(4th meeting) UN-Women Executive Board, First Regular Session 2026

Good afternoon, Excellencies, distinguished Delegates, welcome back to the last plenary meeting of the 2026 regular first regular session of the UN Women Executive Board. Let us start this plenary meeting with item 8 on the Joint United Nations Program on HIV AIDS Program Coordinating Board PCB meeting where the Board will receive an update on the follow up to the recommendations and decisions of the PCB meeting. In addition to the Executive Director, Deputy Executive Directors and the Secretary, allow me to welcome the following colleagues to the podium. Sarah Hendricks, Director of the UN Women Policy Program and Intergovernmental Division and Nazinin Damji, Senior Policy Advisor, Gender Equality Health and H. I'm pleased to first invite UN Women Deputy Executive Director Nyaradizai Gumbo Zivanda for her presentation. Ms. Gambo Zivanda, the floor is yours.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Board President, Excellencies, distinguished Board members, colleagues and partners, good afternoon. Thank you so much for the opportunity that I have to brief you on UN Women's follow up to the UNAIDS Program Coordinating Board recommendations and to share how we are positioning our work with the revised operating model in the Joint Program transition. I echoed the earlier message yesterday from the Executive Director that our presentations are within context and that context is a context of change and reform.

The reality of the HIV pandemic for women and girls remains stuck. In 2024, 1.3 million people acquired HIV globally and women and girls accounted for about 45% of those infections. Roughly 585,000 new infections. In Sub Saharan Africa, where UNAIDS estimates about 650,000 new infections. In 2024, women and girls accounted for about 63%, or 410,000 new infections.

These gaps reflect entrenched gender inequalities, including violence, discriminatory norms and unequal access to education and economic opportunity, which limit women's ability to protect women. Their health progress remains uneven and the risk of reversal is real. Lesotho's national context underscores this agency. Adult HIV prevalence remains among the highest globally, with higher prevalence among women than men. In Latin America and the Caribbean, new infections rose by about 9% between 2010 and 2023, reminding us that gains cannot be taken for granted.

Reduction in HIV financing in 2025 intensified pressures. Prevention and treatment services weakened and women led community led programs were among the hardest hit, placing fragile gains at risk. In response, UN Women has applied its triple mandate to keep women's priorities central to HIV responses with measurable results in 2025. This includes advancing the rights and empowerment of women living with HIV and those at risk, reducing the gender inequalities that fuel the pandemic and addressing discrimination that deepens the context of limited funding. In Botswana, our analysis of gender barriers strengthened linkages between antenatal care and HIV treatment for expectant mothers, improving continuity of care.

In Ethiopia, the SASSA program raised awareness of the link between violence and HIV from 69 to 93% in El Salvador and in Indonesia. Our advocacy helped secure Global Fund resources for women living with HIV and to integrate protocols linking HIV and violence against women services globally. We worked with networks of women living with HIV to shape the Global AIDS Strategy 2026-2030 Embedding Gender equality in the future response. These results confirm what works integrated services, norm change and women's participation in decision making. Excellencies, the PCB, the program coordinating Board of UNAIDS has endorsed the new Global AIDS Strategy, the revised Joint Program Model and the UNAIDS transition timeline.

Under UN 80 initiative, a working group will guide transition and UN Women remains committed to supporting this transition can strengthen the HIV response only if gender equality remains central. When women's rights and leadership are sidelined, those most affected are left behind. The Global AIDS Strategy calls for rights based gender responsive action backed by resources and by accountability. Three priorities guide us. First, protect and scale gender transformative women's rights centered programming in national sustainability plans addressing violence, harmful norms and unequal access to service.

Second, ensure investment reflect women's priorities. The transitional Umbra 2026 and work plans should include gender. Third, embedded women's leadership and accountability. As an affiliate co sponsor, UN Women will continue to advance gender and HIV in intergovernmental spaces and we encourage support for the Political Declaration on hiv. We will continue to integrate the work around HIV within our work on human rights and non discrimination.

As we continue to look and implement into our strategic plan 2026 we look forward to to CSW 70 where Sadac always leads SADAC Member States Spearhead Resolution on women, the girl child and hiv. We look forward therefore to continue to support your efforts and the efforts of Member States in delivering on HIV. We recognize, Mr. President, that amongst us is UN as UN staff, as UN women personnel, some of us are living with HIV or affected or their families are affected and their communities are affected. Therefore, as we respond to the programmatic issues in the un, we remain with the duty of care to our own personnel to the realities that the issue of HIV is not distant from the lives that our own personnel live. Thank you very much.

I thank the Deputy Executive Director for that comprehensive presentation. Before I open the floor to delegations, I'm pleased to invite Ninan Veroges, OIC of the UNAID New York Office and Senior Advisor to make a statement.

Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Mr. President for the opportunity to address the UN Women Executive Board. We commend UN Women for its impactful contribution to the Joint Program and the global AIDS response and recognize the leadership of the Executive Director and the Deputy Executive Directors and the dedicated HIV team. We also thank the Board for instituting debates on the decisions of the UNAIDS Program Coordinating Board. Strengthening Governance coherence across UN bodies the PCB's multi stakeholder structure, bringing together Member States, civil society and communities most affected by HIV gives it unique credibility.

Its consistent focus on evidence and consensus has enabled progress on issues that are often politicized elsewhere. We must preserve, protect and accelerate the strengths of the Joint Program to sustain the gains countries have achieved. At the same time, serious challenges persist. Gaps in the HIV response remain with rising new infections among women and adolescent girls in some regions, Civic space is shrinking in certain contexts and barriers to rights based health services continue to leave people behind. Funding shortfalls and declining support for multilateral cooperation threaten both the Joint Program and the progress at country level.

