(3rd meeting) UN-Women Executive Board, Second Regular Session 2026

Good morning, colleagues, Excellencies, distinguished delegates. It is my pleasure to declare open the second day of the 2026 second regular session of the UN Women Executive Board. We will consider the first agenda item for this morning, which is agenda item 4. Under the first agenda item, We have a GIU review of governance and oversight of the executive boards of UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS, UNICEF, and UN Women. The board will receive an update on the progress made so far. In addition to the Executive Director and Secretary, which I greeted this morning, I would like to invite to the podium the following UN Women colleagues: Mr. Mohammed Nasiri, Chief of Staff; Mr. Sara Hendriks, Deputy Executive Director and Director of the Policy Programme and Intergovernmental Division; Mr. Kombu Fofana, OECD Deputy Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer and Director of the Division of Finance and Administration; Ms. Anna-Karin Jedfors, Director, Strategy, Planning, Results and Effectiveness Division; and Ms. Inga Kaplan, Officer in Charge of the Independent Evaluation, Audit and Investigation Services. For this agenda item, I am pleased to invite two members of the GIU Working Group, the distinguished delegate of Germany, Ms. Annette Kayser, and the distinguished delegate of the Russian Federation, Mr. Nikolay Komarkov, to provide us with an update of the progress made so far. After this update, I will open the floor for your questions and comments to provide us with an update, as we mentioned, about this topic. I would like now to invite Annette and Nicolai to take the floor to brief the Executive Board. You have the floor. Annette, you have the floor, please.

Thank you, Madam President. Madam President, Madam Executive Director, dear members of the Board, dear colleagues, it is our pleasure to present the revised report of the Joint Working Group established to consider the recommendations contained in the Joint Inspection Unit review of the governance and oversight of the Executive Boards of UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS, UNICEF and UN Women of 2023. I know it's a long title. Next slide. For those of you who are not so familiar with the whole process, just a very brief recap on where we stand and what happened so far. In 2023, the GIU review identified 10 formal and 21 informal recommendations in six thematic areas. And at the annual session 2024, the executive boards established the joint working group and tasked it with reviewing all 31 recommendations and developing actionable implementation pathways. The working group's terms of reference were formally adopted at the first regular session in 2025. And this year, at the first regular session and the annual session, the Joint Working Group presented its approach and interim report with proposals for all recommendations. We also held an informal meeting and Member States gave us written feedback on our proposals. Here at the second regular session today, we are presenting you with a revised report that includes an updated implementation plan in Annex 1. Just two points on the leading principles. It is always very important to emphasize that the working group advises and the Executive Board decides. So we just make proposals and of course you Member States decide. The joint working group has been guided by the overarching principle of strengthening and optimizing existing mechanisms of the Executive Boards wherever possible before proposing the creation of new structures. This approach is deliberately aligned with the objectives of the UN80 initiative, which calls for lean, efficient and effective governance across the UN system. Next slide, please. As can be seen here, the group has not accepted all of the GIU recommendations. Recommendations proposed for non-acceptance generally relate to matters considered adequately addressed. through existing arrangements where the working group judges that intervention would add procedural complexity without commensurate benefits. Because many of the recommendations are interrelated and built on one another, the working group has undertaken an indicative clustering of interrelated recommendations into five broad work packages that we would like to briefly introduce. I'll start with the first two. Among the key proposals of the working group is the development of a comprehensive harmonized informal guiding document, a delegates handbook, to be jointly drafted by the secretariats of all five organizations. The handbook would consolidate the roles, responsibilities, and procedures of executive board members, covering governance, oversight, risk management, and secretarial arrangements. It would address the substance of several related recommendations, can be updated as needed, and avoids duplication. The draft would be submitted to the Executive Boards for consideration, allowing for structured discussion and further refinement as needed. Second, we propose a dedicated review of the working methods of the Executive Boards of the participating organizations. followed by periodic assessments at agreed intervals. This review would address the harmonization of work plans, the relationship between informal and formal meetings, the quality and clarity of Board decisions, and the inclusiveness of Member State participation. It would also provide the appropriate context for further consideration of the possible advisory subcommittee mentioned above. And Another part of this working package is our proposal to explore the possible establishment of such a standing advisory committee covering audit, risk, budget and finance, composed of a limited number of member state experts with equitable geographical representation. And this proposal requires further consideration regarding its mandate, reporting arrangements and interaction with the boards, ensuring complementarity with existing oversight bodies and preserving the primacy of the boards in decision making. For the other working packages, I'll hand over to my co-colleague, Nicolai. Thank you, Nicolai.

