(1st meeting) UN-Women Executive Board, Second Regular Session 2026

Play all songs of the Kapil Sharma Show. Good morning, excellencies, distinguished delegates. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the second regular session of the UN Women Executive Board. I'm pleased to welcome you all and the following UN colleagues who will be on the podium. Ms. Sima Bahous, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director. Ms. Nyaradzayi Gumbozvanda, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support, UN System Coordination and Programme Results. Mr. Mohammad Nasiri, Chief of Staff. Mr. Kambou, for Fana, Chief Financial Officer and Director of the Division of Finance and Administration. Ms. Anna Kaffine Jatfos, Director, Strategic Planning, Results and Effectiveness Division. Ms. Sarah Hendrix, Director, Policy, Program and Intergovernmental Division. and last but not least, Mr. Jhalok Boris, Secretary of the Executive Board. The annotated provision agenda and work program for the second regular session was shared with all the members. Agenda item one, we shall have organizational matters for the adoption of the annotated provisional agenda and work programme for the current session and the report of the annual session of 2026. For the adoption of the annotated provisional agenda and work programme for the current session, I now invite the Secretary of the Board, Mr. Jalok Boris, to outline the agenda of today's session. Mr. Secretary, you have the floor.

Thank you very much. Mr. President, good morning. Distinguished delegates, very good morning to you all. So following the adoption of the provisional agenda and work plan for this session, as well as the adoption of the report on the annual session earlier this year, This session will continue with official opening statements by you, Mr. President, followed by the statement of our Executive Director. Before opening the floor to Member States, the Executive Board will turn to agenda item 2 on UNAT and receive a short presentation from our Chief of Staff on UN Women's engagement with UNAT initiative, including additional information on the alternative options. Then the floor will be open for Member States to deliver their opening statements, managed through a speakers list circulated yesterday. By the way, the speakers list is pretty long today. We have about 40 names on the list, and so we will unfortunately cut the mics after three minutes for national statement and five minutes for group statements. 00 p.m., the Executive Board will adjourn the morning session and reserve the following couple of hours for informal consultation on draft decision in Conference Room A. The Executive Board will resume the plenary at 3:00 p.m. in this room to discuss item 3 on structured dialogue on financing, where we will discuss the report on the structured dialogue on financing, the result of the strategic plan. Once this item has been concluded, the plenary meeting will be adjourned, with negotiation resuming on the draft decision, and that will happen at the UN Women headquarters. The plenary meeting will then resume tomorrow, the second day, Wednesday, the 10th of September, 00 a.m. with agenda item 4 on the GIU review of governance and oversight of the executive boards of UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS, UNICEF and UN Women, and receive an update on the progress made on this front. After that, the Executive Board will turn to agenda item 5, other matters, to take action on the draft decisions, and then we'll return to agenda item 1, organizational matters, whereby we will approve the provisional agenda and work plan for the first regular session 2027 and the annual work plan of the Executive Board for 2027. The second regular session will conclude with closing statements, as always, by you, Mr. President, and the Executive Director of UN Women. Before concluding, I would like to bring your attention on the screen. You can see that we are tweeting regularly on the proceeding of the Executive Board. Please follow us at UN Women Board, as it's shown on the screen. Thank you very much, Mr. President.

Thank you, Mr. Secretary. May I take it that the Executive Board now wishes to adopt the annotated provisional agenda and work plan for the second regular session 2026? I see no objections, so decided. Thank you. The agenda and work plan as adopted will guide us for the rest of this session. Let us now turn to the adoption of the report of the annual session 2026. May I take it that the Executive Board wishes to adopt the report of the previous session? I see no objections. So decided. Then it is now my pleasure to turn to the official opening of this session. Excellencies, these are my remarks as President. Excellencies, distinguished delegates and colleagues, I'm very pleased to welcome you to this year's second regular session of the UN Women Executive Board. I look forward to two rewarding days of discussion and consultation as we stay on course and work to fulfill UN Women's triple mandate. Please note that the second regular session adheres to the code of conduct to prevent harassment, including sexual harassment, at UN system events. This document is of integral importance to ensure the safety of all personnel and participants during our events, including the Executive Board. You can access the code of conduct online. I would like to extend a warm welcome to Executive Director Ms. Shimma Mahauz on behalf of the Bureau and all Member States, and congratulate her on nearing, or approaching, almost five years in office. Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, throughout this session, we have before us several important reports and briefs. including the update on UN Women's engagement with the UN80 Initiative. We also look forward to the presentation of the official report on the structured dialogue on financing the results of the UN Women Strategic Plan 2022-2025, as well as receiving an update on the progress made regarding the JIU review of governance and oversight of the Executive Boards of UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS, UNICEF and UN Women. The oversight and policy guidance of the Executive Board would not be complete without actionable outcomes to our Executive Board official meetings. We have before us three draft decisions: Decision 2026/16 on the report of the structured dialogue on financing the results of the UN Women Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and the future direction for the Strategic Plan 2026-2029. Second, decision 2026/17 on JIU review of governance and oversight of the Executive Boards of UNDP/UNFPA/UNHCR. UNOPS, UNICEF, and UN Women. And another decision, 2026/17, on engagement with the UN80 Initiative. I would like to extend my gratitude to the delegations from Albania, Belgium, and my own country, Uganda, for their facilitation of these decisions, and the Secretariat for supporting these negotiations. I call upon our delegations to demonstrate flexibility and understanding during these discussions, enabling us to reach consensus on these outcomes. I would also like to acknowledge the diligent efforts of UN Women colleagues, Patricio, the Executive Board Secretary, and his team, for the organization of this session, and the informal briefings leading up to the session. I trust in the continued support of the Board in maximizing our negotiations on time, and I expect a successful culmination of the event. At this juncture, I'm delighted to pass the floor to the Executive Director for her opening statement. Madam Executive Director, I give you the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished members of the Executive Board. Good morning to you all. I thank His Excellency Godfrey Kuyaba, Ambassador at the Permanent Mission of Uganda, for presiding over our Executive Board this morning and for his stewardship and steadfast support. My appreciation also to the Bureau members, Her Excellency Ambassador Suella Janina of Albania, Her Excellency Ambassador Sophie de Smet of Belgium, Her Excellency Ambassador Aida Kazimlieva of Kyrgyzstan, and serving formally for the Latin American and Caribbean Group, Her Excellency Alejandra Hernandez of the Dominican Republic. Mr. President, allow me to begin on a positive note by celebrating progress made towards gender equality. Last year brought renewed commitment to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. and gains for women and girls. Member states adopted or amended 69 laws advancing gender equality. 52 countries established formal care systems, and women peacebuilders participated in every UN-led peace process. This is only part of the picture. The other part finds geopolitical tension fiscal pressure, and a UN system under strain, increasingly defining our operating environment. Conflict, economic insecurity, climate disruption, and the rollback of rights converge in the lives of women and girls, while women's organizations confront surging needs with shrinking resources. Humanitarian crises exact their highest price from women and girls. while their voices and leadership remain too often excluded from response and recovery. The devastating floods in China and Nepal and the Ebola outbreak remind us that crises take many forms but are never gender neutral. UN Women continues to work with governments, humanitarian partners and women's organizations to ensure responses reflect women's needs, risks and leadership wherever needed. Afghanistan remains a litmus test of our resolve, and we are failing, unfortunately. Five years on, women's and girls' ability to learn, work, and participate in public life has narrowed almost to disappearance. More than ever, we stand with Afghan women and we support their organizations. In Sudan, women and girls face drone attacks by day and the threat of sexual violence after dark. Yet women-led organizations supported by UN Women reach places others cannot, providing protection and essential services. We need to ensure they are supported. In Haiti, women fleeing gang violence find that violence follows them into displacement. With UN Women's support, the government has opened the first state-supported safe houses for survivors, while women's organizations continue providing lifesaving services. In Gaza, we support local women organizations, provide lifesaving protection, cash assistance, and essential services to women and women-headed households, which now constitute one in four households. We stay. in Lebanon, in Myanmar, in Ukraine, and across the 103 countries where UN Women works to serve and support women and girls. This is our mandate. Excellencies, we began implementing our strategic plan in January of this year, putting the full strength of our triple mandate to work, to translate international norms into laws, policies, and budgets. To align the UN system around shared priorities and accountability, engaging 75 entities globally and 125 UN country teams to multiply impact. And to ensure women's organizations shape action on the ground. We are already seeing this approach deliver results. In Albania, landmark reforms translated global standards into stronger protections for women from violence in public and political life, supported by UN Women's policy expertise, UN coordination and partnerships. In Jordan, we are combining upstream policy advice with technical and normative support to accelerate implementation of the country's modernization vision and to deliver measurable gains for women and girls. This is a model we will increasingly apply in middle-income countries and beyond. In Papua New Guinea, we are supporting government and civil society to develop the country's first national action plan on women, peace and security, grounded in international commitments and informed by consultations with women in conflict-affected areas. In Cote d'Ivoire, Our policy expertise and convening power supported a legal reform doubling maternal leave for public servants to six months and increasing paternity leave from three to 30 days. Our Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces initiative has reached 75 cities in 36 countries. When Women Count began, only 26% of the data needed to track SDG 5 were available. Today, it is 63%. In Afghanistan, we helped ensure a 20-fold increase from the Women, Peace and Humanitarian Fund which we are proud to host as UN Women. We helped for nearly 200 women-led organizations, reaching 350,000 women and girls last year. Through the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, we celebrate 30 years of investment in more than 620 women's organizations across 140 countries and territories. These results, Excellencies, reflect a broader truth. Civil society is indispensable to our mandate and to our impact. We work with women organizations and feminist movements to shape laws and policies, to expand their leadership and channel resources to communities. Young women are central to this ambition. Our strategic plan is clear. We will back their leadership, strengthen their organizations, and advance their rightful place in decision-making. This leadership must extend to the forces defining their future. And technology and artificial intelligence are defining frontier of gender equality where progress can be accelerated or inequalities entrenched. Women and girls must actively shape it. My participation in the Geneva High Level Digital Week this past July highlighted the urgency. Only 24 of the 138 national artificial intelligence strategies refer to gender. We will connect policy, evidence and partnerships so digital governance delivers for women and girls. We must also leverage technological reach and technology's reach. In the second quarter this year, UN Women's digital platforms gained 1.3 million followers, bringing our audience to more than 18 million, one of the largest followings in the United Nations system. This reach strengthens our advocacy and mobilizes new generations. Excellencies, together, these results show the power of our triple mandate. However, progress for women and girls is not UN Women mandates alone. It is an imperative of the UN Charter and the entire UN system. And it should concern us all that gender capacity and resources across the UN system are weakening, while gender equality remains too rarely a standalone outcome in cooperation frameworks. This is why UNHAT is critical. As an entity born of UN reform, we know what institutional change makes possible. Reform must strengthen the gender equality architecture, not weaken or dilute it. UN80 must deliver a better United Nations for women and girls. We are determined to see it succeed. Excellencies, since our annual session, UN Women and UNFPA have completed the additional analysis you have requested on a potential merger and alternative options for greater alignment, impact and efficiency. Informed by civil society perspectives, the analysis sets out the implications, opportunities and risks of each pathway. As you determine the direction of this process, we remain available to inform your deliberations. Meanwhile, we are deepening our collaboration with UNFPA and across the UN system. And we are engaging throughout UN80 to ensure the rights and needs of women and girls shape every aspect of the reform. Excellencies, flexible resources remain the lifeblood of our mandate, and we recognize your efforts to protect them. Current projections show UN Women's regular resources declining by less than 1% in 2026, with other resources declining by less than 5%. I thank our development partners for their continued support amid difficult fiscal choices and urge you to sustain those investments. Strong governance, transparency and accountability are how we honour your trust. At this session, we look forward to the joint working group's update on progress following the joint inspection unit report on strengthening executive board governance and oversight. We stand ready to support the board as it considers the way forward. The board's oversight sharpens our decisions, reinforces our accountability and helps to sustain the confidence on which our work depends. The months ahead will demand the same spirit of partnership. At the 81st session of the General Assembly, UN Women will drive efforts to place gender equality at its core. UNGA 81 convenes at a time of strain for multilateralism, yet multilateral action remains indispensable to preventing conflict, to advancing human rights, and to addressing challenges no country can resolve alone. UNGA 81 must put women's equal leadership and rights at the heart of a reinvigorated multilateralism, more representative, accountable and responsive, advanced through feminist foreign policies. Our forthcoming gender snapshot to be launched at UNGA 81 underscores a fundamental truth. When women lead, societies do better. Yet today, six in every seven countries are led by men. And for the women who want to change that, eight in every 10 women parliamentary candidates face intimidation or violence. Through the UNGA Platform of Women Leaders, which we host annually with the President of the General Assembly, we will amplify women's leadership. We look forward to the Women, Peace and Security Open Debate on October 27th under the presidency of Greece. The Secretary General's report will assess women's declining participation in peace processes and remind us of what collective action can achieve. At COP31, we will advance climate policies and financing that addresses impact on women and girls and recognize their leadership. At CSW71, we will work with Member States and civil society to build ambition to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030. Excellencies, UN Women continues to deliver for women and girls through our teams across the world, who drive impact with courage and determination amid extraordinary complexity. They are the face of UN Women, and I thank them all with pride. Mr. President, before closing, allow me to extend special appreciation to our dear Executive Board Secretary, Mr. Jean-Luc Bourges, at his final session after 15 years in this role. And this is really his final session. Jean-Luc, we are deeply grateful for your dedication and all you have given to this board and to UN Women. You will be greatly missed. Thank you. Excellencies, I am also pleased to welcome Mr. Ziad Sheikh, who succeeds Jean-Luc. Many of you know Ziad through Generation Equality and his leadership of our offices in Nepal and in Jordan. He has deep knowledge of UN Women, and I know this board will be in very good hands. Welcome, Ziad. Excellencies, our focus on the strategic plan is unswerving. Our determination to make reform work for gender equality undimmed, and our commitment to partnerships unwavering. The world does not wait for us, nor do we wait for simpler times. You gave us a mandate that has never been more relevant, and every day, together, we make it real. I want to thank you all very much.