The recently approved Global AIDS Strategy 20262031 responds to this moment. It calls for rapid scale up of HIV services while building a response capable of sustaining achievements over time. This means shifting from an intervention centered approach to a people centered one and from donor led systems to country owned and community led responses grounded in shared responsibility. The Strategy's three priorities and eight result areas outline practical actions for a sustainable HIV response, areas where UN women's work is clearly aligned and essential and DXD refer to that. We welcome UN Women's continued commitment to the Joint program as it transitions to a new operating model and deeper UN integration, including under the UN AT initiative.

As this evolves, it is essential that we safeguard the hard won progress and gains achieved, particularly the unique and meaningful space for civil society and community engagement within the pcb. Member States have consistently affirmed the central role of communities in the HIV response. We must now ensure that this commitment is not only preserved but strengthened as we accelerate efforts to end aids. We underscore the PCB Working Group is the agreed vehicle to guide this transition. We look forward to sustained UN commitment to the mandate and most importantly to ensuring that civil society remains fully engaged within the pcb.

Communities must be a part of the co creation process and meaningfully involved in decision making at the special session of the PCB to be convened not later than October this year. Mr. President, collective action has brought us closer than ever to ending AIDS as a public health threat. As we prepare for the high level meeting on AIDS in June and the adoption of a new political declaration, let us reaffirm not only our commitment to sustaining progress, but also to preserving the spirit of the Joint Program and ensuring that UN women remains an active partner at the country level. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Nina. I now open the floor for Member States interventions. You can do this by pressing the button microphone to indicate your desire to speak.

I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of the Netherlands, followed by South Africa. Netherlands, you have the floor.

Yes. Thank you, Mr. President. The Kingdom of the Netherlands acknowledges UN Women's significant efforts in the global HIV response.

Notes we appreciate the continuous commitment to support the Joint Program as affiliate co sponsor and appreciate that HIV AIDS remain remains to be a prominent agenda point in this board meeting. The Joint Program is an example of successful multilateral cooperation which led to tremendous achievements. Today we are closer than ever to ending AIDS as a public health threat. However, gender differences are still very prevalent and therefore gender analysis and evidence based strategies and interventions remain necessary. The new Global AIDS Strategy 20262031 that was adopted in December recognizes the recent progress but also shows that we are not there.

We are still seeing new HIV infections and AIDS related deaths. Political, legal and human rights barriers and shrinking civic space continue to hamper progress and this affects women and girls disproportionately in the coming years. As the Joint Program transforms, we have to safeguard the Joint Program's strengths to sustain the gains and achieve sustainability. We are clear on what these strengths Multi sectoral collaboration and effective coordination of the global HIV response through data and targets, a rights based and community led approach and meaningful civil society engagement. In this regard, we would like to particularly recognize the critical role that UN Women plays in the global HIV response to its triple mandates.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands also welcomes the fact that UN women is developing a strategy to integrate HIV across relevant areas of the new Strategic Plan and we look forward to seeing the concrete outcome of that process. UN Women's contribution to and engagement within the Joint Program remains essential throughout these transformative years and beyond. As Chair of the Program Coordinating Board, the Kingdom of the Netherlands calls on UN Women to continue PCB engagement as much as possible as well as safeguarding HIV expertise within the organization. This is necessary to continue to work constructively within the Committee of co sponsoring organizations and with other PCB members to make sure this transformation is an example of successful multilateral reform, improving efficiencies and cost effectiveness whilst maintaining responsive to the needs of countries and communities in need and sustaining progress towards the SDGs. Thank you.

I thank the District Delegate of the Netherlands for that comment and I'll give the floor to South Africa

Chairperson we appreciate the briefing on the follow up recommendation of the UNAIDS Program Coordination Board and commend UN women for advancing its triple mandate by integrating gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls into the governance of the HIV response. We note with serious concern the 2025 announcement of funding cuts to HIV financing. These reductions threaten progress towards achieving SDG Target 3.3 Ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 we urge member States to fulfill their commitments of the 2021 Political Declaration on HIV AIDS and the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action by making gender equality and the empowerment of women a primary consideration in designing and implementing their HIV AIDS response. Funding constraints risk undermining the political commitments to the 959595 targets which are critical to ensuring that people living with HIV know their status, access treatment and achieve viral suppression, including preventing vertical transmission.

The collapse of the funding in 2025 disrupted the HIV response, particularly HIV programming, HIV prevention and programming on social enablers including actions to strengthen gender equality which often rely on external funding. Hard won gains are further put in danger by persistent discrimination, stigma, inequality, structural barriers and violence against women and girls living with and affected by hiv, particularly adolescent girls and young women and including LGBTIQ plus person in key populations. Women and girls remain disproportionately affected including among key populations while community led advocacy, awareness testing, counseling initiatives continue to shrink. We call for the increasing funding for gender transformative HIV interventions through domestic financing and targeted official development assistance to address the immense gaps in resource for HIV prevention and programming on social enablers which includes actions to strengthen gender equality in the context of HIV. We are also concerned by proposal under the UN 80 initiative that that suggests structural changes which may lead to the sunsetting of UNAIDS continued new infections remind us why its mandate remains indispensable.

We call on all the delegations to delegations to accelerate efforts at the 2026 UNGA high level Meeting on HIV AIDS and to ensure sustained focus on women and girls, including adolescent girls and those affected and living with HIV and AIDS in the outcome. Declaration South Africa on behalf of the SADC will be presenting its biannual Draft resolution on Women, the Girl Child and HIV AIDS to be adopted during CSW 70, we will appreciate the support of all delegations. Chairperson, we welcome UN women's advocacy under the Global Partnership to Eliminate HIV related Stigma and Discrimination. We request an update on the progress regarding Her Rights initiative in South Africa as it is mentioned in the report about the forced and quiest sterilization of women living with hiv. And in this regard, we encourage closer collaboration with national departments to strengthen coordinated response.

I thank you.

I thank the distant delegate of South Africa for that comment. I see no more interventions. May I now invite the Secretary to respond?

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. If I can defer to our senior police adviser on hiv, first Nas Nimdamji and then can respond to the other issues that have been raised. Over to you, Nazli. Wonderful.