Thank you, Annette, and good morning, colleagues. So the next work package is on the secretariats, and it concerns the development of harmonized terms of reference across the different executive board secretariats. And the aim is to clarify common elements such as roles, responsibilities, reporting lines, and the principle of impartiality. Next is oversight and advisory committees, and this package concerns the relationship between the existing audit and oversight committees and the executive boards. And these committees already report annually to the executive boards and engage with board members through informal consultation. And our proposal is therefore to update the relevant terms of reference and charters to provide for a direct reporting line to the executive boards in addition to the existing relationship with the executive heads, as well as to ensure unrestricted access to the boards. Finally, under AOB, several additional recommendations are brought together, including the possible performance review of executive heads, orientation and onboarding, uh, of board members, and the role of the executive boards in risk management, and let me briefly explain this, these three elements. So on performance review, group recognizes that the introduction of a formalized review mechanism would require further careful consideration, particularly with regard to the appropriate criteria, methodology, and information sources in order to ensure an objective and balanced assessment. And possible options for further exploration could include a limited number of outcome-oriented objectives linked to the executive heads approved job description and the organization's strategic frameworks. On training and orientation, a group supports greater harmonization and common standards for the onboarding of executive board members. However, rather than establishing a single common training program across all agencies, the proposal is for the respective secretariats to jointly develop harmonized minimum standards for orientation and onboarding. On risk management, the group found that the existing risk management policies of agencies already generally reflect the oversight role of the boards and the proposal is for the agencies to undertake a joint review and comparison of the existing risk management frameworks, including reporting modalities to the boards, to provide for greater alignment and coherence. And next slide, please. On the next step, the joint working group will continue its work with a view to further developing possible implementation modalities and facilitating the implementation of recommendations where and as decided by the boards. For recommendations where the implementation requirements are already sufficiently clear, action could be considered by the boards and for the more substantive and complex recommendations, The group will continue its consultations with Member States and agencies and will prepare an update and, as appropriate, further implementation proposals for the first regular session in 2027. That concludes our presentation and we thank the Board for the trust that it placed in us and we thank you, Madam President. Thank you.

Thank you very much to both members of the working group for this comprehensive update. Now I would like to invite the distinguished delegates to pose any question or comment around the presentation that we have just heard. I would like to give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Switzerland. You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Vice President, Madam Executive Director, dear colleagues, good morning. I have the pleasure to speak on behalf of Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, Moldova, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the EU as a donor, and my own country, Switzerland. We would like to warmly thank the Joint Working Group for its substantial and valuable work on this revised interim report and the clear implementation plan accompanying it, as well as for the transparent consultation process with Member States. We attach great value to this work. It is important not only for strengthening the accountability and governance relationships with UN entities, but also for encouraging us as Board members to look critically at our own performance. we rightly ask UN entities to strengthen oversight, transparency and effectiveness, we should hold ourselves to the same standards and verify whether we are fulfilling our responsibilities as effectively as possible and where we can improve. Against this background, we would like to highlight four areas with associated actions that we particularly welcome from the report. First, the proposal to develop a delegates handbook, we just heard about that, or comprehensive informal guidance document as a practical way to bring together the roles and responsibilities of board members, including reporting relationship to ECOSOC, along with a harmonized basic training and onboarding program. Second, the emphasis on strengthening oversight and independence, including direct and unrestricted reporting lines between audit and oversight committees, oversight functions and boards, as well as board approval for oversight charters. Third, the planned review of boards' working methods, including the relationship between formal and informal meetings and the possible role of advisory subcommittees. Such subcommittees could allow boards to engage more effectively with technical issues. We see particular merit in considering the creation of a subcommittee on audit and finance. We also welcome a more systematic approach to assessing board performance against our respective mandates. The Executive Board could undertake a self-assessment survey after each session. Fourth, we also strongly support the effort to develop harmonized terms of reference for board secretariats, together with common orientation standards. These should help ensure impartial, transparent, and equitable support to all board members and greater harmonization across boards, while respecting the specific mandates and working methods of each organization. We are conscious of the broader UNAT reform agenda and the call for streamlined structures. We therefore welcome the fact that the working group has prioritized strengthening and optimizing existing mechanisms before proposing new structures. In that sense, we appreciate the JIU working group's efforts to keep follow-up lean and avoid the creation of additional or unnecessary layers. The focus should be on clarity, efficiency, accountability, and coherence across boards while making better use of existing resources. We see merit in maintaining a focused standing agenda item on the governance and oversight of the executive boards for at least one year to ensure we closely monitor the implementation of recommendations while keeping the J working group active to maintain momentum and provide regular updates on progress against the implementation plan. We recognize that this will require continued engagement and capacity from the delegations involved and we greatly appreciate the work and commitment invested thus far. Madam Vice President, in closing, this group of Member States reiterates its appreciation for the professionalism, openness and cross-regional spirit of the Joint Working Group, and I thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Switzerland for delivering this statement on behalf of a group of Member States. Now I would like to return to the members of the Working Group, if they would like to react on this statement. Annette, you have the floor.