All the best.

I thank you, Madame Behausse, for that comprehensive statement. Before opening the floor to the Member States, we will first turn to agenda item 2 and receive a presentation on UN Women's engagement with the UN AIDS Initiative. In addition to the update provided by Executive Director in her opening remarks, I'm now pleased to give the floor to the Chief of Staff, Mr. Mohammed Inassiri, for his presentation. Mohammed, you have the floor.

Mr. President, distinguished members of the Executive Board, good morning. I do thank you for the opportunity to speak. And as requested by the Bureau, allow me to briefly outline the alternative options that UN Women and UNFPA have developed in response to the request from you, our Executive Board. Thanks to Sarah Hendrix and Rachel Dorwicks from UN Women and Neginah Montienne and Sam Horitz from UNFPA who constructively facilitated the organizational wide input on that. These options have been developed while discussions on a potential merger remain ongoing and without prejudice to the outcome of those discussions. Together, we proposed four mutually reinforcing areas of deeper collaboration, underpinned by stronger governance coordination. First, we proposed more integrated country-level delivery. where both UN Women and UNFPA are present, this would mean closer engagement in common country analysis and cooperation frameworks, greater alignment of our country planning instruments, joint work plans in targeted areas of complementarity, more coordinated resource mobilization and targeted harmonization of business processes. Where one of the two entities is not resident, we would also explore more systematic ways to ensure that its mandate and expertise remain available, working through the resident coordinator leadership, UN country teams, and regional and global capacities. Second, we propose a joint strategic framework on ending violence against women and girls and gender-based violence. This would provide a common framework of action from global commitments through to country level results with aligned priorities, stronger programming, collaboration and coordinated resource mobilization. Third, deeper collaboration on SDG 5 data analytics, evaluation and foresight, bringing together our complementarity and complementary capacities to strengthen data systems, produce integrated evidence and analytics, and provide governments and UN country teams with stronger decision-ready knowledge. Fourth, greater operational and services delivery interoperability. This could include targeted harmonization of processes, common premises, and shared services. These areas would be supported by enhanced governance coordination, including closer engagement between our Executive Boards and Bureaus. Distinguished Board members, during the annual session of the Executive Board, Member States requested additional analysis on both a potential merger and alternative options. This was shared in late August. In summary, the analysis identifies potential benefits under both pathways, but with different levels of integration, efficiency gains, transition requirements, and risk. It found, in summary, that a merger could offer greater longer-term integration, transformation, and efficiencies, while the alternatives would provide more targeted and incremental gains with lower transition costs. Finally, allow me to note that in our ongoing consultations with civil society, they have emphasized protecting mandates, presence, specialized capacity, sustainable financing, and meaningful partnerships with women's rights and youth-led organizations, and continue to have questions around potential merger. I thank you.

Thank you, Mohammed, for your remarks. It is now my pleasure to open the floor to the Member States. Please allow me to gently remind delegations to keep their statements brief so that we make the meeting efficient and have optimal use of time. In this respect, The time limit is set for delivering statements during the general discussions is five minutes for group of states and three minutes for individual delegations. Delegations are invited to send their statements to e-statement@un.org. We have an established list of speakers. I would like to give the floor to the first speaker on the list. Uganda, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President. Excellencies, distinguished members of the Executive Board, Uganda has the honor to speak on behalf of the African member states represented on the UN Women Executive Board. Africa reaffirms its commitment to gender equality, women's empowerment and the full realization of the rights of women and girls. We appreciate UN Women's support to Member States in translating global commitments into national action. However, progress must be measured not only by laws and policies adopted, but by their implementation and impact on women and girls, particularly those living in poverty, rural communities, conflict settings, and climate-vulnerable areas. We call for stronger enforcement, institutional capacity, and adequate financing. Africa recognizes the increasingly difficult global context, including geopolitical tensions, economic pressures, conflicts, climate change, and declining development resources. These challenges must not make gender equality a secondary priority. National governments remain the primary duty bearers, and UN Women should continue strengthening national institutions and systems. We recognize the disproportionate impact of humanitarian crises on women and girls. UN Women should maintain its presence in crisis settings while supporting prevention, resilience, recovery, and the integration of humanitarian development and peacebuilding efforts. Africa welcomes the early implementation of 2026-2029 strategic plan and supports the full deployment of UN Women's triple mandate. Implementation must remain country driven and aligned with national priorities. Its success should be measured by greater coherence, reduced duplication, stronger national institutions and improved outcomes of women and girls. We support the meaningful participation of young women and youth-led organizations in decision-making, leadership, and access to resources. We also recognize the potential of technology to advance women's empowerment while stressing the need to advance digital divide, limited access and online violence. Africa supports a more coherent, efficient and effective United Nations system. However, UN reform must not weaken the voice, visibility or accountability of gender equality. Any consideration of UN Women, UNFPA merger must be evidence-based, member state-led and assessed against its impact on led delivery, technical expertise, political advocacy, accountability and resources for women and girls. We recognize the Executive Board's role in determining the way forward and remain committed to collaboration with UNFPA and the broader UN reform process. Flexibility and predictable resources are essential to UN Women's mandate. We appreciate development partners' support and call for stronger, sustainable financing, including core resources guided by needs, priorities, and country realities. Gender equality must remain central to the multilateral agenda. Global commitments must translate into resources and measurable results, including women's economic empowerment, education, decent work, freedom from violence, participation in decision-making, digital inclusion, and climate resilience. We commend UN Women personnel working in complex and demanding circumstances and recognize their contribution to supporting Member States, civil society, and UN Women teams. Mr. President, in conclusion, Africa supports the mandate of UN Women and meaningful reform. However, reform must strengthen delivery, financing, accountability, and impact. The success of strategic planning must be measured by real improvements in the lives of women and girls. We call for UN Women that is adequately financed, country-owned, results-oriented, and responsive to developing countries. Africa remains committed to working with UN Women, UNFPA members, civil society, youth, and development partners to ensure that reform delivers lasting changes. Mr. President, I would like to make an intervention in our national capacity regarding the joint field visit. Uganda reiterates its interest in hosting the joint field visit between UN Women, WFP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP and UNOPS. once the Ebola-related restrictions are lifted. We look forward to welcoming the Executive Board and sharing Uganda's experience and progress in advancing the various mandates of the agencies involved in the field visit. Mr. President, allow me to extend on behalf of my country appreciation to the Board Secretary, outgoing.

Can you allow her one minute to finish?

I want to appreciate our outgoing board secretary, Mr. Jean-Luc, for all the support he has given us for 15 years. And we also want to welcome the incoming secretary, Mr. Ziad Sheikh. I thank you, Mr. President.

I thank the distinguished delegate from Uganda for her comments. The next speaker is Belgium. Belgium, you have the floor.

Thank you, President. Belgium supports the objectives of UNAT and believes that institutions must continuously adapt and improve when needed, even when they present stellar results like UN Women. But in doing so, we should not lose sight of a simple question: What problem are we trying to solve? Our objective cannot be reform for reform's sake. It must be to strengthen UN Women's ability to deliver on its mandate and to ensure that every dollar entrusted to this organization is used effectively and responsibly. To date, important questions remain unanswered on mandate preservation, but also on the financial side. Indeed, we have not seen a detailed costing of the proposed merger. We lack clarity on its full financial implications and, crucially, on who would bear those costs. No Member State has stepped forward to finance the transition, nor has any Member State committed to funding a merger entity at a level equivalent to the combined resources allocated to UN Women and UNFPA separately. This matters because the use of reserves has been floated as a financing option. Let us be clear, reserves have been built through contributions of core donors and through operational overheads generated from earmarked funding intended primarily for program delivery. Every dollar spent on a merger is a dollar no longer available to safeguard delivery. Any decision to use core funding, including reserves, for a major institutional restructuring would require meaningful engagement with the Executive Boards and their full support. President, the importance of preserving trust in the principles of flexible funding cannot be understated. Core resources should first and foremost support mandate delivery. They should not be the default funding source for large-scale institutional reform. Otherwise, we risk accelerating the shift from flexible to earmarked funding. We should therefore be careful not to rush. Belgium supports the decision taken by the Triple Board that recommendation on a possible merger cannot be made at this stage. In the meantime, Belgium welcomes the work undertaken on alternative options. We encourage UN Women and UNFPA to explore and widen them, while ensuring that any increased cooperation between the boards strengthens oversight and decision-making, rather than creating additional layers of bureaucracy. Ultimately, the success of UNAT will not be measured by how many structures we change, but by whether we help the UN deliver better for those it serves. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegate from Belgium for her statement. I now give the floor to the distinct delegate of Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President. Madam Executive Director, Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, I thank the Executive Director, Madam Sima Bahous, for her statement and leadership, and express our sincere appreciation to all UN Women personnel for their dedicated work. At these challenging times, it is particularly important to ensure that our commitments to gender equality are translated into concrete results for women and girls. In this regard, Kyrgyzstan would like to emphasize three points. First, UN reform should strengthen our collective capacity to advance gender equality. We support the objectives of UNHCR to make the organization more efficient and effective. At the same time, efficiency and substantive impact must go hand in hand. For us, this means preserving a strong, distinct mandate for young women. As member states consider the future UN architecture, the guiding question should also be which arrangements will deliver better outcomes for women and girls. Second, adequate and sustainable financing remains essential. Predictable resources are necessary to translate our commitments into concrete results. We, therefore, see financing for gender equality as an investment in sustainable development, peace and resilience. Third, implementation must remain at the center of our efforts. The new strategic plan provides a clear framework for the years ahead. Our priority should now be to translate commitments into tangible results for women and girls. In this regard, UN Women's work at the country level, in close partnership with governments and civil society, remains essential. Mr. President, as this is the final regular session during Kyrgyzstan's tenure as Vice-President, my delegation would like to thank the Asia-Pacific Group for the trust and honor of representing our region in the Bureau. It has been a privilege to serve alongside our Bureau colleagues, and we are particularly grateful to the UN Women Secretariat for its professionalism and continued support. We would especially like to extend our sincere appreciation to the outgoing Executive Board Secretary, Mr. Jean-Luc Bricis, for his dedicated service and support to the Bureau, and warmly welcome the incoming Secretary, Mr. Ziad Chayef. We look forward to working closely together and continuing this close cooperation through the remainder of our term. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegate from Kyrgyzstan for her comments. I now give the floor to the Dominican Republic.

