EU Statement - Joint Executive Board of the UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS Annual session 2026: UNOPS Segment

EU Statement - Joint Executive Board of the UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS Annual session 2026: UNOPS Segment

9 June 2026, New York - Statement by the European Union as a donor delivered by the European Union Delegation to the United Nations at the Joint Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Office for Project Services Annual session 2026, UNOPS Segment

Check against delivery

Mr President, Mr Executive Director, Excellencies, dear Colleagues,

I am delivering this statement on behalf of the European Union as a donor.

[Partnership]

Let me start by commending UNOPS for the progress achieved on the implementation of the Comprehensive Response Plan. The EU reaffirms its longstanding partnership with the UN as a reliable partner to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

We also reaffirm the important role of UNOPS as a service provider within the UN system. We appreciate its strengths in infrastructure, procurement, and project management, particularly in fragile and politically constrained contexts. UNOPS' demand-driven and implementation-focused model is delivering impactful projects in challenging conditions, and we commend its commitment to this objective.

[UN80]

Second, the EU is closely following and engaging in the UN80 reform process. We welcome UNOPS' contribution to the collective effort, and in particular the Executive Director's leadership in driving the work on the Development Cluster.

My colleague previously presented the EU views about the ongoing merger discussions so I will not address this today. We simply hope that UNOPS' operational characteristics can be safeguarded in whatever future configuration is decided.

[Implementation]

Finally, we thank the Executive Director for presenting the 2025 Annual report, and we commend UNOPS for its strong and steady results. The EU particularly welcomes that UNOPS has implemented activities across all three UN pillars, all regions, and mostly in countries in special and fragile situations.

In this regard, the strategic alignment between UNOPS operations and the EU's Global Gateway investment strategy allows us to jointly advance the SDGs but also reinforces peace and security globally. We see considerable opportunities for continued collaboration between UNOPS and the EU, especially within Global Gateway priority sectors such as infrastructure, and we encourage ongoing synergy to achieve our shared objectives.

We also call for further attention to cross-cutting priorities and sustainability of activities, favouring a systemic approach during the project design phase, particularly when it comes to gender mainstreaming and climate action.

Last but not least, the EU thanks you, Mr Executive Director, for your leadership and steadfast commitment to the ongoing UN efforts in the Middle-East, in particular with regards to Gaza Early Recovery and as the head of the UN Task Force on the Strait of Hormuz.

Let me also take this opportunity to thank once again all UNOPS staff for the very important work they do in difficult situations, and to reaffirm the EU's support to UNOPS, as well as our commitment to continued collaboration in pursuit of our shared goals.

Thank you.