Thank you very much to Switzerland and all the other Member States involved. In the name of the working group, we really thank you for your trust and words of appreciation for our work. With your approval, we can now move forward with implementation, and this might now be the most important phase. As Nicolai has explained, what we will do next is presenting implementation plans for the more easy to implement proposals like the delegates handbook. But I think what is really important here to say is there are the more complex proposals like the subcommittee or the standing committee where we feel also after having listened to the other boards during the last two weeks, there's a lot of interest in this proposal, Some delegations have also legitimate concerns about capacity and duplication. So I think this is particularly, this is one of the proposals that needs particularly consultation with member states. In your decision language here in the board, I saw that you are also asking for another informal. Of course, we can do that. We would also propose maybe to have some meetings with interested member states who have some experience with this kind of standing committee. We could also invite experts from organizations who are already working with subcommittees or with standing committees. So I think this needs really a process of consultation with you and experts. And also the working methods review will be one of the bigger packages that needs also, of course, member states willing to participate in this exercise. But we will come up, as we said, for the next session, the first regular session of next year with some more concrete thoughts on that. But thank you very much for your support.

Thank you very much for your reply, your presence and the presentation you have made. Colleagues, I would like to ask if there is any other intervention at this agenda item from the delegation. If this is not the case, then we can conclude the discussion under this item. And we open the next item, agenda item 5, which is related to other matters. Any delegation would like to add? Any point of discussion under this agenda item? I don't see any demand for the floor. That means that we don't have any particular point to discuss under this agenda item, and we can continue with adoption of decisions. For this item, I would like to invite the respective facilitators to read out the draft decisions as negotiated. The first one on the list is draft decision 2026/16. The facilitator, Ms. Anila Ivazi from the Permanent Mission of Albania, could you please present the draft decision? Anila, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam. Thank you, Madam Vice-President. I would like to begin by thanking all the distinguished delegates for their constructive engagement and deliberations on decision 2026/16, which I had the honour to facilitate. I will now start the readout of decision 2026/16, report on the structured dialogue on financing the results of the UN Women Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and future direction for the Strategic Plan 2026-2029. The Executive Board takes note of the report on the structured dialogue on financing the results of the UN Women Strategic Plan 2022-2025, UN Women Decision 2026/7. Recalls the importance of UN Women's engagement in structured dialogues with Member States to align resources with results through implementation of the entity's strategic plan 2026-2029 based on Member State commitments to the funding compact. Notes the importance of adequate levels of predictable, flexible funding to the entity in support of the fulfillment of UN Women's mandate. Recognizes that regular resources are essential for UN Women, particularly to deliver its triple mandate, and in this regard, encourages UN Women to continue its engagement with member states through structured and sustained funding dialogues through prioritized regular resources. particularly through multi-year commitments and payments made early in year, as well as shifting through highly earmarked to make predictable and quality funding in line with their funding compact commitments. Notes the importance of flexible multi-year other resources, particularly through the direct funding of UN Women strategic notes, which align programming with national development priorities and promote United Nations system-wide coherence in support of the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals. Encourages UN Women to continue engaging with relevant stakeholders, including the private sector, foundations, civil society, individuals and international financial institutions, to diversify its potential sources of funding and strengthen partnerships. recalls decision 2024/10 and 2025/11, in which it requested UN Women, in collaboration with UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF, to include information on challenges that hinder the full implementation of the joint cost recovery policy in subsequent joint harmonized reports, and notes the updates provided in this regard. And finally, encourage the CEO and women to continue to engage with member states and other contributing partners to implement the cost recovery policy and to ensure that regular resources do not subsidize activities financed from the non-core resources. I thank you, Vice President.