Thank you. Thank you, Madam Executive Director, distinguished members of the Executive Board. The current moment where we are beginning the implementation of UN Women's Strategic Plan 2026-2029 shows the relevance of its triple mandate. At this stage, we believe that our common effort should be geared towards translating international agreements in tangible actions that respond to the needs and priorities of each country. In a global context that is complex, UN Women is facing major challenges, but it also has the trust of Member States. To keep that trust, its work should be based on agreed upon mandates, respect for national realities, and an open, inclusive, and transparent dialogue that favors a broad consensus. On the issue of financing, we agree on the need for sufficient, predictable, and flexible funding in the current context, accountability, effectiveness and showing results are more important than ever. We support the dialogue with Member States and a responsible diversification of sources of financing, always aligned with the strategic plan and national priorities. When it comes to the revision of the JIU, it's important for Member States to have the necessary amount of time to evaluate this. It is so important that each board can evaluate recommendations independently on the basis of their mandate, ensuring that any change strengthens transparency, accountability, and the capacity of entities to respond to the needs of different countries. President, with respect to UN80, we welcome efforts to achieve a development system that is more coherent and effective. Nevertheless, we consider that any reform should be evaluated on the basis of its real contributions to performance and added value for countries. The change should not become an end in and of itself. Discussions on specific mergers should not be considered in a siloed fashion. They should be seen in the broader context of UN with respect to a possible merger with UNFPA. We would opt for a prudent approach that is evidence-based and in phases. Member States should receive timely and complete information to understand the impact of these decisions. Any future decision should preserve mandates, experience and the visibility of both entities and avoid weakening its functions. It should also take fully into account the competencies of executive boards. We sincerely thank the secretariat and agencies involved for introducing alternatives and for sharing this information. This is a valuable exercise in transparency and dialogue. At the same time, we are open to exploring practical alternatives such as better coordination and operational cooperation as long as it's viable and contributes to better results for women and girls. We reaffirm our commitment to reform that strengthens trust. And to finish, I would like to thank Jean-Luc, the Executive Secretary, for all of his work and dedication.

I thank the distinguished delegate from the Dominican Republic for her statement. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Canada, will be followed by Sudan, Bulgaria and South Africa. Canada, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. I have the honour of delivering this statement on behalf of 16 Member States, including Belgium, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Chile, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iceland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and Uruguay, and my own country, Canada. We affirm our strong support for the Secretary-General's reform agenda and the objectives of the UN80 initiative, including efforts to enhance the effectiveness, coherence, efficiency, and impact of the United Nations system. who remain committed to evidence-based reforms that strengthen system-wide results and enable the UN to respond more effectively to an evolving global context. We have reviewed the additional information provided by the Secretary-General, UN Women and UNFPA, including the assessment of alternative options, and appreciate the efforts made to support informed deliberations. We welcome the Secretary General's acknowledgement that the executive boards are not currently in a position to support the proposed merger and his commitment to continued dialogue. We note that a potential path forward lies in the practical and evidence-based alternatives identified by the agencies. We welcome the commitment shown by all parties to advancing meaningful reform and strongly support the objectives underpinning the proposal. However, The information presented to date has not demonstrated that the anticipated benefits of the proposed merger would outweigh the associated risks. We therefore remain unable to support the proposed merger as it is currently presented between UN Women and UNFPA. The analysis of alternative options offers promising avenues to advance meaningful reform. These measures could strengthen coordination, improve efficiency, maximize synergies in areas such as the elimination of violence against women and girls, and enhance impact while safeguarding the integrity of the agency's unique mandates, maintaining accountability, and minimizing risks to operational continuity and service delivery. We therefore encourage UN Women, in coordination with UNFPA, to move forward with the exploration of the proposed alternative measures, including those that strengthen governance, coordination and country-level delivery, while keeping the Executive Board regularly informed of the progress made. These alternatives offer a practical, evidence-based way to advance the objectives of the UNAT initiative while building on the strengths of both entities. Chair, Reform should be a means to an end, not an end in itself, with the ultimate goal to strengthen the United Nations' ability to deliver on its mandates. We remain fully committed to advancing reform under the UN80 initiative, including Work Stream 3, and to working collaboratively with the Secretary-General, UN Women, UNFPA, and fellow state members Member States to advance practical evidence-based solutions. Ultimately, our shared objective is a stronger, more effective, and more coordinated UN system that can better advance gender equality and deliver results for all women and girls. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Canada for her statement. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Swaziland. Sweden. Sweden, sorry. Sweden. Sweden. Sweden. Sweden. Sweden. Sweden. Sweden.

Sweden, sorry. Sweden. Sweden. Sweden. Sweden. Sweden, sorry. Sweden, sorry. Sweden. Sweden. Sweden. Sweden. Sweden

remains a steadfast supporter of UN Women's critical triple mandate, and we welcome the good results in advancing global norms and standards, women's economic empowerment, political participation, women, peace and security, humanitarian action, and efforts to end gender-based violence. Sweden thanks UN Women for the report on the structured dialogue on financing. We appreciate the transparency of the reporting process, while also recognizing the growing financial pressures facing the organization. Despite these challenges, UN Women continues to deliver important results for women and girls worldwide. We encourage continued efforts to diversify the funding base through engagement with private and philanthropic partners, new government donors, and international financial institutions, while increasing flexible and multi-year funding. Sweden is a long-standing and significant contributor to both core and non-core resources, and we are proud to be UN Women's largest bilateral donor. Our support is also accompanied by high expectations regarding effectiveness, transparency, sound financial management and measurable results, particularly at the country level. The UN80 initiative is an opportunity to strengthen the effectiveness of the multilateral system, and you can count on Sweden's strong support in this process. We welcome the constructive engagement of all parties and the commitment shown to advance meaningful reform, and we have consistently argued that country-level delivery must remain at the core of all reform efforts. UN Women's continued engagement in implementing agreed reforms is imperative in this context. In the light of this, we are not in a position to support a potential merger between UN Women and UNFPA, as it has not been demonstrated that such a merger would safeguard mandates or strengthen country-level delivery. Sweden welcomes the information provided on alternative options to a merger, and these alternatives align well with the ambitions of the UN80 initiative. We encourage UN Women to move forward with the implementation and to keep this board informed of the progress. In closing, it is vital that UN Women continues to deliver across its full triple mandate with strong country level implementation at its core. And UN Women can count on Sweden's continued support and engagement, and in return, we count on your leadership. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Sweden for her comments. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Bulgaria.

Thank you, Chair.

At the outset, I thank you and the Bureau for your leadership in guiding the work of the Executive Board. I also thank the Executive Director for her presentation and for outlining the early implementation of UN Women's Strategic Plan for 2026-29.

Bulgaria welcomes the progress made in advancing gender equality despite an increasingly challenging global.

Environment marked by conflict, economic uncertainty, climate-related crisis, and growing pressures on the multilateral system.

At the same time, we remain concerned by the rollback of women's rights and the shrinking space.

And resources available to women's organizations.

Against this backdrop, UN Women's role is more important than ever. Bulgaria remains a strong supporter of the entity's unique triple mandate. We value its ability to translate global commitment into national.

Actions, strengthen coordination across the UN system, and support women-led and civil society organizations, whose leadership remains indispensable. We also welcome the increased focus on the meaningful participation of young women and the responsible use.

Of technology to advance gender equality.

As discussions under the UNITE continue, Bulgaria believes reforms should strengthen the effectiveness and coherence of the US gender equality architecture. We appreciate the analytical work on the possible merger of the UN Women and UNFPA, while reiterating that any future.

Arrangement must fully preserve UN Women's distinct mandate and normative role.

Finally, we underline the importance of predictable and flexible funding, which enables UN Women to deliver its mandate particularly in humanitarian and crisis settings.

We thank the dedicated UN Women staff for their commitment and look forward to continuing our constructive cooperation with.

The Executive Director and the Board in implementing the Strategic Plan. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Bulgaria for her comments. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of South Africa.

Thank you, Mr. President. My delegation aligns itself with the statement delivered by Uganda on behalf of the African Group. South Africa supports reforms under the UN Aid Initiative that strengthen coherence, efficiency, and effectiveness across the United Nations development system, considering the current financial constraints. These reforms must enhance and not diminish mandate delivery and development outcomes. UN Women reflects Member States' determination to accelerating global progress on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. Through its triple mandate, UN Women is leading in advancing women's and girls' rights and ensuring that gender equality remains integral to the work of the United Nations. South Africa is a principled and dependable partner of UN Women in advancing gender equality as a human right and one of the cornerstones of inclusive development and democratic governance. We view gender equality not only as a moral obligation, but as essential to the achievement of social justice, economic transformation, and sustainable peace. The role and voices of women remain particularly important amid rising gender-based violence and femicide. widening inequality, shrinking civic space, resistance to women's rights, and declining financing for gender equality and women's organizations. Regarding the UN80 process, South Africa appreciates the additional information provided on the proposed UNFPA, UN Women measure, including financial modeling, alternative options, and considerations of country and regional implications. We note that the assessment acknowledges that it is not a final country-by-country implementation plan and that future configurations would need to be determined on a case-by-case basis. As South Africa, we consider these aspects essential to understanding the impact of the reform across regions. We are concerned that any loss, weakening, or dilution of mandates and operational disruptions on women's and girls' programs could directly affect delivery and place hard-won gains at risk. In this regard, South Africa has reservations on the merger at this stage. This notwithstanding, we welcome the continued consideration of alternative approaches that strengthen coordination and efficiency, protect the distinct and complementary mandates of UN Women and UNFPA, preserve accountability to their executive boards and limit disruption. Reform, Mr. President, should build on progress achieved and not create the risk of reversing it. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of South Africa for that statement. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Spain, followed by Denmark, Republic of Korea, and Bahrain. Spain, you have the floor.

Thank you very much, Mr. President. I deliver this statement on behalf of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the European Union as a donor. We reiterate our full support for the UN80 initiative. In accordance with the QCPR, we support greater coherence, complementarity, and impact across the UN development system, in line with countries' priorities, while emphasizing that reforms must remain anchored in mandates and normative rules agreed by member states and translate into tangible improvements at country level. As stressed by the Secretary-General, Member States are vital in crafting key outcomes of UNHCR. To fulfill this role effectively, we need timely, robust, and evidence-based information, as well as inclusive and transparent opportunities for engagement across boards. With regard to UNFPA and UN Women, we welcome ongoing efforts to explore options for closer cooperation, greater alignment, institutional coherence, and organizational and operational improvements. The preservation, visibility, and full implementation of both organizations' unique and distinct mandates must remain a guiding principle for reform and are prerequisites for effective delivery. Any reform should be assessed not only in terms of efficiency, but also in terms of its impact on effective delivery for women, girls, young people, and communities in vulnerable situations. This is particularly important in the current global context marked by a growing pushback against gender equality, women's empowerment, SRHR, population dynamics, and the principle of leaving no one behind. We therefore encourage UNFPA and UN Women to continue to strive for greater alignment, coordination and efficiency in a transparent manner. We remain open to considering options where evidence demonstrates clear added value, feasibility, cost-effectiveness and a positive impact on delivery, as long as mandates and critical normative roles are protected. This safeguard is of paramount importance to us and must not be compromised at any stage of the process. More broadly, this discussion should not be viewed in isolation. Other UN80 work packages, including UN country reconfiguration, the regional reset, expertise on demand and financing arrangements, will also be essential to strengthening the impact, effectiveness, coherence, transparency and accountability of the UN development system. We therefore call on all organisations concerned to engage fully and constructively in taking these reforms forward. We remain committed to engaging constructively across regions and across boards to shape a coherent, evidence-based and member state-led way forward on UN80. One that advances meaningful reform while preserving the distinct mandates, normative work, and strengths of each entity, leading to improved results for the people and communities they serve. I thank you, Mr. President.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Spain for her statement. And now I give the floor to Denmark.