Thank you so much. Naradzai. Thank you so much, colleagues, for your very strong support for UN women's work on HIV and in particular on highlighting the sudden impact of the financing challenges and how that needs to be. The gains need to be secured and we need to have continued focus on gender transformative actions. So we are very grateful for that.

The transition of UNAIDS through the UNAID Initiative is critical. It seems to be a priority for us and across the board, all co sponsors, that we are invested in ensuring that communities have a role, have a voice in the entire transition process. This has been made very clear through our engagement with the PCB Working Group. We are very grateful to the Netherlands for their chairing of the PCB at this year where we are in a very interesting and important transition phase for the challenges that we are facing right now on the ground for young women and girls. It is critical that the voices and their participation continues to be encouraged and institutionalized at national level.

Regarding the question on the work on the Her Rights Initiative, we have been very pleased to be supporting the South African government with their work around ensuring that women living with HIV are not experiencing forced sterilization. As a result of the work, we have been able to support the Human Rights Committee to bring this issue out and to advocate to end such approaches for us. It's really critical that women living with HIV are able to realize their rights and to ensure that they have access to the right services as they deal with hiv. I'll stop there and turn back to Narendzai. Thank you,

Mr. President. May I continue? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. Let me continue in responding to the issue that First South Africa you raised on forced desterialization of women living with HIV.

This is why CSW 70 is very important. We are talking about violations that women experience, including forced sterilization. And it can also include women with mental health and with HIV at the same time. So the issue of access to justice and protection is very important. So we look forward to the discussion at the CSW which brings into focus these critical areas.

As UN women we took the decision on your advice and as we're preparing the strategic plan for us to reposition very strongly and clearly our work on hiv, but in a way that builds into the whole ethos of human rights and non discrimination because at the end of it, the underlying factors for HIV are also the same vulnerabilities and the inequalities that relate to women not being in decision making, that relate to violence against women. The significant critical need that we have is the capacity of for monitoring to ensure that on the three outcomes of our strategic plan, from norms and laws and policies, we address the laws, norms and policies that create risk or that impact women living with HIV in the four priority areas, on the area around research and in the area of the critical outcome on institutions that we also continue to work on using our mandate for really strengthening and supporting the institutions at country level and at global level and have the necessary data and that when we talk about rights holders, we are also talking about women living with HIV and girls living with HIV and communities affected by hiv. Therefore, within this strategic plan on the guidance you have provided us, the critical element is going to be monitoring how do we ensure that with an integrated approach, we've adequate monitoring of the interventions and the impact that our work has around responding to hiv. And we really appreciate the continued leadership and commitment that the Member States have within the Unit Initiative and the discussions on the transition for unaids that whatever modality of moving forward, we don't drop the focus that HIV still has a female face and for Sub Saharan Africa it's the female young face that the crisis, the pandemic still has. So we want to thank you for the leadership.

Thank you to the Netherlands for your questions and equally for a clear commitment to ensuring that we sustain the focus on the reality, even if the structures have to be reviewed on how we deliver the. Thank you very much. And Back to you, Mr. President.

I thank the Secretariat for that response.

I see no further comments. So we conclude discussion the item. Let us continue with agenda item 9 where the board will receive a presentation on the report of the joint field visit to Egypt by the Member States of the Executive Boards of undp, unfpa, unops, unicef, UN Women and wfp. First we will watch A brief short video about the joint visit, after which I will invite the distinguished delegate of Albania, Mr. Enian Ramsey, to present the report of the joint visit to Egypt from where he seated. Let's now watch the video.

From October 26th to 30th, 2025, representatives from the executive boards of six UN agencies, UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS, UNICEF, UN Women and WFP undertook a joint mission to Egypt. Over five days, the delegation traveled across governorates, meeting with government counterparts, partners and communities. They visited schools, training centers and local projects, engaging with children, youth, women, refugees

and host families, the people at the heart of Egypt's development journey. The mission observed programs that provide vocational training and livelihood opportunities, strengthen food and nutrition security, protect children, improve education and prevent and respond to gender based violence. These initiatives are designed to build resilience, create jobs and ensure that families have

access to safety and opportunity. Through interactive discussions and site visits, the delegation saw how the United nations works hand in hand with Egypt to deliver an integrated approach combining humanitarian assistance with long term development aligned with national priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals. The visit reaffirmed a shared commitment to dignity, equality and a better future for everyone. Together, Egypt and the United nations are

building a future where no one is left behind.

Sam.

May I now invite the distinguished delegates of Albania, Mr. Nian Lamsi, to present a report of the joint visit to Egypt?

Thank you, thank you Mr. President. The joint field visit to Egypt by members of the executive boards of UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS, UNICEF, UN Women and World Food Program took place from 26 to 30 October 2025 and brought together 17 member states representatives. The visit aimed to assess how United nations entities are working collectively with the Government of Egypt and partners to respond to regional humanitarian challenges and advance national development priorities in a middle income country context. In line with UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023, 2027 and EDGID Vision 2030.

The delegation held high level meetings in Cairo with government counterparts, UN leadership and line ministries and conducted field visits in Damietta and Alexandria. These engagements provided first hand insight into how border proof strategic plans translate into concrete results on the ground, particularly in areas of social protection, gender equality, youth empowerment, climate resilience, food security, refugee support and innovation. The delegation observed strong alignment between United nations programming and national priorities, supported by clear government ownership and a high degree of interagency collaboration under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator. At the same time, the presence of more than 30 UN entities raises risk of fragmentation and duplication. The delegation stressed the importance of using the momentum of UN 80 reforms and the mid term UN SDC review to sharpen comparative advantages, strengthen complementarities and clarify the future UN footprint in Egypt, particularly the balance between service delivery and technical or normative functions in Cairo.