Thank you, Anila. May I take it that the Executive Board wishes to adopt decision 2026/16 on the report on 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. I see no objections. It is so decided. Thank you, Anila, for your skillful facilitation, and to all delegations for supporting the negotiations. Next, I invite Mr. Marvin Ikondere from the Permanent Mission of Uganda to take the floor on presenting the draft decision 2026/17. Marvin, the floor is yours.

Thank you, Madam Vice-President. I have the honour to present decision 2026/17, JIU review of governance and oversight of the executive boards of UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS, UNICEF, and UN Women. recalls decision 2024/3 by which it established a joint working group to consider the Joint Inspection Unit report entitled Review of the Governance and Oversight of the Executive Boards of the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Population Fund, United Nations Office for Project Services, the United Nations Children's Fund, and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. GIU/REP/2023/7 with the participation of the Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, UN Women. Paragraph 2 further recalls that in the same decision, it was requested that the Joint Working Group to provide regular updates to the participating Executive Boards as necessary, starting after the first regular session 2025. Recalls its decisions 2025/15, 2026/2 and 2026/14, and reiterates the requests contained therein. Paragraph 4 welcomes the revised interim report of the Joint Working Group on the JIU review, presented at the second regular session, 2026. Takes note of the joint informal briefing held in July 2026, which provided an opportunity for the Joint Working Group and the participating Executive Boards to discuss the proposals for the implementation of the recommendations contained in JIU/REP/2023/7. Decides to continue its consideration of the proposals for the implementation of the JIU recommendations, taking into account the independent consideration of the matter by the participating Executive Boards. Requests the Joint Working Group to continue its work at least until the second regular session 2027 in accordance with the revised interim report and its annexes, in consultation with the relevant actors and key implementers where necessary. Further request the Joint Working Group to consult UN Women as appropriate and seek their inputs on the more complex recommendations that require further analysis. Further request the Joint Working Group to present at the first regular session of 2027 an update on its work. including further proposals for the implementation of more complex open giu recommendations with a view to enabling their clear and effective implementation and lastly further recommends that the working group shares an analysis of its work with member states through a joint briefing prior to the first regular session of 2027 to clarify open questions and facilitate decision making in particular on the more complex giu recommendations I thank you.

Thank you, Marvin. May I take it that the Executive Board wishes to adopt decision 2026/17 on the GAO review of governance and oversight of the Executive Boards of UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS, UNICEF and UN Women? I see no objections. It is so decided. Thank you very much, Marvin, for your skillful facilitation, and to all delegations for supporting the negotiations. Next, I invite Mr. Bastien Hormans from the Permanent Mission of Belgium to take the floor and present Draft Decision 2026/18. Bastien, the floor is yours.