Thank you, Mr. President, Executive Director, Excellencies, colleagues. In addition to the joint statement just delivered by Spain, Denmark wishes to add a few remarks in our national capacity. Denmark would like to thank UN Women for the latest information provided. We appreciate the active engagement with UN80 work packages. Denmark remains firmly committed to the UN and to effective multilateralism, also signified by our 0.7 commitment. and substantial core contributions to the UN system. Thus, we have a clear interest in ensuring an effective and coherent UN development system. The UN80 reform initiative is a unique opportunity to address fragmentation, competition, and duplication inside the UN development system, and to enable the UN to deliver as one at country level with a strong mandate for Resident Coordinators to deliver impactful leadership and collective results to host countries. We therefore continue to call on all UN agencies, funds and programmes to engage fully at all levels to help drive UN Aid reform ambitions forward. Denmark continues to see clear value in exploring closer integration including through a possible merger between UNFPA and UN Women. Denmark welcomes the Secretary-General's latest remarks on a continued dialogue. We would like to thank UN Women for their engagement in this process. The mandates of both organizations remain a core priority for Denmark. It is critical that mandates and mandate delivery is protected, and Denmark will stand firm on this. In case of any structural changes, operational disruptions on country level must of course be minimised. Denmark does not support this exploration of structural integration as a cost-saving exercise. Any decision should be guided by the aim of strengthening coherence, institutional capacity, and ensuring more effective and impactful delivery of mandates at country level in the long term. to create a unified, strong voice for gender equality and women's rights. Denmark looks forward to engage constructively in the way forward. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank the distinct delegate of Denmark for his remarks. I now give the floor to the Republic of Korea, followed by Moldova and Bahrain in that order.

Thank you, Mr. President. Let me begin by thanking the Executive Director and her team for their continued dedication in demanding period and the Bureau for its stewardship.

The Republic of Korea has followed

the strategic merger assessment of UN Women and UNFPA with close attention, and we approach it in a constructive spirit. Today, my delegation would like to highlight three points.

First,

The alternative options deserve full and genuine consideration. We are glad that options beyond the merger are now before this Board, as many of us called for at the Annual Session in June. The analysis confirms that enhanced coordination, joint delivery, and greater operational interoperability can strengthen results on the ground, while protecting the distinct mandate of both entities at low cost, low risk, and with faster implementation. These matters merit serious pursuit in their own rights in support of UNAD and wider UN development system reform. The true measure of our work will be whether member state can deliberate on a full and balanced range of

options.

Second, this must remain a member state-led and evidence-based process. We welcome the Secretary-General's recent recognition that the Executive Board are not yet in position to approve a measure, and his commitment to continued dialogue. Member States should and will remain in the driver's seat. Decision of these consequences should be evidence-based, fully costed, and taken in due course. building on the agreed language rather than reopening carefully balanced compromises. Lastly but not least, continuity must be safeguarded. Uninterrupted support to women's rights organizations, gender mainstreaming across the UN system, and protection of the flexible and core resources essential to mandate delivery. This is precisely why we place such value on options that strengthen delivery with the least disruption. Mr. President, in closing, allow me to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to this entity's mission for women and girls across the globe and our readiness to work constructively with all partners to that end. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegate of the Republic of Korea for his statement. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Moldova.

Executive Director Bachus, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, the Republic of Moldova fully supports the mandate and work of UN Women and highly values our strong partnership. Over the past years, our cooperation with the UN Women country office have translated into concrete reforms and tangible results for women and girls in the country. UN Women has helped us strengthen our legal and institutional framework, advance women's political participation, prevent and combat violence against women, promote economic empowerment, integrate gender equality, international policies and public budgets. One of our important achievements has been greater representation of women in decision-making. Following the introduction of a 40% gender quota, women now hold 40 seats in the Moldovan Parliament. Moreover, through leadership, academic mentoring programs and capacity building initiatives, more than 2,500 aspiring and elected women leaders, including Roma women, women with disabilities and women with disabilities have strengthened their leadership and campaign skills, further advancing inclusive and meaningful women's participation in public life. Ending violence against women are key priority for the Republic of Moldova. The UN Women support Moldova has strengthened its legal institutional framework, including through the implementation of Istanbul Convention. and the establishment of this dedicated national agency in 2024, and legislative reforms criminalizing digital violence, forced marriage, and femicide. We have also expanded survivor center services, including Moldova's first integrated regional service for survivors of sexual violence, providing coordinated support to women and girls. Women's economic empowerment remains another priority that the UN Women support. More than 10,000 women have benefited from entrepreneurship, vocational training, financial literacy and business development initiatives. while 85 companies in the Republic of Moldova have committed to the Women's Empowerment Principles. We also recognize the important contribution of UN women to the Women, Peace and Security agenda and to our humanitarian response following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Support to women's organizations, refugees, and host communities has strengthen resilience, social cohesion, and women's leadership in peacebuilding. At the same time, we recognize that important challenges remain. Gender stereotypes, economic inequalities, and online threats continue to affect women and girls. We therefore remain committed to addressing these challenges through effective policies, targeted programs, and strong international cooperation. And we also remain committed to favor working together with UN Women country office to advance gender equality and empower every woman and girl to be vocal, active and engaged in peace and sustainable development. My delegation reiterates its appreciation to UN Women and

I thank the distinguished delegate of Moldova for his statement. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Bahrain.

Mr. President, at the beginning of my statement, I would like to thank you and thank the other members of the Bureau, as well as the Executive Board. We would like to thank Dr. Sima Bahous and all of those that are working within UN Women. This session is happening at a moment when the UN system is evolving and it's happening in the framework of UNAD, the initiative of the Secretary General. Therefore, it's important to strengthen the effectiveness of our action. Nationally, we are strengthening institutional frameworks to promote the rights of women thanks to the support of his majesty Ahmad bin Al Khalifa may God protect him and with the support of his royal highness Samad bin Hamad Al Khalifa our prime minister this year is very important because We are celebrating the Silver Jubilee for our Women's Council, which is presided by Her Royal Highness Princess Sabika **** Ibrahim Al Halifa, Consort of His Majesty the King. the council contribute to making sure that women's gains are preserved and it strengthens their leadership and their presence in decision-making roles. Nationally, we are proud of our work with UN Women through the prize, Princess Sabika **** Ibrahim for Women's Empowerment. The third edition of the prize this year beat all records when it comes to participation. 1,774 participants from different countries across the world. In the framework of UN80, we are facing an opportunity to strengthen the effectiveness of our work and avoiding duplications. It is necessary to ensure that our efforts are evidence-based. It is also important to consult Member States who must carry forward this reform process. Moreover, it is necessary to take into account all alternatives and possibilities available to strengthen coordination without slowing down this reform process. The goal would be to preserve the mandate and expertise of UN Women while taking into account the financial impacts of all of these alternatives. To conclude, we would like to reiterate our support to UN Women, and we hope to continue cooperating with members of this group through provisions related to UNAD in order to strengthen the effectiveness of our action and preserve our results. I thank you, President.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Bahrain for her statement. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Croatia.

Mr. President, Executive Director, Excellencies, Croatia thanks the Executive Director for her

presentation and for setting out clearly both the progress achieved and the pressures confronting UN Women.

We also express our sincere appreciation to UN Women personnel working in increasingly complex and demanding circumstances. The message we take from today's presentation is simple. Progress is possible, but it cannot be taken for granted, and it has to be safeguarded. Geopolitical tensions, conflict, economic insecurity, and shrinking space for women's organizations are putting hard-won gains at risk. In this context, Croatia strongly supports the full implementation of UN Women's triple mandate. We particularly welcome the Executive Director's focus on technology as a defining frontier for gender equality. Digital transformation can expand opportunity, participation and access. But it is also creating new forms and new scales of abuse with serious consequences for women's safety,

leadership and participation in public life.

This is why Croatia is pleased to deepen its cooperation with UN Women during this year's High-Level Week of the General Assembly.

Together, we will co-host the G77 and Emerging Partners Ministerial Roundtable on addressing technologically facilitated violence against women and girls.

The discussion will bring together governments and technology leaders to examine the risks of AI-enabled abuse, shared evidence-based solutions and promising practices, and strengthen political commitment to coordinated rights-based action. We see this as an important contribution to ensuring that technological progress also becomes progress for gender equality. Finally, as UN80 discussions continue, Croatia reiterates that reform should strengthen coherence, accountability, and impact,

while safeguarding a strong and authoritative gender equality architecture.

As different institutional options are considered, the test should remain clear. Will they improve our collective capacity to deliver for women and girls? Croatia will continue to engage as a constructive board member, a partner and a donor to UN Women. We remain committed to translating political commitments into tangible results. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Croatia for the statement. I now give the floor to Norway, followed by Albania and Finland. Norway, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President, Executive Director, Excellencies, dear colleagues. Let me begin today by saying that this is a sad day for us Norwegians, as we followed His Majesty King Harald V to his final resting place. Turning to today's issue, Norway would like to thank UN Women for its unwavering commitment to advancing gender equality and women's rights in an increasingly challenging global context. Norway remains deeply concerned about the decline in core contributions to UN Women. We therefore urge Member States to increase their support, especially through core funding. We strongly support the

Secretary-General's UN80 initiative and the broader goal of building a more effective, coherent and impactful United Nations.

Reform, however, must be guided by a clear vision and by our shared commitment to multilateralism, the UN Charter and the Sustainable Development Goals. Efficiency is important as means to an end. We need a UN fit for purpose and a UN that delivers on its mandated roles.

From Norway's perspective, a key measure of success

for any reform is whether it strengthens the UN's ability to deliver results on the ground. We have consistently advocated for a delivering as one approach with stronger UN country teams and the reinforced resident coordinator system. Norway shares the concerns expressed by several colleagues regarding the risks associated with the merger process. We underscore that the mandates and normative frameworks of both UNFPA and the UN Women must be fully safeguarded.

We consider the proposed

merger of UNFPA and UN Women as a constructive proposition that could contribute to a more coherent UN development system.

The information before us points to potential efficiency gains.

However, reform must not become a cost-cutting exercise. Its purpose should be to free up resources and strengthen the UN's capacity where it matters most. Norway will continue to protect and promote gender equality, women's rights and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Norway for her statement. I now give the floor to Albania.

Mr. President, Albania thanks the Executive Director for her opening statement and commends her leadership at a time when the global context in which we advance gender equality is becoming increasingly difficult. Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, we continue to witness concerning developments. Hard-won gains for women and girls are being challenged, civic space is shrinking, and resources for organizations defending human rights are under increased pressure. We should be clear. Progress on gender equality cannot be taken for granted. We must remain united in defending the principle that women's rights are human rights and that gender equality is fundamental to sustainable peace, development and security. Mr. President, Albania welcomes the early implementation of the UN Women's Strategic Plan 2026-2029. For us, implementation is a central test. We therefore encourage UN Women to continue strengthening country-level results national ownership and accountability while ensuring that resources reach the women and organizations working closest to communities. Mr. President, for Albania, gender equality must be a central benchmark of UN 80. We support efforts to strengthen the connection between global commitments and implementation and country level, reduce fragmentation, strengthen accountability, and make better use of expertise across the UN system. At the same time, we must safeguard the institutional capacity and specialized expertise required to advance gender equality. This is particularly important as we consider the future of UN gender equality architecture. Albania has carefully taken note of the analysis on the potential merger between UN Women and UNFPA, as well as other options that may emerge in the context of UNAT. We believe that this discussion should remain open, transparent, and evidence-based. We should neither presume the outcome nor approach institutional reform as an end in itself. The relevant question should be which configuration will best enable the United Nations to advance women's rights and gender equality, strengthen accountability, preserve specialized expertise, and deliver better results at country level. At the same time, we should be open to opportunities to strengthen coherence, reduce duplication, and improve delivery. We also recognize the important role of the Executive Board in determining the way forward. We would like to extend our sincere appreciations to the outgoing Secretary of the Executive Board, Mr. Jean-Luc Bories, for his dedicated service, and welcome Mr. Zia Sheikh and wishing him every success in this important responsibility. Albania remains a strong and committed partner of UN Women and will continue to support the implementation of the strategic plan to defend universality of human rights. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Albania for her statement. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Finland.

