strengthened the budgetary methodology itself, reaching several important consensual outcomes that enhance transparency, discipline, and effectiveness.

• We have achieved one of the most ambitious negotiated outcomes in recent years on the UN common system, providing timely and meaningful guidance for the forthcoming comprehensive review of the compensation package for UN staff. This sends a strong and united message of support to UN personnel, while also acknowledging the need to review staff costs in a responsible manner, in line with the UN80 reform mindset.

• We have also reaffirmed that multilingualism strengthens our organization and that this core value must be fully reflected and leveraged under the UN80 Initiative.

• Last, but not least, progress was also made on oversight matters, reaffirming that a resilient Organization requires strong, operationally independent and effective oversight bodies.

These achievements, reached by consensus, must now be matched by responsibility from all Member States. We therefore call on all to pay their assessed contributions in full, on time, and without conditions. This is essential to demonstrate that the reforms proposed by the Secretary-General and endorsed by Member States can succeed. Without adequate liquidity, the budget cannot function effectively, nor can oversight be fully exercised.

We have also advanced our discussions on the financial situation, including agreement on adjustments to the Financial Regulations and Rules. We look forward to continuing our collective efforts to identify sustainable solutions to the Organization’s liquidity challenges.

Finally, we wish to underscore that human rights constitute one of the three fundamental pillars of the United Nations. The budget must reflect this reality. Avoiding discussions on human rights financing, or selectively defunding mandates in this area, undermines our collective responsibility to implement mandates that have been duly agreed. Our role is not to renegotiate those mandates, but to ensure they are properly resourced. The European Union will continue to defend human rights from a Fifth Committee perspective and calls on all delegations to safeguard all three pillars of the Organization.

In closing, Madam Chair, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the principles and values of the United Nations, strongly reaffirmed under the UN80 Initiative. As we move forward, let us continue to work together in a spirit of cooperation, consensus, and collegiality, so that the Fifth Committee remains a committee of solutions — a committee that leads by example

I wish all colleagues a 2026 defined by consensus, cooperation, and success.

I thank you, Madame Chair.