I had the privilege to facilitate the Draft Decision 2026/18 on the engagement with UNIT Initiative. Allow me first to thank all the delegations for the constructive engagement and the Secretariat for the support. I will now read the decision. The Executive Board, one, takes note of the updates provided by UN Women on the UN80 initiative and its implementation; two. also takes note of the additional information provided pursuant to Decision 2026/15 in relation to the UNFPA/United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, UN Women, merger assessment, including information on alternative options and preliminary financial analysis. 3 stresses that entity-specific merger discussions should not be considered in isolation from the broader UNHAT reform work, including, inter alia, United Nations Country Team reconfiguration, the regional reset, the expertise on demand mechanism, and the funding mechanisms, as they directly impact the entity's ability to deliver on its triple mandate at the country level. Four, request that outstanding legal advice is provided to the board immediately and the unredacted final packages are also shared. Five, reiterate its request in decision 2026/6 and 2026/15 in which it emphasized that documentation related to the UNIT initiative and its implementation should be shared with the Executive Board as soon as, as soon as it becomes available and no later than three weeks prior to any formal or informal session to allow sufficient time for its consideration. Six. recalls General Assembly resolution 48/162 and 50/227, and reaffirms the Executive Board's responsibility within its mandate to consider and recommend any proposed structural changes to United Nations entities under its governance, while following the existing legal framework as well as established procedural step and in this regard to issue a recommendation on the potential merger or alternative options through a decision to be transmitted to the Economic and Social Council and through the Council to the General Assembly as necessary before a decision on a potential is scheduled for consideration by the General Assembly. 7. Recalls General Assembly resolutions 79/318 and 80/155, and reaffirms the central role of Member States in the reform process, which should be inclusive, evidence-based and transparent, and, in this regard, calls on UN Women to actively engage with members and observers of the Executive Board. Eight, strongly emphasizes that any structural reform must fully safeguard the integrity of the triple mandate of UN Women and demonstrably strengthen country level delivery. Nine, recalls decision 2026/15, taking note of the legal elements on the potential merger of UN Women and UNFPA provided by the legal office of UN Women. which states, inter alia, that there is no specific legal mechanism available to guarantee the continuity of existing mandates, which therefore may be adjusted or redefined at the time of a merger or thereafter. 10. Further recalls Decision 2026/15, taking note of the internal UNFPA legal advice, which indicates that there are risks for the integrity of the mandates of the two entities in case of a merger. 11, decides that the Executive Board, while remaining committed to engaging constructively with the UN80 Initiative, is not in a position to make a recommendation of support on a potential merger between UNFPA and UN Women at this time. and at least not before the next formal meeting of the Executive Board, and alleging inter alia that the protection of mandates cannot be guaranteed, and affirming the importance of ensuring coherence and alignment among ongoing reforms, as well as the continuity to country-level delivery. 12. encourages UN Women to explore implementation of alternative options within its authority, including enhanced governance, coordination, and country-level delivery, to enhance system-wide coherence and efficiency, without preempting a possible recommendation by the Executive Board on a potential merger, and request that the Executive Board be kept informed. 13, request the Bureau, in collaboration with the Bureau of UNDP, UNFPA, UNEP, to explore ways to improve further engagement of the Executive Boards on the UN80 Initiative as appropriate to contribute to any possible recommendation on the matter. I thank you.

Thank you, Bastian. May I take it that the Executive Board wishes to adopt Decision 2026/18 on engagement with the UN80 Initiative? I see no objections. It is so decided. Thank you, Bastian, for your skillful facilitation and to all delegations for their constructive engagement. The Board now will return to agenda item 1, organizational matters, to address the approval of the provisional agenda and work plan of the first regular session to be held in February 2027. I would like to invite the Secretary of the Executive Board to outline the agenda as contained in document UNW/2026/CRP/4. Mr. Secretary, the floor is yours.

Thank you very much, Madam President. As you said, the Executive Board will convene for its first regular session 2027. from the 9th to the 10th of February 2027. Under agenda item 1, organizational matters, the Executive Board will address the adoption of the annotated provisional agenda and work plan for the first regular session of 2027, the annual work plan for the Board for 2027, and the report of the second regular session of 2026. Then the President of the Executive Board as well as the Executive Director will deliver their opening remarks, including an update on UNAT, before opening the floor for Member States to deliver their national statements. 00 p.m., the Executive Board will adjourn the morning session, and as always, we will turn to informal consultation on draft decisions during the lunchtime. 00 p.m. and consider agenda 3 on audit matters to discuss the financial report and audited financial statements for the year ended on the 31st of December of 2025, the report of the Board of Auditors on the financial statements for the same period, the implementation of the recommendation of the Board of Auditors contained in its report on the United Nations funds and programs for the same period, and to receive a status update on UN Women management actions to address outstanding audit recommendations and related management response. Next, the Executive Board will turn to agenda item 4 on organizational culture, where the Board will hear an address by the Staff Council of UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS and UN Women. The Board will receive a presentation on the annual report on the ombudsperson for United Nations funds and programmes and receive an update on organizational culture. Following this, the plenary meeting will be adjourned for negotiation on draft decisions to follow right after. The plenary meeting will resume on the second day, on 10 February, with agenda item 5 on anti-racism and racial discrimination to hear an update on UN Women's efforts to address racism and racial discrimination. After that, the Executive Board will continue with agenda item 6 on risk management and receive an update on risk management and principal risk facing UN Women. The Board will then discuss agenda item 7 on the GIU review of the governance and oversight of the Executive Boards of UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS, UNICEF and UN Women, and receive an update on the progress on the GIU review. 00 p.m., the Executive Board will adjourn for informal negotiation on draft decisions. The plenary session will resume at 3:00 PM with agenda item 8 to discuss the following up to the recommendation and decisions of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS Programme Coordinating Board meeting. Next and almost last, the Executive Board will turn to agenda item 9 and discuss the report of the joint field visit, if it happens. After that, the Board will address agenda item 10 on other matters, followed by adoption of the draft decisions. Finally, we will turn back to agenda item 1 on organizational matters, where the Board will consider the approval of the provisional agenda and work plan for the annual session of 2027. And we will conclude the session, as always, Madam President, with closing remarks of the Executive Director and the Board President. I thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Now I would like to ask delegations if they have any comment or question around the draft agenda. So if there is none, may I take it that the Executive Board wishes to approve the provisional agenda work plan of the first regular session of 2027? I see no objection. It is so decided. Let's now turn to the annual work plan for the UN Women Executive Board for 2027, as contained in document UNW/2026/CRP/5. I would like to invite again Mr. Secretary to present the work plan. The floor is yours.