Mr. President, Executive Director, dear colleagues, we welcome this annual Board session at a pivotal moment for both the UN and the global gender equality agenda. As the UN advances the UN80 initiative to strengthen multilateralism and ensure a more effective, responsive and impactful UN, we must remain clear that gender equality is central to that mission. Globally, women and girls are facing growing restrictions on their rights, increasing violence and conflicts, and barriers to participation in political, economic and public life. Therefore, UN Women's relevance and added value is more important than ever. Gender equality is not a sectoral issue. It is fundamental to peace, sustainable development, democratic governance, and social cohesion. The international community cannot deliver on the SDGs, lasting peace, or trust in multilateral cooperation if half of the world's population continues to face unequal access to power, opportunity, and rights. Finland is encouraged by the UN Women's ability to deliver results and mobilize partnerships in an increasingly challenging financial environment. At the same time, we note with concern the continuing pressure on the funding landscape, including constraints affecting UN Women's budget and the broader decline in development financing available for gender equality worldwide. Commitments alone do not change lives. Progress for women and girls requires sustained investment. Gender equality financing is under pressure as pushback against women's rights is more organized and better resourced. The real test is whether we can turn commitments into resources and resources into results. Finland supports efforts to make the United Nations more effective and better equipped. However, in this global context, protecting mandates is essential. We must ensure that reforms reinforce rather than dilute the UN's capacity to advance gender equality, women's and girls' rights, women, peace and security agenda, and sexual and reproductive health and rights. Mergers should be considered in this light, not as ambitious reform objectives in themselves. Human rights are universal and equality must be for everyone. We therefore welcome UN Women's continued focus on reaching those facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination. The challenges are significant, but so is the responsibility we share. This is not the moment to retreat from our commitments. We remain a committed partner for the UN Women in that effort. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Finland for her statement. I now give the floor to Mexico, followed by Vietnam, China, Bangladesh, and Russian Federation. Mexico, you have the floor.

Thank you very much, Mr. President. We would like to thank specifically the Executive Director, Seema Bahous, for her presentation and the leadership that she has shown at the head of UN Women at a moment that is particularly critical for equality and the rights of women and girls. We are deeply worried about the cuts in resources, rollbacks when it comes to rights that have become a political flashpoint, and the disproportionate impact of crisis on those who are already facing discrimination and exclusion. The human rights of women are not a privilege, they are not a concession. Today, some states are prioritizing different things, their security, others are prioritizing development, and unfortunately, we often forget that there is no true democracy, nor is there security or development when women and girls are left behind. There is also no universal respect for human rights if we do not recognize the diversity of women and we ensure that we can all live free from violence, discrimination and exclusion. Mexico reaffirms its commitment to substantive equality, the empowerment of women and girls, and the recognition of their diversity. The public policies that we are implementing nationally are closely linked to our feminist foreign policy. And in this context, we are committed to upholding these principles in the multilateral arena and to defend institutional spaces that allow to turn this into a reality. Mexico wants to strengthen UN Women, not weaken its capacity act nor dilute its mandate. We also often forget that UN Women was born out of an ambitious reform that consolidated four different UN system entities. Its creation responded to the need to give greater coherence and strength to the agenda of equality, as well as making it more institutional. Mexico has supported UN80 through specific actions, and it upholds its commitment with an organization that is more effective and efficient. Nevertheless, with the information currently available, we are not in a position to support a possible merger between UNFPA and UN Women. Complementarity should not be confused with duplication. In the context of growing polarization on gender equality and the sexual, health and reproductive rights of women, preserving both mandates is especially important for Mexico. Therefore, any reform should clearly show the benefits and implications on the ground. This is why, at this stage, we would favor coordination, rationalizing administrative functions, and broadening shared services without sacrificing mandates or the specificity of each entity. Executive Director, UN Women can count on Mexico as an ally. We will keep working. The microphone is cut off.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Mexico for her remarks. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Vietnam. You have the floor.

Mr. President, I thank Madam Executive Director for her statement, particularly her focus on the early implementation of UN Women new strategic plan and on translating commitments into tangible results for women and girls. In Vietnam, we see encouraging progress. By 2025, 13 of the 20 targets under our national strategy on gender equality have been met or exceeded. However, important gaps remain. As Vietnam enters a new state of development, we will continue to advance gender equality alongside our broader priorities. This means strengthening women's leadership, and ensuring that women fully participate in and benefit from transformation shaping our future, including digitalization, AI, and the green transition. As Vietnam and the UN are finalizing the cooperation framework for 2017 to 2031, we hope that UN support will remain closely aligned with national priorities and responsive to needs on the ground. We particularly value UN Women partnership in Jitra Gap. Its expertise and convening role can help bring the wider UN system in support of these priorities. Mr. President, the AT session has come to a close, but the work of UN AT clearly has not. We have listened carefully to the Executive Director's reflections on the future institutional arrangement between UN Women and UNFPA. Vietnam supports careful consideration of own option carefully Drawing on evidence and experience of countries, whatever path is chosen, it should enable the mandates agreed by Member States to be fully delivered while ensuring continuity in the implementation of the strategy plan and support to countries. Vietnam experience shows that an empowered resident coordinator systems, joint programming, common premises and back office services can strengthen coherence and national ownership while improving delivery and efficiency. Vietnam looks forward to working with UN women and own partners to ensure that no women or girl is left behind.

I thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Vietnam for his statement. I now give the floor to China.

President, China thanks Executive Director Pakhos for her briefing. and UN Women for its concern and condolences regarding the disaster along the China-Nepal border. The sudden glacier collapse triggered severe mudslides, causing significant casualties and missing persons in both countries. The Chinese government is making every effort to carry out search and rescue operations while providing immediate emergency assistance to Nepal and supporting international rescue efforts. In the face of major disaster and calamities, China will continue to stand together with Nepal to overcome these challenges together. I would also like to China supports. UN Women in better fulfilling its triple mandate, leveraging its networks and platforms to ensure the new strategic plan is closely aligned with country-specific needs, helping women worldwide, especially in the Global South, to enhance their development capacity and resilience, and translating the blueprint of the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action into tangible results. We hope UN Women will expand its diverse partnerships, efficiently allocate and utilize global development resources, and target them precisely at areas such as eliminating violence against women, promoting women's economic empowerment, and bridging the digital divide, thereby strengthening international cooperation on global women's issues. China welcomes the analysis report submitted by UN Women and UNFPA on the proposed merger and alternative options, and encourages the two entities to continue engaging with Member States to build consensus. to fully leverage the guiding and oversight role of the executive board. First, we must stay on course to ensure the reform safeguards the core mandates and the comparative advantages of both entities and advances the gender equality and women's empowerment agenda. Second, we must identify issues and effectively advance result-oriented streamlining and efficiency improvement, ultimately improving project delivery and service capacity on the ground. Third, we must manage the the pace of reform, explore pilot initiatives, and through resource integration, joint projects, and data sharing, further optimize programs and build on achievements. President, China is leveraging its own development to create opportunities and safeguards for the global women's cause and to promote international exchanges and cooperation among women. China stands ready to enhance cooperation with international organizations, such as UN Women, and member states to promote the implementation of the measures announced by President Xi Jinping at last year's Global Women's Summit in support of global women's development so as to benefit women and girls in all countries. Thank you, President.

I thank the distinguished representative of China for his statement. I now give the floor to Bangladesh.

We thank the Executive Director for her comprehensive report and for her continued leadership in advancing gender equality across UN Women's mandate. Mr. President, gender equality and women empowerment are central to any country's progress and development. Remaining committed to the development of girls and women and to the establishment of their rights, our new government has accelerated a number of transformative women-centered initiatives. These include the introduction of the family card issued in the name of the female head of household, free education for girls up to postgraduate level, expanded reproductive and mental health services, and the planned universal life cycle based social protection system. To sustain this momentum, Bangladesh attaches high value to our ongoing technical collaboration under UN Women's current portfolio, particularly the Making Every Woman and Girl Count initiative with the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and the second phase of empower women for climate-resilient societies. We look forward to UN Women's continued technical support in operationalizing the Family Card, strengthening gender-responsive social protection systems, and expanding women's formal economic participation. Excellencies, as Bangladesh prepares for graduation from the least developed country category, our proposal to extend the preparatory period to November 2029 represents a deliberate strategy to safeguard the socioeconomic gains achieved by women. We encourage UN Women to ensure predictable and sustained technical cooperation throughout this transition by scaling up integrated programs across gender statistics, gender responsive budgeting, women-led climate adaptation and economic inclusion. Mr. President, regarding reforms under the UN80 initiative, Bangladesh reiterates that any reform process must remain member state driven, transparent, and evidence-based. Efficiency gains must enhance ground level delivery without imposing additional financial burdens on program countries. In closing, Bangladesh reaffirms its unwavering commitment to partnering with UN Women to accelerate gender equality and ensure that no woman or girl is left behind. Thank you, Mr. President.

I thank the distinguished representative of Bangladesh for her statement. I now give the floor to the Russian Federation.

Thank you, Mr. President. Executive Director of UN Women. We would like to thank UN Women for the work on the extensive briefing on the issue of the merger of UN Women with the United Nations Population Fund and for the alternative options, including the analysis of risks and benefits, timely and transparent information of states about what the entity is doing. is a gauge and guarantee of constructive dialogue. The information we received today is useful, but we did not receive answers to all of the questions, however. In February already, we wondered about what the mandate of the new entity will be in case of a merger, who will be covered, and how does it tally with the unique expertise of UN Women when it comes to attaining gender equality and gender empowerment. There are still many questions outstanding on the issue of funding and financing. Who is going to finance the reform? How exactly the payments are going to be distributed? Are they going to come from a regular budget or voluntary contributions? We need to recall here that UN Women does receive contributions from the regular budget. And finally, we did not receive an answer to the following question: What will be the composition of the new governing body? These issues cannot be resolved as we go along. These are important aspects of the body, which the states need to make the right decision. Mr. President, we were not convinced by the alternative proposals either. All of them need to be discussed and decided upon in the intergovernmental format. The documents became available less than a month ago and they raise very important issues in front of Member States which need to be clarified. In other words, there is no optimal option that we have here, nor a roadmap under any of the options. Today, as well as on the 3rd of December, in the course of the most recent briefing of the Secretary-General of UNAT, we did hear the right statements made, stating that the Secretariat is not empowered to make some decisions. They are the prerogatives of Member States. And we would like to underscore once again that the key role in any issues on the potential reform of the two bodies needs to be played by the Executive Boards. and the synergy between them is something that needs to be discussed intergovernmentally. In this regard, we think that the documents submitted today need to be carefully discussed intergovernmentally. We, members of the Executive Board, together with the Executive Boards of the TRIPLE Executive Boards and other interested states, need to take this on board, conduct negotiations assess whether the proposed options will make our work better or worse. Until and unless there is such a discussion, we will not be ready to propose or go along with any of the options for the reform. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation for her statement. And I'll give the floor to Japan.

Thank you, Mr. President. At the outset, I'd like to express my sincere appreciation to Madam Executive Director for her comprehensive remark. Regarding UN initiative, Japan continuously supports the objectives and the ongoing efforts being made. As a longstanding partner of UN Women, Japan looks forward to continuing meaningful engagement in its process. In this regard, I would like to make a few comments. First, we would like to thank the UN Women Secretariat for its continued efforts to keep the Executive Board informed through information sharing on multiple occasions, including further evidence and analysis on both the potential merger scenario and on alternative options, which were recently presented to Member States. These additional analyses and information further underscore the importance of grounding the reform process in objective and careful assessment. In this regard, we wish to reiterate that achieving meaningful reform requires evidence-based analysis and careful deliberations on the benefits and costs of the reform. As discussions move forward, we will continue to remain focused on ensuring that the original mandates of both organizations are fully preserved across all options and considerations. As a final point, I would like to highlight Japan's commitment to implementing the Women, Peace and Security agenda, where UN Women plays an important role. Through its dedicated work, both at the headquarters level and frontline, UN Women has been a steadfast partner of Japan in advancing WPS agenda. Mr. President, Japan as an Executive Board member will continue to work closely with UN Women in further advancing its mandate. Before concluding, I'd also like to express my sincere appreciation to Mr. Jean-Luc Foriss for his 15 years of dedicated service to the UN Women and the Executive Board. I wish him all the very best for his new endeavor. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Japan for his remarks, and I'll give the floor to Ukraine, followed by Canada, Cuba, Spain, and Rwanda, in that order. Ukraine, you have the floor.