The delegation noted the value of data evaluation and evidence based decision making as well as the need for stronger aggregation of UN results to demonstrate collective impact. Discussions also highlighted opportunities for alternative financing including blended finance, debt swaps and private sector engagement, especially for women and youth focused initiatives. Field visits in Damietta and Alexandria showcase integrated people centered programming. The delegation commanded joint approaches to refugee assistance that combine cash support, protection services and psychosocial care in one location while noting funding constraints and registration challenges affecting refugees access to services. Climate adoption initiatives including nature based coastal protection and solar energy projects demonstrated strong government ownership and promising models for scale up programs.

Addressing harmful practices such as female genital mutilation left a particularly strong impression, highlighting both progress and the need for continued national leadership to bridge the gap between legislation and local practice. Women's economic empowerment, vocational training, entrepreneurship support and inclusive education initiatives were widely praised, especially where they promoted dignity, resilience and self sufficiency. Youth engagement emerged as a cross cutting priority with clear demand for stronger links between local initiatives and national or international policy processes, particularly in climate action and digital skills. Based on the observation from the joint field visit, the delegation proposed a few overarching recommendations followed by some specific detailed thematic recommendations. Overarching Recommendations A Build on strong collaboration within the UN country trim by using joint analysis to define leader roles based on comparative advantage and design joint initiatives more deliberately from the outset.

B. Leverage government ownership to transition from service delivery toward technical partnerships that strengthen national system and allow agencies to pivot or exit as capacity increases. C. Consolidate the scale up successful pilots under national leadership and better articulate how projects aggregate to influence national policy and budget decisions.

1. Strengthen data driven decision making through robust monitoring, evaluation and learning and scale up proven models. B. Government Collaboration Use the UN 80 reforms, new strategic plans and the UN SDC midterm review to engage in candid dialogue on priorities where UN comparative advantage is highest. C. Deepen engagement with Egypt's large youth population through digital skills, innovation, entrepreneurship and meaningful participation in program design.

D. People centered programming anchor programs in community needs including refugee and migrants and integrate peace building and social cohesion. E. Shift from output focus to outcome oriented programming emphasizing measurable results such as jobs created, capacities strengthened and emissions reduced. Mr. President, the visit confirms strong trust and cooperation between the United nations and the Government of Egypt and identified a Pivotal moment to sharpen the collective UN offer with constrained financing and rising expectations. Impact will depend on stronger complementarity, evidence based programming, national ownership and sustained investment in women and youth as driver of long term development. In conclusion, the delegation would like to express its deepest gratitude to the Government of Egypt for its gracious hospitality, the UN Resident Coordinator for her leadership, the World Food Program Country Office for the exceptional coordination of the visit, and of course, the Executive Board secretariats.

Thank you.

I thank you, Mr. Limsey, for that comprehensive presentation. I now open the floor for Member States interventions.

Please indicate by pressing the button on the microphone. Thank you. I see. Rwanda, you have the floor.

Mr. President, Executive Director, distinguished members of the Executive Board, thank you for giving me the floor. Rwanda thanks UN women and the participating agencies for the presentation of the report on the joint field visit. We appreciate the efforts made to capture field level realities and to translate them into observations and recommendations for the Board. Field visits remain an important instrument for Executive Boards to effectively execute their responsibilities. They allow us to better understand how strategic plans and negotiated frameworks are translated into concrete results on the ground.

In the same vein, the visit shows how UN entities work together in support of national priorities. From the report, Rwanda particularly notes the importance of strong national ownership, effective coordination within the United nations country team and the growing relevance of joint programming in complex development contexts. These elements are not only essential for efficiency, but also for sustaining impact, especially in a period of constrained resources and system wide reform. We appreciate the emphasis placed on scaling up successful initiatives, strengthening data driven decision making and ensuring that programs remain people centered amongst. All these valuable lessons should continue to inform both board programming and planning moving forward.

Mr. President. Looking ahead, Rwanda encourages continued attention to how these findings from field visits are followed up and reflected in planning and coordination processes, including through the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. In conclusion, Rwanda values joint field visits because they paint a clearer picture of the realities on the ground and remind us why our work here matters. What truly counts is not only what we observe during these visits, but how those lessons shape the guidance we give and the decisions made forward. I thank you for your attention.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Rwanda for that comment. I see no other interventions. May I request the Secretary to respond?

Thank you, Mr. President. To give me the floor, I will request a five minute interruption of the session. I need to consult on something.

With your permission, Mr. President.

Granted. Any other objection? Granted.

I thank you for that patience. We may proceed. The Executive Board will now consider agenda item 10 other matters. Does the Board have anything to add?

I see None. As no additional issues have been brought to my attention, we will move to the adoption of decisions for this item. I would like to invite the respective facilitators to read out the draft decisions.

Russia, you have the floor.

Your pressure was pressuring. I'm sorry, President, but I had something to say about item 10 of the agenda and other issues.

I would like to say something about item 10 of the agenda, I.e. other matters, if you'll allow me. President, Executive Director, we would like to raise the issue of the way in which Secretariat support for the CSW is being carried out. As is known during the 70th session of the CSW, in addition to general discussions, a number of Ministerial roundtables, interactive discussions and a high level meeting on limiting violence against women were planned. Therefore, the Bureau of the csw, in addition to the draft program of work of the seventh session of the csw, presented a concept note by UN women on the aforementioned events.

These concept notes contain very arbitrary interpretations of intergovernmental resolutions and decisions using terminology language that was not universally acknowledged or recognized and also prescribed to States concrete formats for cooperation, including with regard to work with expert communities and civil societies. And so States were facing artificial constraints. The nature of the discussions became predetermined, as is the case for any documents that provide for position of States in intergovernmental fora. We sent our comments to the Bureau for Secretariat of the csw but they refused to reconsider the content of the concept notes, citing the informal nature of the documents prepared by UN women. In light of this, we would like to once again underscore a principled position that States ought to have the prerogative to determine the modalities, format and content of conceptual documents relating to intergovernmental fora.