Yes, thank you very much, Madam President. I'll be much shorter on that one. As you know, distinguished members and observers of the Board, As per practice over the years, the annual work plan of the Executive Board captures mainly and mostly official reports without preempting the addition of other agenda items throughout the years as needed and as requested by the Board. I thank you, Madame President.

Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Is there any comment from the members of the Executive Board around the work plan? I see none. It is also endorsed. Now we go to the last part of our session, which is the conclusion of this meeting. We have concluded all agenda items for the second regular session 2026 of the UN Women Executive Board. Distinguished delegates and guests, I would like now to invite the Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, Ms. Sima Bahous, to give her closing remarks. Madam Executive Director, the floor is yours.

Thank you. Thank you, Madam President, Excellencies, distinguished members of the Executive Board, Let me begin by thanking Her Excellency Suella Janina of Albania for chairing our session this morning, and Her Excellency Ambassador Sophie de Schmidt of Belgium for presiding over yesterday afternoon's session. My gratitude as well to all our Bureau members and to Her Excellency Aida Kazimalieva as she concludes her service as the Permanent Representative of Kyrgyzstan for ably serving us as our Vice President. And I welcome Her Excellency Ayaz Beyatov as the new Permanent Representative. It's actually his Excellency. Excellencies, this has been a productive session. I thank you for the candor, the substance and the collegiality of our exchanges. Your deliberations have demonstrated once again the essential role of this board guiding our work, reinforcing our accountability and keeping our collective focus firmly on results for women and girls. I am grateful for your confidence in UN Women and its triple mandate. We heard your call for the strategic plan to deliver measurable results grounded in national priorities and reflected in the lives of women and girls. The progress shared from your own countries demonstrate what national leadership, strong institutions and sustained partnerships can achieve. We also heard your concern about the rollback of women's rights and the shrinking space and resources available for women's organizations. This is central to our strategic plan, which commits us to ensuring that women's organizations shape action on the ground. We will continue to strengthen their leadership and channel resources to them, including through the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women and the Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund, particularly in conflict and crisis settings. You emphasized the meaningful participation of young women and the need to harness technology to advance gender equality while addressing the risks and threats it can create for women and girls. As we continue implementing our strategic plan, we will give greater priority to young women's leadership, expand their influence in decision making, and ensure they help shape and leverage the technologies defining their future. Across these priorities, your message was clear. Ambition must be matched by predictable, flexible, and sustainable financing. Quality funding is essential to maintain expertise, respond to crises, and ensure that resources reach women and girls where they are most needed. Once again, I thank all our partners for their continued support and for recognizing that strong results require strong investments. Excellencies, the decisions adopted at this session give us clear guidance on financing our strategic plan, on strengthening governance and oversight, and on engaging with UNAT initiatives. I commend you for engaging in a constructive spirit and for the flexibility that enabled consensus. We will take this decision forward with a clear sense of responsibility to this Board. Madam President, we recognize the strong support expressed for the Secretary-General's UN80 initiative, and we fully share it. It remains an opportunity to make the United Nations better equipped to address the challenges we face. We have heard you clearly and your continued commitment to engaging constructively with the UN80 initiative. We are appreciative of your strong emphasis that any structural reform must fully safeguard the integrity of the triple mandate of UN Women and demonstrably strengthen country-level delivery. We agree. The decisions adopted at this session also emphasized that you are not in a position to make a recommendation of support on a merger between