Mr. President, Madam Executive Director, Ukraine supports the Secretary-General's reform agenda and the objectives of the UN80 initiative. I am grateful for a very detailed briefing of the Executive Director. We agree that the UN must continue looking for ways to work better, avoid unnecessary duplication, and use its resources more effectively. At the same time, any reform should be approached carefully. Changes in structures of working methods should not affect the ability of UN entities to carry out the tasks entrusted to them by Member States. That is particularly important when we speak about UN women. Today, women and girls continue to be disproportionately affected by armed conflicts, displacement, and humanitarian crisis. At the same time, in many countries, they are also taking on a greater responsibility in their communities, economies, and public institutions. Ukraine sees it every day. Russia's continuing war of aggression has had a severe impact on Ukrainian women and girls. Millions have been displaced. Thousands of Ukrainian women and girls were killed in barbaric attacks, missiles and drone attacks against civilian population, which was verified by the UN. Many, too many women have suffered conflict-related sexual violence and other grave violations committed by Russia. What a shame, what a disgrace. At the same time, women are serving in the armed forces, they are working in public institutions, they are supporting local communities, running businesses, and taking part in Ukraine's recovery right now. This year, we adopted our third national action plan on women, peace, and security through 2030. We are also working to make sure that gender equality is taken into account in recovery and reconstruction and that survivors on conflict-related sexual violence have access to support, justice, and reparations. That is why the discussion on UN 80 matters to us. Any changes should not negatively affect the effectiveness of addressing the challenges arising from Russia's aggression against Ukraine, including the protection and empowerment of women and girls. Mr. President, Ukraine supports further discussion of practical measures that can improve the work of the UN system while preserving its ability to deliver its existing mandates. We are ready to engage constructively. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Ukraine for his remarks. I now give the floor to Canada.

Mr. President, Executive Director, Your Excellencies. Canada is very happy to participate in this session at the pivotal point for the future of the multilateral system. The United Nations is currently considering the various reform options, and while we're doing that, it is essential to safeguard the mandates and the capacities which underpin sustainable development. Canada reaffirms its support to UN Women and to its normative mandate and coordination mandate, which is a pillar of the 2030 Sustainable Development Programme. Gender equality, as well as the sexual and reproductive health and rights, remain fundamental priorities for Canada and are essential drivers for security, prosperity, and resilience. We strongly support the UN80 initiatives and the reform program by the Secretary General. We support reforms based on evidence which strengthen the effectiveness, accountability, consistency and the outcomes for the United Nations system.

President, effective reform requires careful consideration of the conditions needed for long-term success, including mandate protection, operational continuity, effectiveness and stakeholder confidence. Given that the political environment today is markedly different from the one in which UN Women was established, and that progress on gender equality remains uneven and fragile, reform should be grounded in evidence and a clear assessment of the risks and benefits. Based on the information and analysis presented to date, Canada is not able to support the proposed UNFPA/UN Women merger at this time. We therefore welcome the Secretary-General's acknowledgement that the executive boards are not currently in a position to support the proposed merger and his commitment to continue dialogue with member states, especially with regards to alternative options. Canada encourages you and women to pursue these alternatives and to keep member states informed of progress. And we remain committed to working with you and our partners to advance reforms that strengthen the UN system's effectiveness and delivery for all women and girls. Thank you. Merci.

I thank the distinguished representative of Canada for his remarks. And I'll give the floor to Chuba.

Mr. President, esteemed Director Simba Bahous, we would like to express our most sincere condolences to the people of Norway and the government of Norway, as well as the royal family, due to the death of Harald V. We would like to thank you for the joint information introduced by UN Women and the UNFPA in the framework of its executive board sessions on the initiative of UN80. We reiterate that any structural transformation should respect the principles of operational continuity, and available resources to strengthen impact on the ground, and it should also preserve the comparative advantages of each entity, as well as the multidimensional and integrated focus of development. The priorities and national needs of concerned countries should be fully respected when proposing the creation of new presences on the ground or when new functions are assigned. the possible merger of UNFPA and UN Women could carry financial benefits, but there are also risks that we must consider. This includes greater instability when it comes to financing. We believe that we are not ready to take a definitive decision with regards to a possible merger. We need more information on this. We should continue carrying out transparent and substantive consultations without imposing artificial deadlines that could compromise negotiations among Member States. Cuba will continue participating constructively in discussions on UN 80, including those that have to do with UN Women, and we will do this in line with our firm commitment to advancement of women. President, in line with this commitment, and although it would seem to stray a little bit from the goal of this meeting, we must update the Executive Board on the impacts of the blockade, and specifically the energy blockade, on Cuban women and girls. We must present this update with regards to the information provided in February. Due to the lack of electricity and goods in Cuba, the national healthcare system must delay non-urgent surgeries in order to prioritize those that are life-saving. Thousands of patients today are waiting for surgeries today. 12,000 of those are children. The life expectancy of children with cancer has dropped from 85% to 65%. The child mortality rate has risen from 4.4 for every 1,000 live births to 9.9 in 2025. These are not cold, hard facts. Behind this data, we have mothers and families that are suffering. Despite this collective punishment, we ratify our unshakable commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of women, as well as strengthening our partnership with your entity. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Cuba for her statement. And I will give the floor to Spain.

Thank you, President. Spain would like to thank UN Women for the update on its participation in UN80, and specifically the work done along with the UNFPA to identify alternatives to a possible merger. Spain firmly supports the reform process initiated by the Secretary General. We agree on the need to move towards a United Nations that is more effective, coherent, and capable of working in an integrated fashion, especially at the country level. But we consider that it is equally important that structural reforms are based on evidence, have clear added value, and above all, that they preserve and strengthen the mandates that member states have entrusted to the different entities. And from this point of view, Spain would like to be clear with respect to the possible merger between UN Women and UNFPA, we do not consider that under the current circumstances there is sufficient justification to move towards an institutional merger of these entities. analyses carried out have shown that there are important differences between their mandates, operative models and capacities, and a merger could create significant risks without having proven that this would create better results for women and girls. For Spain, the priority should be protecting and strengthening the specific mandate of UN Women in an international context where gender equality and the rights of women and girls are being subject to growing pressures. UN reform should contribute to strengthening these mandates, not to dilute them. At the same time, we believe that there is leeway to deepen the cooperation between UN Women and UNFPA without a merger. This is why we value the alternatives presented to strengthen alignment, impact and effectiveness between both entities. Spain supports moving towards a greater integration and collaboration at the country level, as well as joint programming and where there is added value to strengthen cooperation in areas such as violence against women and girls, as well as greater interoperability, shared services, and coordination between both organizations. We considered that this would respond to the goals of UN 80 in a pragmatic and results-based manner. creating greater efficiency and more integrated action, preserving specific mandates and comparative advantages. We would also like to highlight the central role of Member States and their executive boards in this process. Any future proposal should be examined by competent organs before it is elevated to the GA. This is why we are willing to continue working constructively to develop these alternatives, and we believe that the goal of this phase should be clear: deepening cooperation functional integration and efficiencies between UN Women and UNFPA, preserving their institutional autonomy and their mandates. We want an ambitious reform, but also reform that protects what's working and strengthens the capacity of the system to move forward when it comes to gender equality, rights, and empowerment for all women and girls. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Spain for that statement. And I'll give the floor to Rwanda.

Thank you very much, Mr. President, for giving me the floor. Executive Director and your team, thank you very much for your work. We align ourself with the statement delivered on behalf of the African group. Mr. President, we thank UN Women and UNFPA for further information and analysis shared since our last session, including the options presented. This continued engagement is important as you consider carefully the implications of different approaches under the UN80 particularly the mandates of the two entities. Mr. President, Rwanda reiterates that discussions on any potential merger between UNFPA and UN Women should not be considered in isolation of the UN80 reform agenda. We further reiterate that the central role of member states in this process must be strengthened, including for ownership and.

Responsibility of this process.

For under the central consideration in these discussions is what any proposed reform will mean for delivery on the ground. Any structural reform must strengthen the ability to support program countries. We therefore encourage UN Women and UNFPA.

To further explore the alternative options presented, particularly those aimed at closer country level delivery and greater operational collaboration.

There is value in pursuing practical areas where the two entities can work more closely while gathering further evidence to inform consideration of a deeper reform. As we consider the future of these two entities, Rwanda believes that all views and perspectives should be carefully considered. In particular, the perspectives and experience of program countries must remain central to all deliberations. Ultimately, any future institutional arrangement must be guided by the capacity to strengthen delivery and impact on the ground. Finally, Mr. President, as we consider the way forward, Rwanda believes that we should take the time to listen carefully to different perspectives that have emerged through this process and to weigh them against the realities on the program on the ground. We should be mindful that the choices we make are not simply about institutional reform, but the impact it is going to have on the ground in our countries. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of Rwanda for his comments. I now give the floor to Germany, followed by Nepal, the United Kingdom, France, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Germany, you have the floor.

President, Madam Executive Director, distinguished members and observers of the Executive Board, Excellencies. At the outset, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to UN Women for its important work and leadership in advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. I would like to highlight three key messages. First, it is essential that the UN can rely on a robust gender architecture. At a time when gender equality is increasingly being challenged, the UN must uphold its commitment to address structural inequality and remain steadfast in promoting gender equality. Gender equality is a human right and a prerequisite for advancing sustainable development and peace in line with the 2030 Agenda. UN Women, as the UN gender equality champion, has a vital role in driving this agenda across the United Nations. Second, we must implement reforms to make the UN system more effective. We thank UN Women and UNFPA for exploring options for enhanced alignment between the agencies. We see significant potential in strengthening integrated country-level planning. These efforts would organically combine delivery capacity and improve the impact for the people the organizations serve. Looking ahead, deeper forms of integration should remain an option, including a potential recommendation by the Executive Board at a later date regarding the proposed merger. Whatever model we pursue, we must keep our objective firmly in sight: the protection of mandates and a stronger, more coherent and more effective UN system that delivers better for women and girls on the ground. Third, Germany is committed to further advancing and to anchoring gender equality and the principle for leaving no one behind at the core of the post-2030 agenda for sustainable development. We need to ensure that progress reaches everyone, women and girls, in all their diversity. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Germany for his statement. I now give the floor to Nepal.

Thank you, Mr. President, Madam Executive Director, Excellencies. Nepal thanks the Executive Director of UN Women for her comprehensive remarks, including a focus on the dire situation in the aftermath of the recent catastrophic flash floods in my home country. We extend our sincere appreciation and gratitude to the UN Member States, UN entities, including UN Women, and the broader international community for standing in strong solidarity with Nepal at this difficult time. Nepal has consistently supported the UN80 initiative as a timely opportunity to extend and coherence, reduce fragmentation, and reimagine the United Nations that is more effective, efficient, and fit for purpose. We welcome the progress made across these three workstreams. We appreciate the substantial analytical work undertaken on both the potential merger and alternative options. Such analysis is particularly important because UNFPA and UN Women are both indispensable UN entities with distinct mandates and comparative advantages. UNFPA brings specialized leadership on sexual and reproductive health and rights, population and development, demographic analysis and gender-based violence, while UN Women advances normative support, UN system-wide coordination and operational mandates across the broader gender equality and women's rights agenda. Yet their mandates also offer important opportunities for complementarity and joint delivery, particularly in advancing gender equality and the empowerment and rights of all women and girls, ending gender-based violence and accelerating the SDGs. Mr. President, let me share the following observation. First, Nepal recognized the value of assessing complementary alternative options alongside structural measures. The alternative options demonstrate that closer alignment can be pursued within existing institutional frameworks while maintaining distinct mandates, leadership and governance arrangements. It also cautions that benefits depend on clear accountability, sustained financing, institutional commitment and careful risk management. Second, UN entity reform process must deliver impact on the ground. Any reform proposal pursued should strengthen, not weaken, the effectiveness of UNFPA and UN Women, improve country-level delivery, provide more tailored support to advance sustainable development goals, and priorities of program countries and reinforce accountability for results while preserving their distinct mandates. The alternative options assessment has identified integrated country level delivery, collaboration on ending violence against women and girls and gender-based violence, stronger SDG 5 data and analytics, and operational interoperability as strategic areas where greater complementarity could generate practical value. Third, the reform must remain member state-led, transparent, inclusive, and evidence-based. We encourage the Secretary to continue providing rigorous evidence-based assessment, including cost-benefit analysis, transition implication, and potential risk. Fourth, the ultimate measure of reform should not be institutional architects alone, but stronger country presence, better delivery on mandates, and improved lives for people we serve. Finally, reform must preserve the strengths of respective entities, strengthen national ownership and country-driven programming, protect development expertise.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Nepal for his statement. I now give the floor to the United Kingdom.

