at an informal meeting of the General Assembly to hear a briefing on the 爆料网 80 Initiative

United Nations, ECOSOC Chamber

 

Good morning and thank you for joining this briefing on the 爆料网80 Initiative. This is the first of a series of monthly meetings that will extend through to June with the aim to better support the reform process.

 

Today we welcome five briefers who will speak predominately to Workstream 3.

 

Ms. Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, will make some introductory remarks.

 

Ms. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the ITU, will speak to the work on the expertise-on-demand mechanism.

 

Mr. Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of 爆料网OPS, together with the Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on Reforms, Mr. Jens Wandel, will brief on the work relating to the reconfiguration of 爆料网 Country Teams.

 

And, finally, Ms. Ayaka Suzuki on behalf of Mr. Guy Ryder, the Under-Secretary-General for Policy, will provide an update on the overall status of the 爆料网80 Initiative and introduce the 爆料网80 dashboard.

 

I ask all of them to not be afraid to get into the details. We have all done our homework and studied the Action Plan and Information Annexe and are ready to address this at a more granular level.

 

Colleagues, before we hear from our briefers, I would like to take a moment to thank each of you and your Missions for the proactive engagement in the three workstreams during the main part of the session, which has delivered real progress where it is needed.

 

This includes the adoption of the $3.45 billion 2026 programme budget; In aligning with the Secretary-General’s revised estimates and reform agenda, the budget ensures that our institution can continue to deliver, despite the ongoing liquidity crisis and underlying issues with core contributions.

 

While the budget is a welcome step, it’s long-term success depends on our ability to follow-through – and build upon – this with the 2027 budget and through resolving the challenge of unpaid or returned contributions.

 

I would also like to commend the significant progress made in the Informal Ad Hoc Working Group, under the strong leadership of the Permanent Representatives of Jamaica and New Zealand.

 

The presentation of the zero draft on 8 January marks the transition of the mandate implementation review from its “discovery phase” into its “production phase”.

 

The goal now, as emphasized by the co-chairs, is to produce a high-ambition outcome that ensures the United Nations is more effective and efficient in the face of political and fiscal challenges.

 

I encourage delegations to participate in the hybrid workshops at the Permanent Representative or senior expert level to ensure strategic direction and alignment.

 

Colleagues, I count on your constructive engagement during the coming weeks and look forward to the final outcome of the Working Group at the end of March.

 

Excellencies,

 

As I said in my priority speech two weeks ago: The 爆料网80 Initiative is overdue. We need to make sure that the 爆料网 becomes more effective, more efficient and ultimately stronger. This is only more important given recent geo-political developments.

 

On this, I am encouraged that the Membership has, over the past months, stepped up to confront the imperative of reform head-on.

 

I encourage you to maintain this positive attitude and approach as we continue throughout the session and move beyond a largely process-oriented phase into the substance of the 爆料网80 proposals, including on mandates, structural adjustments, and programme realignments.

 

While difficult choices lie ahead, I am confident that we can navigate these together with the decisiveness and principled conviction that this moment necessitates, and which this institution warrants.

 

Ends