UN Transcripts — https://transcripts.un.org/en/ga/80/76 General Assembly: 76th plenary meeting, 80th session — General Assembly — 31 March 2026 Language: en Automatically generated transcript — may contain errors. Not an official United Nations record. --- Speaker 1 [0:00]: Thank you, Madam President. GA · PGA [0:03]: I thank the representative of the Secretariat before giving the floor for explanations of vote. Before the vote, may I remind delegation that they are strongly urged to limit explanations of vote on any or all of the proposals to five minutes, which could in any case not exceed 10 minutes and be made from their seats. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Solomon Islands on behalf of the Pacific Island Forum. Solomon Islands · Pacific Island Forum [0:35]: Madam President, the General Secretary and Excellencies. I am honored to speak on behalf of the Pacific Island Forum members based in New York. We are looking forward to the adoption of the Mandate Creation, Implementation and Review Resolution. Our group wish to sincerely thank the Co chairs of the informal Ad Hoc Working Group on the Mandate Implementation Review of Review for their balanced and inclusive leadership. Over the last six months their work has produced a resolution that reflects the views of the Member States and responds to the real needs and capacity limits of seats and other small delegations. For the group. This resolution sets out a clear and well considered set of reforms across the mandate life cycle. It gives us a real chance to make the United nations more effective, more efficient and more accountable. Priorities. Priorities our region has long supported. For small delegations like ours, every extra report negotiation overlapping mandate has a significant impact. Making the mandate system simpler and more coherent is not just helpful. It is necessary to ensure fairness and meaningful participation for all Member States. We place strong value on the new Concept notes and the Mandate Registry. These practical tools will help Member States to make informed decisions and reduce the workload on smaller missions working across the UN system For sids, these tools are not optional. They are essential. Today's adoption is a significant achievement for the UN initiative and we thank the Secretary General for his leadership in creating a more responsive, agile, effective and efficient United Nations. This first product from Workstream to of the UNAT Initiative reflects months of dedication, compromise and goodwill built through efforts of the Core Chairs and all delegations. We are proud of the fact that one of our co Chairs is from the Pacific region and one is a fellow seeds. But today is only the beginning. As the resolution outlines the next step, transitioning to to the Ad Hoc Working Group on Mandate Implementation Review will be crucial. This is where our commitments must translate into real action. We strongly encourage all Member States to maintain the momentum, ambition and cooperation that have guided us over the past six months. Ensuring that this resolution is implemented effectively is essential, particularly for those delegation like ours that most needed a more streamlined, coherent and accessible un. We will vote in favor of the resolution. I thank you. GA · PGA [3:42]: I thank the distinguished representative of the Solomon island on behalf of the Pacific Island Forum, I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Trinidad and Tobago on behalf of the Caribbean Community. Trinidad and Tobago · CARICOM [3:57]: Distinguished Secretary General. Madam President, I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the 14 member states of the Caribbean Community. CARICOM Madam President, the General assembly is today called upon to adopt the report on the resolution of the Informal Ad Hoc Working Group on Mandate Implementation Review which concluded its work on March 27th. That working group was tasked with examining how the United nations manages its mandates across the full life cycle and with agreeing on concrete steps to strengthen that process. The outcome before this assembly is the result of months of substantive, inclusive and transparent engagement among Member States. In this regard, CARICOM commends the co Chairs, the Permanent Representative of Jamaica, His Excellency Brian Wallace, and the Permanent Representative of New Zealand, Her Excellency Carolyn Schweigler, for the manner in which they guided this process, which afforded all delegations, including small and capacity constrained ones such as our own, a genuine opportunity to contribute to the outcome. Madam President, CARICOM recognizes the resolution as a carefully balanced outcome, one that reflects the breadth of views expressed throughout this process and the genuine efforts of all delegations to find common ground. We welcome the final text as a faithful reflection of that collective effort, and we are satisfied it provides a sound basis for the work ahead. We also attach particular importance to the follow up arrangements established by the resolution. An outcome without a credible mechanism for monitoring its implementation would not serve the purpose of this exercise, and