Executive Director, on behalf of the United Kingdom, I thank the Executive Director for your continued leadership of UN Women, and I pay tribute to UN Women staff working in increasingly challenging and complex environments around the world. I'd also like to express my condolences again to Nepal and all those affected by the recent flooding. At a time when conflict, humanitarian crisis and shrinking civil space continues to disproportionately affect women and girls, UN Women's mandate is more important than ever. We remain fully committed to supporting UN Women in advancing gender equality, defending hard-won gains in women's rights, and ensuring that women's voices and women's equal leadership are at the center of international responses. You have our unwavering support in this endeavour, including in tackling unacceptable violence against women and girls and sexual violence in conflict. The United Kingdom reiterates its strong commitment to the Secretary-General's UN80 reform agenda, a critical opportunity to strengthen the UN's impact and effectiveness. I make three points. First, delivery. The 2018 reform of UN development system achieved progress. However, we expect UN leadership to fully deliver this agenda. Key priorities include reconfiguring UN country teams and ensuring all UN development system work adheres to cooperation frameworks. Delivery should be improved through system-wide shared services and common enablers, notably technology and data. By consolidating and modernizing back office functions, the UN can build a leaner, more effective and resilient operational backbone. To support these efforts, it is crucial to empower resident coordinators to lead one UN teams. Second, mandates. Institutional change must not undermine mandates entrusted to UN entities by member states. We have stood in union with other member states in calling for the preservation of distinct SRHR and gender equality mandates, and we are supportive of the work packages under UN system coherence and impact. Minimising disruption to ongoing operations, mitigating risks and protecting accountability mechanisms, particularly in fragile contexts, is essential. Third, evidence. Any merger decisions should be informed by strong evidence and full transparency regarding the costs of transition, the scale of efficiencies, the implications for future funding. We expect merger proposals and alternative approaches to be rigorously explored and for Member States to have adequate time and opportunity to properly review evidence and influence proposals. In conclusion, the UK supports UNAT and encourages UN leadership to fully implement the work packages, preserve mandates and build a stronger UN. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegate from the United Kingdom for her statement. And I'll give the floor to France.

Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, Madam Executive Director, dear colleagues, I would like to begin my statement by welcoming the work that UN Women does every day under your leadership, Madam Executive Director, dear Sima Bahous, in order to uphold equality between the sexes and the rights of women and girls. One year after the Ministerial Conference of Feminist Diplomacy in Paris, France, we'd like to reiterate its support to the triple mandate of the agency It is normative, it coordinates, and it is operative, and it pays tribute to the unshakable commitment of its teams that are working in contexts that are often very difficult. Madam Executive Director, protecting and promoting the rights of women and girls is critical to ensure the development of societies that are fair, peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable. These rights are universal. relativism of any kind cannot limit them. This led France to adopt a feminist diplomacy and new action plan on the theme women, peace and security in France support financially UN Women's work. like in Lebanon, where we support the implementation of the WPS agenda. The current reform context of our organization calls upon our collective responsibility. The legitimacy, credibility, and sustainability of our multilateral system depends on it. France, therefore, welcomes efforts to rationalize UN Women's work. And the lodestar is a better impact on the ground. For over a year, France has supported UN80, initiated by the Secretary-General, in the principle of more effective and easy to understand work to support gender equality and the health and sexual reproductive rights of women. Therefore, we support the proposal to merge UN Women and UNFPA with their mandates unchanged. Our collective appreciation on this proposal should be supported on objective elements that have been duly explained. Our board must rigorously examine the different technical and financial aspects of these scenarios to explain this to the General Assembly. They will make a decision. In the interim, and following the orientations given by the Triple Executive Board, there are several measures that may help articulate their work better and strengthen their synergies without prejudging the final decision on the merger. Friends, encourages these entities to go forward and continue with the reform. Madam Executive Director, defending the rights of women and girls is an issue of conscience and humanity, a fight against inertia and hostile forces. UN Women is at the forefront of this fight. France will continue to support you and support the United Nations to defend the rights of women and girls as well as gender equality throughout the world. The microphone is cut off.

I thank the distinguished representative of France for his statement. I now give the floor to the representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

hear me? Mr. President, Madam Executive Director, distinguished members of the Board, the Kingdom of the Netherlands greatly appreciates UN Women's leadership and staff at headquarters and in the field. Your dedication, expertise and tireless efforts to advance gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls make a tangible difference in the lives of millions every day. UN Women's triple board, the unique triple mandate, normative, coordination and operational, is essential for achieving gender equality. You help shape global norms and standards. You coordinate across the UN system to ensure coherence and accountability. And you deliver concrete results on the ground. At a time of persistent gender inequality and increasing pushback against women's and girls' rights, UN Women's voice and presence are more important than ever. To fulfill this role, it is important that UN Women is predictable, flexible, and sustainable, and has sustainable resources. Core funding enables strategic planning, rapid response, and strong normative and coordination functions. The Kingdom of the Netherlands remains a strong supporter of quality, core and multi-year funding. We regard the UN80 initiative as a key opportunity to make the UN development system more fit for purpose. We encourage UN women to continue engaging constructively in the reforms, including UN country team reconfiguration, regional reset, expertise on demand and unified services. These efforts can significantly strengthen system-wide coherence and effectiveness at country level under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator. In this regard, can you enlighten us how is UN Women currently engaging in these different work streams? And regarding a possible UNFPA-UN Women merger, We do not have sufficient evidence that a full merger would safeguard the distinct mandates of the agencies. Therefore, we are not in a position to support the merger as presented. We very much welcome the Secretary-General's recognition that the boards are not currently in a position to support merger and his comment to continue dialogue. We see promising alternatives to strengthen collaboration and improve results for women and girls globally. And therefore, my second question to UN Women: How does UN Women envisage exploring these alternative approaches? In closing, Mr. President, we look forward to working closely with UN Women and all Board members to advance our shared agenda. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative from the Kingdom of the Netherlands for her statement. I now give the floor to the representative of New Zealand, followed by Australia, India and Fiji. New Zealand, you have the floor.

Thank you very much. Executive Director, New Zealand commends UN Women for its continued leadership in advancing gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in an increasingly complex global environment. In this context, UN Women's triple mandate remains more important than ever. New Zealand places particular importance on UN Women's engagement in the Pacific. Women and girls across our region continue to face disproportionate challenges, including climate-related risks, economic vulnerability, low levels of political representation, and high rates of gender-based violence. We welcome UN Women's continued work to support women's leadership, resilience, and economic empowerment in Pacific Island countries. Turning to the broader system context, New Zealand strongly supports the Secretary-General's UN80 initiative. We need a UN development system that is more focused, efficient, and coordinated, while ensuring that gender equality remains central to the UN's work. Reform efforts should strengthen delivery and impact at country level, while preserving the expertise and mandates that Member States have entrusted to UN entities. As we consider proposals under the UN80 process, New Zealand supports evidence-based reform and has carefully considered discussions regarding a potential merger of UN Women and UNFPA. While we remain committed to ambitious reform and welcome efforts to identify greater efficiencies and coherence across the system, we are not currently convinced that sufficient evidence has been presented to demonstrate that a merger would deliver efficiency gains of a scale that would outweigh the associated risks. We are also concerned that merger proposals have not adequately demonstrated how the distinct mandates, normative functions, and comparative advantages of both organisations would be protected. We would therefore welcome continued work on ongoing and alternative reform options that could strengthen coordination, improve efficiency, and enhance impact while safeguarding the unique strengths and mandates of both entities. We look forward to further analysis and discussion of these options as requested by the Executive Board. Finally, New Zealand remains concerned about the challenging funding environment facing UN Women. Core funding remains essential for UN Women to deliver on its mandate and maintain its normative leadership. We encourage all partners to continue supporting the organization through quality funding. In closing, New Zealand reaffirms its strong support for UN Women and its vital role in advancing gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls globally. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegate of New Zealand for her statement. I now give the floor to Australia.

Thank you very much, Mr. President. Australia is committed to gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls as foundations for a peaceful, stable, and prosperous world. Australia is a steadfast supporter of UN Women's vital role and triple mandate of normative leadership, UN system coordination and country level programming. Together, these functions are essential to advancing gender equality and delivering tangible outcomes for women and girls. UN Women's work to strengthen women's full and equal participation in decision making, advance economic empowerment and rights, end violence against women and girls, and implement the Women, Peace and Security agenda has made a meaningful difference in our region, the Indo-Pacific. Australia wants to see this work continue and grow stronger. Australia would like to make three points on UNADH reform. First, Australia supports ambitious and meaningful UN reform and recognises the need to strengthen coherence and efficiency across the UN system to better meet future challenges and deliver more effectively for those it serves. Any proposal for a structural merger of UN Women and UNFPA should be grounded in the broader UN agency reform agenda and supported by evidence that demonstrates improved efficiency and stronger delivery at the country level. Second, Australia reaffirms that the mandates of UN Women and UNFPA should not be reopened. These are mandates that we all agreed and are essential to achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, and in turn, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Any structural reform must fully safeguard UN Women's triple mandate. Third, Australia welcomes consideration of alternative approaches to strengthening coherence and efficiency across the UN system. We encourage continued assessment of practical options that enhance collaboration and performance while preserving the strength and comparative advantages of individual entities. As a longstanding partner of UN Women, Australia remains committed to reforms that protect its critical functions and mandates, preserve delivery and strengthen the UN system's capacity to deliver for women and girls. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Australia for his statement. And I will give the floor to India.

Thank you, Mr. President. We thank the Executive Director for a comprehensive brief this morning. Mr. President, amid tightening global fiscal resources, UN women should be guarded against dilution of resources across peripheral areas. In this regard, we underscore that flexible resources remain essential to the delivery of UN Women's mandate. India welcomes the recognition of technology as a defining frontier for gender equality. We agree that bridging the digital gender divide, ensuring women's safety online and harnessing emerging technologies for women's economic empowerment must remain central to the UN Women's normative and operational work. On the UN80 initiative, India reiterates that UN80 reform should be evidence-based, Member State-driven and transparent. Given the scale and complexity of any structural change, we would urge that decisions to scale these options be preceded by a fuller assessment with clear timelines and targets so that reforms remain grounded in demonstrated results rather than projected gains. India supports a lean, non-duplicative mechanism that explicitly preserves each entity's separate mandate, accountability, and decision-making authority, avoiding the creation of a parallel governance layer. We have taken note of the assessment of the alternative options. Consistent with India's call for a pragmatic and evidence-driven approach, we urge that these lower-risk alternatives shall be tested and operationalized, and that any leap towards a potential merger shall be reserved until all risks, benefits, transition costs, and funding implications are more fully demonstrated. Mr. President, our shared objective under UNID must be to ensure that UN Women emerges as a more impact-oriented entity, delivering tangible results and empowering the lives of women and girls, particularly in developing countries. At the country level, any reform should enable a more integrated and cohesive support mechanism for the host governments and generate greater impact through pragmatic activity. India supports the broader UN objective of strengthening the coherence and impact of the UN system and remains committed to fully cooperate with other member states. I thank you, Mr. President.