The single handed drafting by UN women of these concept notes without consultation with government with the Member States, it's a gross overstepping of its authority in this regard. Executive Director, we would like to ask you to take measures to ensure that during during the next session these documents are prepared while taking into account the views of all States. And if young women is not prepared to do this, then we recommend that they refrain from preparing any concept notes for events and limit their participation to provide technical Secretariat support to the csw. Thank you.

Thank you for your comment.

I see no other interventions.

For this item. I was saying I would invite this is on decisions, adoption of decisions. I would like to invite the respective facilitators to read out the draft decisions as negotiated. First of all, on my list, the draft is the draft decision 2026 one could the facilitator, Mr. Eniance Lamsey from the Permanent Mission of Albania please present the draft decision? You have the floor.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. I had the privilege to facilitate the draft decision 20261 financial report and audited financial statements for the year ended 31st of December 2024 in a report of the Board of Auditors. Allow me first to thank all delegation for their very constructive engagement through the negotiations and the Secretariat for the presence in the room. I'm happy to inform that silence was not broken on this draft decision and it stands already to be adopted as is.

I'm reading. The Executive Board takes note with appreciation of the 14th unqualified audit opinion issued by the Board of Auditors on the financial statements of UN Women for the year ended 31st of December 2024. Acknowledges the steady progress made by UN Women in implementing the audit recommendations of the Board of Auditors and supports UN Women's continuous efforts to ensure there are no long outstanding recommendations. Encourages the continued efforts of UN women to further strengthen the governance of program partners. Second line oversight functions, accountability and quality assurance in line with the recommendations of the Board of Auditors.

Calls on UN women to ensure the timely implementation of all outstanding recommendations. Thank you.

May I take it that the Executive Board wishes to adopt decision 20261 on the financial report and audited financial statements for the year ended 31st December 2024 and report of the Board of Auditors? I see no objections. So decided. Thank you very much, Enian for this skillful facilitation.

Next, I would invite Celia Nabeta from the Permanent Mission of Uganda to take the floor and present draft decision 2026 talk 5.

Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, Executive Director, Ladies and gentlemen, I was honored to be to facilitate decision 20265 the negotiations were smooth and concluded with consensus. I now would like to present the decision update on UN Women's efforts to address racism and racial discrimination. The Executive Board takes note of the update provided on UN Women's efforts to address racism and racial discrimination.

It notes that the efforts by UN women to implement the entity specific and system wide recommendations in the Joint Inspection Unit notes titled Review of measures and mechanisms for addressing racism and racial discrimination in the United Nations System organizations managing for achieving organization effectiveness Jiu Note 20221 rev. 1 and requests UN Women to continue to implement the recommendations as appropr and take concrete efforts in this regard including at country level and through enhanced cooperation, through formal interagency coordination it requests UN Women to continue to take measures to prevent all forms of racial discrimination in recruitment, retention and leadership development, including in the context of potential proposed structure reforms and at country levels Also requests UN Women, in order to reinforce its efforts to combat racism and racial discrimination, to strengthen the equitable distribution of opportunities in human resources management for all personnel, including in management and leadership positions, as well as when considering the impact of potential structural reforms and staff reductions undertaken within the organization, including in the context of the UN80 initiative. It further requests UN Women to provide comprehensive and substantive information reflecting internal institution progress, including institutional and internal measures undertaken in its annual updates on addressing racism and racial discrimination, while continuing to report on programmatic initiatives and to include information on geographical distribution of international staff and personnel, especially in leadership and management positions in the organization. It calls upon UN Women to ensure the provision of dedicated resources to address racism and racial discrimination in line with Recommendation three in the Joint Inspection Unit Note. It acknowledges the work undertaken by UN Women with regard to training and capacity building programs in accordance with recommendation 2 in the Joint Inspection Unit note and encourages UN Women to continue to promote the participation of staff in relevant training programs offered by the United Nations System Staff College on addressing racism and racial discrimination and decides to include an item on addressing racism and racial discrimination for decision on the agenda of the first regular session of 2027 and requests UN Women to continue to submit an update under this agenda item detailing all actions taken in this regard, including the development of appropriate measurable indicators which are of progress and outstanding challenges in order to facilitate focused consideration and oversight by the Executive Board.

I thank you.

May I take it that the Executive Board wishes to adopt decision 20265 on the update on women on UN Women's efforts to address racism and racial discrimination? I see no objections. So decided.

Next, I would invite Celia again, Syria Nabeta again from the Permanent Mission of Uganda to take the floor and present draft decision 2026. 7. Cyria, you have the floor. Thank you, Mr. President.

I also facilitated decision 2026 7, revised financial regulations and rules for UN Women. The executive Board takes note of the revised financial regulations and rules of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions as well as the related Management Respons 2 it adopts the revised UN Women Financial Rules.

Thank you, Mr. President.

May I take you that the Executive Board wishes to adopt decision 20267 on the revised financial regulations and rules for UN Women? I seen objections so I decided thank you, Senior, for facilitating decisions and for your. And thank you very much for your diligence and the constructive efforts in achieving the consensus.

Next student over the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President and I have the honor to facilitate the decision 20262 JRU review of governance and Oversight of the Executive Boards of undp, unfpa, unops, UNICEF and UN Women. I would like to thank the delegates for very constructive and efficient negotiations where we reach consensus on this decision. I would now read out the decision. The Executive Board recalls its decision 20243 establishing a joint working Group to consider the report of the Joint Inspection Unit entitled Review of the Governance and Oversight of the Executive Boards of the United Nations Development Program, United Nations Populations Fund, United Nations Office for Project Services, the United Nations Children's Fund and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of women in bracket.

GIU Rep. 20237 closer bracket with the participation of the executive boards of UNDP, UNFP, UNOPS and UNICEF. Further recalls that in decision 20243 the board requested the Joint Working Group to provide regular updates to the participating Boards as necessary starting after the first regular session. 2025 welcomes the update of the Joint Working Group on the GRU review presented at the first regular session 2026 recalls its decision 202515 and reiterates the requests contained therein. Requests the Joint Working Group to continue to deliver on its mandate and to elaborate and share by the Annual Sessions 2026 Preliminary elements of proposals for the implementation of the Joint Inspection Unit recommendations and to submit a report including concrete proposals and as appropriate elements for a draft decision by the Executive Boards for the independent consideration of the participating Executive boards at the second regular sessions in 2026. I thank you.

