EU Statement – UN Informal Ad-hoc Working Group on UN80: Response to the zero draft

EU Statement - UN Informal Ad-hoc Working Group on UN80: Response to the zero draft

19 January 2026, New York - Statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States by H.E. Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations, at the Meeting of the Informal Ad-hoc Working Group on UN80 to hear general statements in response to the zero draft

Distinguished co-chairs, colleagues,

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

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

The European Union welcomes the zero-draft of the resolution, which already constitutes a good basis for the consultations to come and reflects many key priorities and ambitions stated in our written inputs. We appreciate the remarkable work that has been done, and we thank the co-chairs for their coordination of this Working Group and their continuous engagement with the delegations here in New York, as well as with the UN offices in Nairobi, Geneva and Vienna.

Let me now highlight some main considerations on the zero-draft resolution:

1. First, the European Union welcomes the adoption of a clear full mandate cycle approach, ensuring that the UN80 Initiative covers the entire mandate lifecycle through the creation of new mandates, to the implementation and review stages for all mandates. We favourably acknowledge that the draft reflects our call for a results-driven and impact-focused approach to mandate implementation and review, as well as the clustered review of the existing stock of mandates and the consolidation or retirement of fulfilled, inactive, or duplicative mandates following performance evaluation outcomes. The approach on further streamlining mandates is consistent with the spirit of the UN system reform and of our collective commitments already undertaken in resolution 79/327 on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly.

2. Second, we also welcome the incorporation of provisions on enhanced and structured administrative, technical and substantive Secretariat support, including the allocation of tasks based on comparative advantage, as well as the further development of practical and digital tools like the United Nations Mandate Registry to facilitate member states' informed decision-making and oversight of mandates.

1. Third, in our view, some elements must be strengthened to ensure that they align with the high-level ambitions of this reform. In this respect, the European Union strongly believes in the necessity of introducing specific references to expiry clauses and default review cycles of three years. We also recall the need to integrate transparent budgetary implications and clear resource estimates from the outset, as well as to align resource realities to performance measurement processes. Therefore, we call for the introduction of explicit references to the establishment of firm links between resources, mandated tasks and impact during each phase of the mandate lifecycle. The text should also be more specific about the role of existing entities, such as the Joint Inspection Unit, in conducting the performance evaluations and assessments.

1. Finally, we note with concern that some EU proposals are absent from the text. We would like to advocate for an enhanced and systematic stakeholder engagement and consultation as part of the mandate life cycle. Moreover, we call for the integration of explicit links in the resolution to broader reform frameworks to ensure coherence and continuous coordination among parallel reform efforts, including the GA Revitalisation, the humanitarian reset and the reform of the development system.

Dear Co-chairs,

More broadly, during the upcoming negotiations and in particular during the resolution's implementation, the EU will pay utmost attention that the review of existing mandates, which we fully support, will not serve as a vehicle to roll back core UN norms and policy achievements in all three pillars, including in the areas of human rights compliance, gender equality, and the safeguarding of vulnerable groups.

Colleagues,

This strong zero draft provides us with a unique opportunity to engage in constructive consultations and to reach consensual outcomes on some of the hardest issues that have challenged the UN's effectiveness both at Headquarters and, more important, on the ground, where billions of people look up to us to deliver. The European Union will engage proactively and constructively with all within this Working Group to help achieve the best possible outcome.

I thank you.

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