I thank the distinguished delegate of India for her statement. And I will give the floor to Fiji. Fiji has two statements, group statement followed by that in their national capacity. Fiji have the floor.

Mr. President, Executive Director, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, I have the honor to deliver the following remarks on behalf of the 12 Pacific Island developing states represented in New York, namely the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and my own country, Fiji. The Pacific Small Island Developing States support the objectives of the UN80 initiative and we recognize the importance of ensuring the United Nations system is efficient, coherent, and fit for purpose. We also engage as a region that has invested considerably alongside UN Women in building the foundations of gender equality over many years. Our governments are increasingly integrating gender equality into national climate policies and all third and all third round nationally determined contributions submitted by Pacific countries now making explicit references to gender. The Pacific Roadmap on Gender Statistics established in 2020 with the support of UN Women and the Pacific community has helped our region report more disaggregated data to the global sustainable development goal database than the global average. This work has been steadily building and depends on the institutional continuity and dedicated capacity that UN Women provides in our region. As the Board considers the pathways presented under the UN80 initiative, PCIG wants to underline that reform must account for the particular circumstances of small island developing states. The value of UN Women in the Pacific lies not only in its own programs, but equally in its role coordinating gender equality commitments across the United Nations country team, and in providing a channel through which Pacific women's organizations can contribute to national, regional, and global policy processes. These functions require dedicated institutional attention, and they should be assessed on their own terms, with full consideration of the multi-country office context through which UN Women serves our region. We have taken careful note of the analysis presented on both the potential structural merger between the United Nations Population Fund and UN Women, and the alternative options for enhanced alignment and collaboration. PC recognizes that both pathways carry implications for how the United Nations delivers on gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights at the country level, and we believe that whichever pathway Member States pursue, it must be guided by the demonstrated impact for women and girls, rather than institutional coherence alone. We encourage the Board to ensure that program countries are given adequate opportunity to examine and contribute to these deliberations before structural decisions are taken. We see it further underlines that reform cannot serve as a substitute for adequate and predictable core resources. Whatever efficiencies the UN80 initiative yields should be reinvested at country level delivery, particularly in the under-resourced regions such as ours. I will now move to my national capacity, and wish to add the following. Fiji reaffirms its strong and consistent support for UN Women's mandate and its unique role as the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Fiji supports ambitious and credible reform of the United Nations system. The UN80 initiative is a legitimate and necessary effort to improve efficiency and reduce duplication in a constrained financing environment. For Fiji, however, the core test for any reform proposal affecting UN Women remains clear. It must strengthen the ability of the United Nations to deliver for women and girls at the country level, and it must not dilute the ability in the pursuit of administrative or structural convenience. UN Women's mandate encompassing its normative, coordination and operational functions was established following extensive intergovernmental deliberation and for good reason. Gender equality cannot be advanced through mainstreaming alone. It requires a dedicated institutional home and its own leadership voice, its own accountability and the capacity to uphold the international normative framework. Any reform must safeguard UN Women's convening role and its ability to advocate independently and authoritatively for women and girls within the United Nations system and with Member States. That is the standard against which Fiji will assess both of the pathways now before this Board: a structural merger with the United Nations Population Fund, or enhanced alignment and collaboration. Fiji takes no position on either at this stage. We ask only that neither be adopted. until the program countries have had a genuine opportunity to examine the evidence and to test the consequences for delivery on the ground. Fiji speaks here with direct experience as a small island developing state served by a multi-country office covering multiple countries and territories across a vast geographic area. Continued and predictable in-country technical and programmatic support must therefore be treated as a baseline requirement rather than a variable to be adjusted. And the channel between UN Women and women's organizations must be preserved intact in whatever structure emerges. On the structured dialogue on financing, Fiji reiterates the importance of predictable, adequate, and flexible core resources to enable UN Women to deliver its mandate, particularly in under-resourced contexts such as the Pacific. Any efficiency or reform dividend should be reinvested in strengthening country-level delivery rather than solely offsetting funding gaps at the centre. Fiji reaffirms its commitment to constructive engagement in the UN80 process and looks forward to continued consultation as further evidence and proposals are developed. We thank UN Women for its continued partnership with the Government of Fiji and the wider Pacific region. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Fiji for his remarks. I see no more speakers on the list. At this juncture, I would like to invite the Secretariat to make a response. First, I give the floor to Mohamed And a city. Chief of staff, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, New Zealand, for the two questions on the alternative options to the merger and to the engagement in the UN reform at large. And it comes to the implementation and the pathways and the way forward on the alternative options. We will be fully guided by the language in the decision of this board session from you, member states. On the engagement, we are fully engaged in all the work packages, and the gist of that engagement is that gender equality, women's rights, and empowerment remains to be central to the reform, not an afterthought and not a marginal issue. This applies to our engagement in the UN country team configuration and the regional reset. It applies to the expertise on demand mechanism and joint knowledge hubs, and it applies to also the rights group and data commons, and of course, work package four, which is the potential merger of UNFPA and UN Women. Thank you.

Thank you, Mohammed, for your response. And I'll give the floor to the executive director for a response. Executive director, madam, the floor is yours.

Thank you very much, Mr. President. Dear Excellencies, before turning to our discussion, allow me to express my deepest condolences to the Royal Family, the Government, and the people of Norway on the passing of His Majesty King Harald V. His decades of service and his commitment to unity, dignity, and inclusion leave an enduring legacy. Our thoughts are with the people of Norway at this particular time. Excellencies, as we conclude this session, I want to thank you for the spirit of partnership and constructive engagement that has characterized our discussions today. These results are possible because the partnerships between this Board and UN Women are strong. They demonstrate the value of sustained investment in gender equality, but also something broader. They demonstrate what multilateralism can achieve when we bring together a clear mandate, shared purpose, and collective resolve. At a time when the need for that collective resolve could not be greater, I am really deeply grateful for your continued partnership and for our shared commitment to advancing the rights, opportunities, and leadership of women and girls everywhere. Dear Excellencies and dear colleagues, I am grateful for you for recognizing UN Women's work on women, peace and security, on humanitarian action and crisis settings. I take note of the growing demand for this work at the country and global levels. UN Women remains committed to strengthening its response. This commitment is rooted, as you have all said, in our triple mandate. I appreciate your steadfast support in this regard, and I welcome the emphases you have placed on young women's meaningful participation, the responsible use of technology, and the opportunities and risks at the technological frontier, including technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Excellencies, turning to our results, my deep appreciation goes to those of you who have recognised the progress made in implementing our strategic plan. I equally value the emphasis placed on measurable results and strong delivery at the country level. With your continued support, we remain steadfast on the implementation of our strategic plan and on advancing its key pillars. You can count on us across all of our offices to deliver with focus, with determination, and with impact. The concrete national progress highlighted by many of you is also very encouraging. These experiences demonstrate how national leadership, supported by strong partnerships, can translate commitments into results. Strong results must be underpinned by sound governance, and I therefore appreciate the important reflections on resource management, which we have strengthened and will continue to strengthen. You have highlighted, all of you, almost on this particular issue. I also take note on the emphasis on transparency and accountability, including through the work of the Executive Board, which is also a key commitment from me and all of us at UN Women. Delivering on these ambitions requires sustainable, predictable funding, and I believe in your support and in working with us towards that end. UN Women will continue to work to broaden our funding base and to increase our core. flexible and multilateral and multi-year funding. I reiterate my appreciation to our development partners for their continued support in helping UN Women sustain its funding levels amid competing priorities. Excellencies, against this backdrop, I am grateful for the thoughtful and constructive engagement of you as Board members on UN80, particularly the potential merger between UN Women and UNFPA and the suggested proposed alternative options. I appreciate the views expressed here today by all of you. I have taken careful note of the range of views expressed on both the potential merger and the alternative options under consideration. Our discussion has underscored the importance of considering the implications of all pathways, including their respective resource and implementation requirements. As these discussions continue, I am grateful for your continued open, transparent, and constructive dialogue on both the potential merger and the alternative options. As you engage in further discussions, UN Women stands ready to provide Member States with any further information or analysis that may help you be informed and to inform your discussions, including in cooperation between UN Women and UNFPA. This remains, of course, a Member State-led process. I welcome your continued deliberations and also your continued guidance as you consider the way forward. Throughout this process, Excellencies, UN Women remains fully committed to ensuring that any reform strengthens results for women and girls, particularly at the country level. As I have consistently emphasized, safeguarding and protecting the distinct mandates of both entities must remain central. And for that, we need a strengthened UN gender equality architecture to emerge from all these reforms. Excellencies, as we end, allow me to send our warmest wishes to our Deputy Executive Director, Kerseemahdi, as she recovers from injury. We wish her a full and speedy recovery. I also note that tomorrow our Deputy Executive Director, Niradza Gombodzwa, will be attending an all-day meeting on UN80 and will be represented here by Sarah Hendrickx. Thank you, Sarah, and thank you, Niradza. So, Excellencies, I thank you once more for your continued guidance and support for our triple mandate, and I thank you for your important work and progress for all women and girls. Together, we will continue pushing forward to implement the Sustainable Development Goals, Agenda 2030, to advance peace and security, and to strengthen multilateralism to deliver for all women and girls. And I thank you.

I thank you, Executive Director, for the detailed response. Are there any other delegations that wish to take the floor? I see. I give the floor to the secretariat.

Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Executive Director. for deferring to me to add on one or two points, and I want to greet the executive board members of UN Women. Just to add two points to complement the information provided and on the specific information that you requested. First, it was in your wisdom when you established the resolution establishing UN Women to also think about coordination at country level. And that in itself is embedded within the triple mandate. So as I listened to you, we also felt this is also reinforcing a clear commitment in our triple mandate. 2024, I sat here, Madam Executive Director, in my first meeting with the board, and you presented on pivoting. And what we also heard today from the Executive Board about impact at country level, prioritizing national ownership, enabling us to be with the country teams on the ground is the true essence of that pivoting for impact. Therefore, we carry the outcome of the meeting with clarity in terms of the decision that has already been made in that direction by our executive director on what pivoting means. That is what you have reinforced today. I also wanted to reassure our executive board that this is the first year of implementation of our strategic plan. It has been deeply, deeply very important for us to look at how we are leveraging the country strategy notes within the country team and the cooperation frameworks and adjusting where we need to do in other countries. and reinforcing, therefore, the discussions we are having, as our Chief of Staff has said, on the country configuration, that the country configuration is about impact, it's about gender equality in the normative, in the coordination, and in the results and the services. We therefore continue to look up to you as our board in your engagement as well with that UNHCR country configuration, humanitarian reset. that we continue to centralize also resources including the pilot countries which would be piloted for us to apply the gender equality marker so that resources are also deployed to gender equality and indeed the points raised on seeds on the significant Island States it's very very important and we know that the Caribbean is one of the seeds pilot who carried that very concretely with us uh I also just wanted to conclude by thanking you for guidance when we're developing the strategic plan. You brought together the boards and also us to look at areas of cohesion together is UNDP, UNICEF, UNOPS and UNFPA. And therefore, the options that we are talking about is already rooted in a systematic guidance that you have provided us over time. Again, thank you. Thank you very much. And thank you, Executive Director. Thank you.

I thank the Deputy Executive Director, Nyaradze, for the additional response. I see no other requests to take the floor. Dear colleagues, as we are approaching 1 o'clock, I would suggest we suspend here and break off for lunch. We will resume the plenary at 3 p.m. During the lunch break, you are invited to join the informal consultations on draft decisions. I would like at this juncture to give the floor to the Secretary for a quick reminder and an update. Secretary, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President. Very quick, because you already have said everything. So basically, the negotiation will resume at 1.15, so in half an hour in conference room A. 45, then at that time we'll come back here for the plenary session at 3:00 p.m. for one agenda item, and then we'll go back to negotiation. And this time, we are at UN Women headquarters. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Secretary, for the comments. Now, before I adjourn the meeting, I make an announcement. There will be a group photo for those on the podium. The first planner of the session is hereby adjourned. 00 PM for the continuation of the session.