May I take you that the Executive Board wishes to adopt decision 2026, stroke two on the JIU review of governance and oversight of the Executive Boards of undp, unfpa, UN SAF and UN Women. I see no objections. So decided. Thank you very much, ASSA for leading this process to the successful conclusion.

Next, I invite Mr. Enyan Lamsey from the Permanent Mission of Albania to take the floor and present a draft decision 2026 3, you have the floor.

Thank you again, Mr. President. I had also the privilege to facilitate draft decision 20263 organizational culture. I would like again to thank all delegates for the engagement and the Secretariat for the answers provided in the room. Silence was not broken on this draft decision and it's ready to be adopted.

I'm reading it now. The Executive Board takes note of the update provided by UN Women on progress in strengthening organizational culture. Encourages UN Women to align the size and composition of the affiliate workforce with organizational priorities while taking into account the need for flexibility, cost effectiveness, program continuity and staff welfare. Acknowledges the information provided by UN Women on the impact of its efforts to advance organization culture, including information provided on the affiliate workforce. Recalls its decision 2025 3, paragraph 4 and requests UNWIMAN to start in the first regular session 2027 reporting on the implementation of the comprehensive human resources management strategy within existing reporting.

Recalls its decision 2025 3, paragraph 6 and requests UN Women to report against said results, framework and targets in future updates on strengthening organizational culture within existing reporting in order to assess progress achieved. Encourages UN Women to monitor the impact of organizational change processes on personnel and regularly share results in future updates on progress in strengthening organizational culture within existing reporting. Request UN Women to actively inform and engage in discussions with the Staff Council in ongoing and future organizational change processes. Request UN Women to report more explicitly on key findings of organization wide surveys and on the remaining challenges related to strengthening organizational culture in future updates within existing reporting. Urges UN Women to also prioritize efficiency and delivering as one by promoting a culture that advances cross agency collaboration at all levels, especially at the leadership and management levels.

Thank you. May I take that the Executive Board wishes to adopt decision 2026 right three on organizational culture. I see no objections. So decided. Thank you very much, Nian for your excellent facilitation.

Next, I would like to invite Ms. Tusububu Joto Nova from the Permanent Mission of Kriegistin to take the floor and present draft decision 2026 4. You have the floor.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Mr. President. I had the privilege of facilitating draft decision of the Executive Board 20264 titled Risk Management that has passed the silence procedure thanks to the Executive Board's constructive engagement and flexibility. Let me read out the text now. The Executive Board takes note of the update provided by UN Women on risk management and principal risks as part of the recurring agenda item on risk management established by decision 20254 in support of the Board's oversight and accountability responsibilities.

The Executive board recalls paragraph 5 of 20254 that states that accountability for ensuring effective management of risk sits with the Executive Director and encourages their continued presence during the discussion of the risk management agenda item at the Executive Board request that UN Women ensure identified and emerging risk related to unit initiatives and other organizational change processes are systematically integrated into future enterprise risk management updates, at the same time ensuring that adequate attention is given to internal risks in future change process and including, as appropriate, clear reporting on any material changes in risk assessments, mitigation measures and residual risk exposure. Reaffirms the value of internal and external assurance functions, including audit, evaluation and inspection, in informing enterprise risk management and supporting the identification and management of risks, including those arising from organizational change processes. Invites the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services to engage in accordance with its mandate and policies with the Executive Board on matters relevant to the Board's mandate as appropriate and in a format consistent with OIOS confidentiality. Encourages a continuous dialogue and exchange on enterprise risk management system systems and procedures with other United nations organizations to prepare the ground for harmonized enterprise risk management practices and joint risk assessments, in particular at the country level to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the pursuit of collective results. Note that UN Women has established escalation processes to senior management and request that management ensure that the next annual update in 2027 on risk management and principal risk provides clear, consistent, timely and transparent information on the circumstances and modalities under which high level or critical risks are escalated and communicated to the Executive Board.

Requests UN Women to ensure the principal risks, including risks affecting normative coordination and operational mandates, risk profiles and risk management practices presented to the Board are substantive and contextualized and address critical uncertainties that may have negative consequences for achieving outcomes.

Thank you, Mr. President.

May I take it that the Executive Board wishes to adopt decision 20264 on risk management? I see no objections, so decide.

May I take Next, I would like to invite Mr. Bastian Horiman from the Permanent Mission of Belgium to take the floor and present draft decision 2026 6.

Love the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President. I'm very honored to I had the honor to facilitate this decision 2620266 on the engagement with UN 80 initiative. I would like to thank to all the delegations for their constructive engagement and also the Secretariat for their precious help during the negotiations. I'm honored to say that we reached consensus on this decision and I will present this decision now.

So decision 20266 engagement with UNAT initiative the executive board 1. Takes note of the oral update by UN Women on the UNAT initiative and its implementation. 2. Emphasizes that the documentation related to the UNIT Initiative and its implementation should be shared with the Executive Board as soon as it becomes available, no later than three weeks prior to any formal or informal session, allowing sufficient time for its examination. 3.

Recalls General Assembly Resolution 79318 and 80155 and stresses that the reform process should be inclusive, evidence based and transparent. 4. Further recalls General Assembly Resolution 48, 162 and 5227 and reaffirms the Executive Board's responsibility in considering and recommending within its remit any proposed structural changes of UN United nations entities under its governance. 5. Also recalls General Assembly Resolution 72, 279 and as part of the UN 80 initiative, requests UN Women to accelerate progress towards the full implementation of the already agreed reforms.