UNFPA and UN Women at this time, and that you encourage us to explore implementation of alternative options without preempting a possible recommendation on a potential merger. We heard you loud and clear. Excellencies, the decisions on the way forward rest fully with you, our Board, our Member States. We look forward to further discussing the UNAT initiative at both formal and informal sessions of our Executive Board before the Board is able to make a formal recommendation on the potential merger of UN Women and UNFPA, and we will continue to provide you with the analysis requested and work in full transparency you, our Board. Across the perspectives expressed, we recognize the ambition that unites us to strengthen the United Nations, to strengthen the gender equality architecture at the United Nations, to enhance our collective impact and deliver more effectively for the women and girls we were mandated to serve. You can count on UN Women's continued responsiveness and full cooperation as your deliberations proceed. Excellencies, we meet only days after the opening of the 81st session of the General Assembly under the theme Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All. This theme speaks directly to the discussions we have held here. Trust is built through transparency and accountability. Transformation must produce results, and a United Nations that delivers for all must deliver equally for women and girls. With only four years remaining to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, UNGA 81 must be a moment of urgency and resolve. It offers an opportunity to reaffirm the value of multilateral action and to ensure that women's rights, leadership and participation inform decisions across peace, development and human rights. We look forward to engaging with you in the weeks ahead and to carrying the partnership demonstrated in this room into the work of the General Assembly. This partnership is sustained not only through our formal deliberations, but also by the people whose dedication and service make them possible. It is therefore, if I may, it is fitting that as we close, we recognize once more our dear Executive Board Secretary, Mr. Jean-Luc Borges. Jean-Luc, the warmth and the tributes expressed during this session by our board members reflect the esteem in which you are held. We thank you profoundly for 15 years of exceptional service, sound counsel, and devotion to this board. You leave with our appreciation and our gratitude and our very best wishes. And we thank you all. And allow me again to extend a warm welcome to Mr. Ziad Al Sheikh as our incoming Secretary of the Executive Board. I trust the Secretariat remains in good hands. My thanks also to colleagues across the UN Women, to the Executive Board Secretariat, and to all those who work and whose work make this session possible. Madam President, Excellencies, this session has given us clear guidance and renewed purpose. With your continued partnership and support, UN Women will carry that guidance forward with determination and will translate it into progress for all women and girls. And I thank you.

Thank you very much, Madam Executive Director, for your statement, for your presence throughout the session, and the cooperation that you have extended to the Executive Board, and also our appreciation for the excellent team that supports you here at the headquarters, but everywhere where UN Women is present. Before concluding, also allow me, on behalf of the Bureau and the Executive Board, to express our appreciation to Jean-Luc. A lot has been said. This is a bittersweet moment for us, Jean-Luc, because you are leaving after 15 years of service here at UN Women, but a larger, bigger service to the UN. We need these examples of commitment and dedication to United Nations, so our appreciation goes to you. I say bittersweet because it's also a sweet moment to honor your commitment, your engagement, and also to appreciate what is coming after. It's a happy and well-deserved retirement, so wish you all the best. Of course, you'll be missed here, but you have also the right to live without us in another more happy occasion. So we, of course, will miss the calls and communications, but please consider your friends and will be all the time very happy to hear from you good news from somewhere in the sea or wherever you would like to have your future. So all the best to you and thank you very much indeed on behalf of the Executive Board, us of the Bureau. We have really appreciated the cooperation with you. So with that, I would like to give you The floor. Belgium would like to take the floor. Belgium, Permanent Representative, dear Sophie, the floor is yours.