CARICOM remains committed to engaging constructively to give full effect to what has been agreed upon. Madam President, the adoption of this resolution is itself a contribution to the UNAD initiative and a demonstration that Member States can agree on concrete steps to improve how this organization delivers on its mandates at a time when questions of institutional effectiveness are at the center of our collective agenda. CARICOM believes that the work done in this process and the commitment to follow through on what was agreed upon reflects the active role that Member States can and should play in strengthening the organization at this critical juncture. We trust that today's adoption will stand as a meaningful contribution to that broader effort. Madam President, CARICOM regrets that consensus was not possible at the conclusion of the Working Group. The process was characterized by openness, good faith and genuine partnership among delegations, and that spirit deserved to be reflected at the moment of its conclusion before this Assembly. The strong support the resolution received there nonetheless speaks for itself and we call on all Member States to reaffirm that support through their vote. Today, I thank you, Madam President. GA · PGA [7:38]: I thank the distinguished representative of Trinidad and Tobago on behalf of the Caribbean Community. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Uruguay. Uruguay [7:52]: Thank you very much, Madam President. Uruguay wishes to extend its most heartfelt thanks and recognition to the permanent representatives of Jamaica, Ambassador Brian Wallace and New Zealand Ambassador Carolyn Schwalger for the hard and complex work that they've been engaged in over the last few months. We're delighted to support the draft resolution to be adopted today by this General assembly on continuing the work of this working group that will begin its work on 1 May next and whose co chairs can count on the ongoing collaboration of this delegation. Uruguay is convinced that the defence of multilateralism and a strong and effective United nations is essential in order to tackle the growing challenges that we face as an international community. This is why we believe that any reform under UN 80 must contribute to strengthening the credibility of the organization and thus maximize its impact on the ground for people by streamlining mandates, reducing overlap and strengthening implementation capacities. It's precisely for this reason that in our view it is fundamental that the implementation of this resolution, including with respect to the consideration of the recommendations to be presented by the Secretary General, be achieved through inclusive and transparent processes, including line by line negotiations, wherever this is necessary in order to build consensus. At the same time, and in line with the wording of the resolution, we reiterate the importance of any exercise to review mandates, to respect the diverse nature and for it to take place in the body where it was established. We also sincerely hope that the next step of the negotiations under this second pillar of UN80 be true to the commitment that we made to maintain an adequate balance between the three pillars of the organization, Peace and security, development and human rights. And that no pillar should be disadvantaged as a result of this process. Thank you very much. GA · PGA [10:07]: I thank the distinguished representative of ogre. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Zambia. Zambia [10:15]: Thank you very much. Madam President, Excellencies, distinguished colleagues. Zambia is honored to deliver this statement at this important moment in the UN 80 initiative reforms. Zambia expresses sincere appreciation to the Co Chairs for leading a transparent, inclusive and highly consultative six months process. Noting that the effective stewardship endured the draft resolutions reflex input for all regions and all types of member states. My delegation commends the CO Chairs for guiding the membership towards a balanced and carefully negotiated outcome. Madam President, the resolution before us is not simply a technical text. It represents the collective effort of the broad membership of the ga. An effort rooted in compromise, dialogue and a shared commitment to strengthening the United Nations. We acknowledge, as many delegations have noted, that the text may not be perfect for every member state, but it does reflect a delicate balance of diverse views and takes us significantly forward in building a more efficient, more coherent, and a more effective United nations system. The resolution strengthens the tools available to all member states, particularly smaller delegations, enabling fairer participation in mandate processes and contributing to a more streamlined, effective, and accountable United Nations. Madam President the resolution introduces concise concept notes for new mandates, giving member states clear advance information on the rationale, expected impact, financial implications, and the implementation arrangements of proposals. It also strengthens the UN Mandate Registry to improve transparency and coherence across mandates, helping delegations understand that.