6. Recognizes the ongoing contribution of UN Women to the assessment of a potential UNFPA UN Women merger pursuant to the terms of reference and requests that the complete assessment and all annexes based on a range of possible scenarios is submitted for the consideration of the executive board. 7. Emphasizes the importance of the assessment to be evidence based and as appropriate, to take into account advice from independent experts in organizational restructuring, including mergers. 8.

Request the Secretary General to seek and share with members and observers of the Executive Board a legal opinion from the Office of Legal affairs of the Secretariat on the outcome of the merger assessment with regard to the implementation with regard to implementation modalities, governance requirements and mandate preservation. 9. Request UN Women to meaningfully engage with the Executive Board on the assessment and to further provide to the Executive Board through the Steering Committee, if not included in the assessment, additional evidence analysis and information to support informed decision making, including, inter alia, information on the potential implications of a merger for mandates, including for their preservation and continuity as conferred upon UN women by relevant United nations bodies, namely the General assembly, ecosoc, the Security Council and the Commission on the Status of Women b Information on the potential implication of a merger for governance structure, funding streams, normative functions and intergovernmental oversight arrangements, country programming arrangements, staffing and operational delivery c Alternative options to a merger for enhanced alignment, impact and efficiency d Internal legal advice e Risk assessments and risk registers f Cost of benefit analysis g Timelines for consultations h Summaries of all stakeholders consultations. 10. Decides to include an agenda item for decision on the UNAT initiative for each Executive board session in 2026 and 2027 and request that sufficient time be allocated for the discussion of UNAT reform proposals, including work packages Most relevant to UN Women.

11. Request UN Women to take the necessary steps to organize in coordination with the Economic and Social Council in order to reinforce appropriate and concrete linkages between the Commission for the Status of Women and the Executive Board an informal intergovernmental briefing between members and observers of the Commission on the Status of Women and the Executive Board, including the chairs of both bodies, to Consider the implications of NUN 80 structural reform proposals for UN women as it relates to CSW. After the publication of the assessment and in advance of the Annual session, I thank you. May I take that the Executive Board wishes to adopt decision 20266 on the engagement with the UN 80 initiative. I see no objections.

So decided, And I give the floor to delegations wishing to make statements, comments, remarks after the adoption of the decision. You may do that by pressing the microphone, the button on the microphone.

I see none. So we conclude discussion on those items. The Board will now again turn to Agenda Item one, Organizational matters to address the approval of the provisional agenda and work plan for the Annual Session 2026. I now invite the Secretary to the Executive Board to outline the agenda as contained in UNW2026 CRIP1. Mr. Secretary General.

Thank you very much, Mr. President. So the session we start on the 20th. The annual session we start on the 23rd of June with the consideration and adoption of the annotated provisional agenda and work plan for the annual session 2026 as well as the report of the first regular session 2026. After that, the President of the Executive Board and the Executive Director of UN Women will deliver their opening statement as per practices. The Executive Director will also include in her statement comments on her Annual report on the implementation of Strategic Plan 2022-2025 at 1pm as always, we resume we start actually negotiation on the draft decisions.

Thereafter, the plenary meeting will resume at 3pm with agenda item three on engagement with the UN at initiatives. After the conclusion of this item, the Board will continue its negotiation on draft decisions for the rest of the day. The Plenary meeting will Resume on day 2, Wednesday 24th of June at 10am with agenda item 4 on evaluations where the Executive Board will be presented with the annual report on the evaluation function of UN Women in 2025 and a corporate evaluation on UN Women's support to intergovernmental processes. The Board will then turn to agenda item 5 on audit and investigation matters and be presented with a report on the internal audit and investigation activities for the period of 1 January to 31 December 2025, as well as a report of the ACA sorry, the advisory Committee on Oversight for the period of the 1st of January to the 31st of December 2025. Next, the Board will continue with Item 6 on Ethics and receive a presentation on the annual report on the ethics function at 1pm the executive board will continue with informal negotiation on the draft decisions at 3pm the plenary meeting will engage with item six on the GRU review of governance and oversight of the executive boards of undp, unfpa, unops, UNICEF and UN Women, and receive an update on progress made on that front.

Once this agenda item is concluded, the Board will continue with informal negotiations. The next morning and the last day. On Thursday 25 June, at 10am the board will turn to agenda item 8 on policy and program matters and receive an update on the implementation efforts on the repositioning of the United Nations Development System, followed by an update on UN Women's policy and procedures to tackle sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment. Next, the Board will address agenda item 9 or the matters followed by the adoption of draft decisions. And finally turning back to Agenda Item 1 on Organizational Matters, the Board will consider for approval the provisional agenda and work plan for the second regular session, 2026.

The annual session will conclude, as always, with remarks by the Executive Director and by the President of the Executive Board. I thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Are there any comments or questions? The floor is open.

You may press the button on the microphone.

I see. I see. No comments.

May I now take it that the Executive Board wishes to approve the provisional agenda and work plan for the annual session 2026? I see no objections. So decided.

This concludes our consideration of all agenda Items for the first regular session 2026 of the UN Women Executive Board. Distinguished delegates and guests. Excellencies, please. I now invite Ms. Sima Bauhaus, Under Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Women, to give her closing remarks. Madam Executive Director, the floor is yours.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Mr. President, Excellencies, dear delegates, let me begin by extending my thanks to Ambassador Godfrey Kuwaba, Deputy Permanent Representative of Uganda, for so ably presiding over our session. To the Vice Presidents of the Bureau, thank you for your invaluable support and dedication throughout the session. My special thanks to Ambassador Sophie Ditschmitt of Belgium for presiding over this morning's session.

My deep appreciation also to the entire UN Women team, the Executive Board team, our teams across the world and here at headquarters for their commitment, their work and drive every day to advance gender equality and women's rights. You make us proud every day. I would be remiss not to also give our dear Jean Luc Boress a big thank you. He has been the steady hand of this Executive Board for the past 14 years and will now move on to well deserved retirement. This board meeting will be Jean Luc's very last and I know you join me in echoing our deep gratitude and in wishing him all the very best going forward.