Thank you very much, Madam President. Dear ED, thank you for creating this opportunity as well to thank Jean-Luc properly. Yesterday, we had three minutes for the statement. The clock was ticking and I was stressed because I wanted my full statement out, so I had to cut a lot of things. And I really felt deep regret about that. So this makes it right. Dear Jean-Luc, 15 years as Secretary of the Board is really quite a commitment. And we all see the meetings, the decisions, the discussions, the outcomes. But few of us realize how many countless hours of preparation, coordination, and availability that this takes. And you not only make it possible, you also make it look effortless. So that is really quite an achievement. And we all know that we can be quite a difficult bunch. So it has been a privilege to work very closely with you, especially this last year. And while we are saying au revoir to you, we are also delighted to welcome your successor, Ziad. I'm sure he's aware that he has very big shoes to fill. Anyway, Jean-Luc, I wish you every happiness for this next chapter, and you have my gratitude. I thank you.

Thank you very much, Madam Permanent Representative of Belgium, for this very emotional address to Jean-Luc. Jean-Luc, can we avoid this or not?

I can do it.

You can do it. Okay. Now I give you the floor, Mr. Secretary, dear Jean-Luc, you have the floor.

Thank you very much, Madam President. I promised myself I wouldn't cry, but... But thank you very much. It has been really a great honor for me to serve as the Executive Board of UN Women. for since 2011, as you said. So I counted. It has been 46 sessions. I mean, that's a lot. But who is counting, right? So I just want to say it has been an extraordinary journey of experimenting and learning on the way. I'm very proud that we have built a relationship with this executive board, with the member states based on trust and openness. And I think everybody would agree that the UN Women Executive Board is one of the best example of good governance and how we should look like. And I think that is also a thing to our Executive Director. I want to thank you, Madam President, and the other members of the Bureau of this year, Albania, of course, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, And Kyrgyzstan, sadly, who is not here today. But this Bureau has been extraordinary, very -- and Uganda, of course, who is here. The President couldn't be here this morning. But this Bureau has been incredibly cohesive this year, has been guiding us through the complex UNAT process. And I want to thank you all for your engagement. It was incredible. I also want to thank all the president and vice president who have been coming through the years, 15 years. So it's kind of a lot. I can't name everyone, but I want to pay homage to all the ambassadors who have been the presidents of the board. And I'm going to list them, some of the delegation in the room. So the first one was Nigeria. in 2011. Then we had the Republic of Korea. Thank you very much, Ambassador Kim Suk. I still remember him very well. Latvia, Uruguay, who I think is also in the room. Denmark, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates. Thank you very much, Lana. Ambassador Lana was extraordinary. Montenegro, Trinidad and Tobago, Finland, Sierra Leone, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Panama, Sweden, and of course, this year, Uganda. So it was a pleasure to work with all of you, all the president, all the vice president, all the members of the board. And I also want to thank my extraordinary team. Sorry. Really a family for me, Anne-Claire. Miwa, Ko, Kong, Marilla, Astrid, Shuyu, and Mila. Thank you very much. I want to recognize also all UN Women directors and colleagues. I cannot list them because there are too many, but they have been really critical on helping us to make sure that the Executive Board works in a diligent and professional manner. And finally, last but not least, I want to, of course, thank our Executive Director. Seema, I never call you Seema, but this day I can do it. I always call executive director, but Seema, I always wanted to call you Seema because you have been really, sorry. I know I'm stupid. I'm sorry, I promised myself I wouldn't do that. But you have been an inspiration for me. You have been guiding me through for all these years, and I thank you for that. Thank you. That's it. That's it for today.

Thank you very much also for transmitting this kind of emotions that really feel like family. We are here to struggle, but also to cherish these moments of friendship, and we really wish you all the best. I don't know if you have changed your mind, you don't want to retire. I mean, UN Women won't take you anymore, but the missions we may have some places around, so. But just to relax a little bit and to come to the formal side now, because I need, I have the obligation to conclude this session, which in our view, it has been a very productive session. We are very pleased to see the successful adoption of three decisions and would like to thank the delegations of Albania, Belgium and Uganda for their willingness and skills in negotiating these decisions. The experts from this delegation deserve our praise and for the tireless assistance, I would like to thank also all member states for demonstrating the flexibility and constructive engagement that enable us to reach consensus on the three decisions. And I would like also to thank the Bureau and their experts for their support. I would like to thank the Executive Board and its observers. And I would like to thank also the Executive Board Secretary, all the team here, for the invaluable assistance provided to the Bureau for that. So with this thanks, I would like to declare the session closed. Thank you. Thank you so much.