EU Statement - Monthly Information Briefing on the UN80 Initiative

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Madam President, distinguished colleagues,

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

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Georgia, as well as Andorra, align themselves with this statement.

USG Ryder, Special Adviser Wandel, and Assistant Secretary-General Spehar,

Thank you for this overview on the state of progress of the three work packages. The European Union is encouraged by the steps taken by the Secretariat to build a principled, more effective, cost-efficient and responsive United Nations.

First, on work package 21, system-wide results management, the EU fully supports efforts to harmonize how impact is measured and communicated across the UN system. A consolidated and system-wide results management framework is central to fostering a culture of continuous improvement and to enhance strategic coordination and coherence which underpin UN80.

The design of this new framework should be as concrete as possible, leveraging the improved Secretariat reporting envisioned in resolution 80/251. This is crucial to strengthening trust among Member States and donors, who must see UN funds being used efficiently, transparently, and effectively amidst financial constraints.

We reiterate, as we have in the Adhoc Working Group of Workstream 2, that Member States cannot review mandates and their implementation effectively without access to clear and evidence-based data from the Secretariat.

We suggest that the Secretariat considers best practices from other international organizations which have recently successfully adopted new methodologies to assess their work, focusing on outcomes and impact rather than only activities.

The EU appreciates the idea to introduce "performance dialogues" and would like to hear more on their budgetary implications and potential added value, taking into account our common goal to make best use of existing dialogue fora.

On work package 18, funding mechanisms: The EU underscores that we must shift the balance towards more predictable, flexible, and quality funding that allows the UN Development System to act as one system, not a collection of competing agencies.

The Funding Compact was a step in the right direction-yet its implementation remains uneven. While ensuring Agencies, Funds and Programmes can deliver on their mandates, Resident Coordinators must have the authority and resources to lead integrated development plans, contributing to an efficient and effective UN at the country level focused on delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals.

We are deeply concerned by the Organisation's ongoing liquidity constraints, which carry serious operational implications, including for the UN Development System. Clearer portfolio positioning and stronger connections between core, pooled and earmarked funding are important. We encourage the strengthening of the Joint SDG Fund as the principal UN financing instrument for catalytic SDG action. As the largest donor to the UNDS, the EU and its Member States call on all UN Member States to pay their obligatory financial contributions in full and on time.

We look forward to ambitious and actionable recommendations under Work Package 18 that strengthen incentives towards a more enabling funding environment.

Finally, on work package 22: prevention, peacebuilding, and peace support, we welcome the progress identified by PBPSO and acknowledge the Office's added value in supporting UN mission transitions, institution building for sustaining peace, supporting national prevention and peacebuilding strategies and peace finance.

We call on PBPSO to continue coordinating the mapping of Secretariat capacities. In this regard, we underline the essential role of Peace and Development Advisors in providing cross-pillar prevention and peacebuilding support at country and regional level and stress the need for their predictable and sustainable resourcing. We expect this will lead to easier system-wide access to peacebuilding expertise, more coherent support across the peace continuum, stronger transition support and better connections between regional and country level responses.

Our key focus now is the implementation of the PBAR. One critical lesson from the review is the urgent need to communicate more effectively about the positive impact of peacebuilding. To support implementation, we have launched a year-long series of EU-supported events that will produce cross-regionally anchored policy recommendations on UN peacebuilding and conflict prevention by early next year.

Co-leads and colleagues,

As we near the end of the GA's 80^th session and the mandate of this Secretary-General, we must continue to push for progress and ensure continuity and coordination across workstreams and packages.

As a way of taking stock of recent achievements, the EU highlights that:

• On peace and security, the EU looks forward to the comprehensive review of the future of United Nations peace operations and ensuring that the UN's peace and security toolbox can be adapted to allow for more agile, tailored responses to existing, emerging and future challenges.
• On development, ECOSOC's recent resolution on operational activities paves the way for a reform that brings about a more coordinated UN that acts as one.
• In the humanitarian field, the first efforts to consolidate shared services have shown that resources can be optimised to enhance the UN's on the ground delivery.

The EU reiterates its full support for UN80 and stands ready to continue engaging with the Membership and the Secretariat to fulfill the transformative potential of this reform.

In the coming months, let us not lose sight of who this reform is for and of our ultimate end goal: a more agile and accountable UN that delivers across all three pillars and makes the world safer and more prosperous for all.