Thank you again, dear John Luc, for everything you have offered and will continue to offer, I think, to UN Women as you move forward. Thank you so much.

Excellencies, rest assured that we will ensure a smooth transition and you can continue to count on the same strong support that you have grown accustomed to from UN Women and our Executive board team and to each of you member states, partners, colleagues in UN Women and across the UN System. Thank you. Thank you for your presence, your persistence and your partnership both here in New York and on the ground where our shared mission is being tested every day. Your commitment, especially in complex and crisis affected contexts, brings our mandate to life. You have adopted seven decisions today.

I know that getting to the finish line required compromise late nights and very early mornings. This demonstrates how deeply you care about UN Women, how deeply you care about our crucial mandates and how important it is that we continue to succeed, that we improve, push forward and excel across all aspects of our work. Excellencies, despite the headwinds we are facing, what we heard yesterday from all of you was a unified voice in support of our triple mandate, of the criticality of our coordination mandate to influence others to push forward. We will continue to support the UN System in protecting hard won gains, including through UN cooperation frameworks and UNCT priorities both where we are present and where we support. As a non resident agency, we will work to protect and advance the gender architecture of this United nations through peacekeeping, humanitarian action and development priorities.

And as we heard from you in this room yesterday, UN Women is not an abstract institution. It is a lifeline. Thank you Rwanda for bringing that up yesterday. Excellencies, every day we impact lives from policies advanced to services delivered to global norms set. UN Women was created out of a demand driven by you in this room with the women's movement and the voices of women and girls as the wind in your sails.

We are a product of reform and we are not new to it. We embrace it and are continuously reforming every opportunity to examine how we can deliver more and better for women and girls. We will take. Our focus remains on impact on the ground. This is also why we are giving the UNHC our best efforts across all work packages.

Because we owe the women and girls we serve to examine if a potential merger could result in better delivery, greater efficiency and higher impact if this could be an even bigger lifeline. I look forward to updating you on this work both through our formal and informal deliberations. The Deputy Secretary General and I have heard you loud and clear yesterday and the United Nations 80 decisions adopted here just now have highlighted your ask once again. I will bring those asks to the Steering Committee which is chaired, as you know, by the Deputy Secretary General with myself and my sister, UNFPAED Diane Keita. As I said yesterday, we will be sharing documents as a matter of priority and I remain available for any dialogue you may wish to have on the assessment going forward.

Excellencies, the months ahead provide us with opportunities to reaffirm our shared commitment to gender equality. The momentum has already begun with the ongoing CSW 70 negotiations on agreed conclusions on the priority theme Access to Justice. I am grateful to many of you here and your delegates who are engaging proactively and constructively in these negotiations. This high level engagement in the early days of the negotiations shows us once again that women's rights remain a priority for the multilateral state system. It remains worthy of the investment of your time and your efforts.

I look forward to always engaging with as many of your delegations as possible and to harnessing energy from civil society and the women's movement. We will also commemorate International Women's Day 2026 on March 9, just before the opening of CSW under the theme Rights, Justice, Action for All Women and Girls. I invite you all to join us in the General assembly hall for this commemoration. Excellencies, our number one priority in the coming year will be to maintain a laser sharp focus on the implementation of our strategic plan. It remains our North Star.

Our commitment to you remains to deliver on the results we have laid out in it. Results that we know will impact lives, transform communities and propel sustainable development, peace and security forward. Investing in women is investing in a future that is more just, more secure and more prosperous. Our focus on efficiency and effectiveness, as you heard this morning, has allowed us to weather many storms and it will continue our pivot to the countries and region process. Improved business model, continuous striving to advance is more relevant than ever.

It is actually UN80 in action. We will also continue to diversify our resources. As I told you yesterday, the cut to our resources from 2024 to 2025 is not insignificant, but it remains lower than the overall global ODA cuts. We are also proud to see that new donors are coming to UN women and that some of our steadfast partners are increasing their support. This too shows your political will and the importance you place on gender equality.

I thank you as always for the engagement throughout this session. Excellencies, your insights strengthens our resolve and sharpens our priorities. Your support to you and women, and to our teams around the world, is never taken for granted. I know that this trust is earned and we will continue to earn it. We will continue to champion the rights, dignity and opportunities of every woman and girl in a challenging global context.

Our shared commitment is more vital than ever. Let us move forward together, united, ambitious in vision, practical in action, and unwavering in our pursuit of impact and gender equality for all. Thank you.

I thank the Executive Director for her closing remarks and very constructive words.

I will now deliver my closing remarks as President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, we have come to the end of a very productive and enlightening first regular session. I'm very pleased to see that we managed to successfully consider the entire agenda in a very efficient manner without compromising the quality of our discussion in the session. Throughout the session, we had very focused directive and rich discussions on each agenda item. I congratulate all of you for the participation and interest. Over the past two days, we have had several briefings from the Secretariat colleagues.

I would like to acknowledge the quality of the presentations. I would like to congratulate the Executive Director, the Deputy Executive Directors, as well as all other briefers from the UN Women Secretariat for their hard work and efforts in ensuring the high quality of our deliberation. I'd also like to thank our Bureau, the Vice President, as well as the experts for the excellent support during and in the lead up to the session. I especially wish to thank the delegations of Albania, Belgium, Kyrgyzstan, Sweden and my country, Uganda, for their very skillful facilitation in the negotiations of the decisions during this first regular session. Your hard work is truly appreciated.

I wish to also thank profoundly the Executive Board members and observers for their constructive engagement and contributions in these negotiations. I also would like to thank the Secretary of the Executive Board, Jalok Boris and his team for their excellent support to me and to the other members of the Bureau. I also thank the delegations for their active participation throughout the session. I believe such interactive discussions would be immensely useful for further improvement in the work of the organization. On this positive note, I wish again to thank you all for your cooperation, collaboration and time, of course, and support in making this a successful session.

And I wish to Declare closed the first regular session 2026 of the UN Women Executive Board. The session is adjourned. Thank you.