(5th meeting) Executive Board of UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS (Second regular session 2025)
Economic and Social Council
Date: 27 August 2025
Language: English
Transcript: https://transcripts.un.org/ru/asset/k15/k159uj3cde?lang=en
Transcripts available through this tool are created by using automatic speech recognition and are not official records nor official documents of the United Nations. Official records and official documents are available on the Official Document System of the United Nations.

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President [0:05]:

Excellencies, distinguished delegates, colleagues, friends, all good morning. Good morning all. I declare open the 5th meeting of the 2nd regular session of 2025 of the Executive Board of the UNDP, the UNFPA, and UNOPS. This session is being held in accordance with the rules of procedure of the Executive Board I am pleased to welcome you to the opening of the UNOPS segment of the 2025 Regular Session. Under Item 11, UNOPS Strategic Plan 2026 through 2029, we will hear a statement by the Executive Director, and I am pleased to welcome Mr. Jorge Moreira da Silva, UNOPS Executive Director, who will deliver his statement to the Executive Board. Joining Mr. Moreira da Silva on the podium are Ms. Christine Damjaya, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director for Delivery and Partnerships, Ms. Hillary Balbuena, Chief of staff, Mr. Karl-Ludwig Sohl, Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Abdul Dieng, Director of the Internal Audit and Investigations Group, and Mr. Oren Ginsberg, Director for Process Innovation and Digitalization Program. And also Mr. Rahul Malhotra, UNOPS Director of the New York Board and External Relations Office. And he will serve as the secretary for this UNOPS segment. I thank him for all of his work ahead of this session and the many other preparatory meetings that we held. Mr. Executive Director, you have the floor, sir.


UNOPS · Executive Director · Jorge Moreira da Silva [2:10]:

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Mr. President, distinguished members of the room, members of the Executive Board, it's an honour to speak at this session. It's a very important context for the UN and for UNOPS. In the interest of time, in my statement today I will not bring, as usual, the long list of projects and operations. I will stick to the 15 minutes, but in the longer version of the statement that was shared with Member States, you'll have the list of actions and projects on infrastructure procurement and project management. So, I will focus on a range of issues, including ongoing reforms, our new Strategic Plan, which guides how we will bring practical solutions to our partners. I will also highlight how our efforts will complement those of the broader UN to deliver effectively for communities at a time of growing needs. As I mentioned, In my advance statement, I have provided updates on operations. I will now focus on our reforms and strategic plan. Operations, reforms, strategic direction and the solutions we deliver respond to the global context that we find ourselves in. And today we live in a world that is the most violent it has been since the the Second World War, and we know that wars hinder efforts to deliver the promise of sustainable development. Conflicts visibly reverse progress on human development beyond the immense human suffering they cause, damaging infrastructure, breaking health systems and hindering education, hampering gender equality, eroding access to justice and human rights, and setting back economies years and decades. Last week, famine was declared in Gaza— a man-made disaster happening under our watch. Famine that could have been prevented had the humanitarians been allowed to work. And beyond conflicts too, our planet is facing escalating climate chaos. The global economy is slowing. Trade tensions are rising, inequalities are growing. At the same time, growing mistrust is eroding support for multilateralism, and many countries are scaling back development budgets. This is the background from where we support UN's efforts to serve people everywhere. UNOPS Strategic Plan 2026-2029 and our reforms are geared to support the system-wide push push to drive efficiencies and sharpen impact— to be more relevant and more fit for purpose. Our new Strategic Plan further underlines our commitment to supporting our partners to implement projects and deliver for communities around the world. This new Plan, which guides our efforts towards 2029, is rooted in our expertise in supporting partners to implement projects, providing infrastructure, procurement and project management services. Over the past 30 years, we have proudly offered our partners practical solutions across development, humanitarian and peace efforts. We want to build on that expertise to scale up and speed up impact through our practical solutions. In doing this, we will stay true to our role as a non-programmatic service provider, driven by demand from our partners, and operating on the basis of full cost recovery. As you know, UNOPS does not receive any core funding. Our focus is on implementation, on practical solutions. Our focus is on responding to the needs of our partners, both within the UN family and beyond. And we are keen to bring our implementation focus to other sister agencies, and entities which have a normative function, so that we can bridge implementation gaps and deliver peace and stability, sustainable development, and climate action. This is a model that is fully aligned with the QCPR. It responds to the complexities of our current global development context, supporting our partners to deliver sustainable development and climate action by offering agile, efficient and cost-effective implementation services, we help our partners deliver on the Pact for the Future. Distinguished delegates, UNOPS is fully committed to supporting the Secretary-General's UN80 initiative. We believe it is both crucial and urgent to improve efficiency and impact, both to respond to needs but also to reinforce the value of multilateralism at a time of mounting needs and fragile confidence. Both myself and my team are heavily involved in various work streams of the UNAID initiative, building on our ongoing support for the sectoral reform agenda. As you know, I am personally involved co-coordinating with colleagues from UNDP, UN Women, UNICEF and ICO one of the clusters, the Development Assistance system cluster, which is one of the 7 thematic clusters under the UNAID Task Force. We are also actively engaged in the operational efficiency work stream. UNOPS supports the UN Sustainable Development Group Business Innovation Group, the so-called BIG, which works to maximize programmatic gains by promoting efficient back-office operations. As you know, My colleague Sonja Leighton-Kohn is one of the co-chairs of the BIG group. We are also fully involved in the work towards common back offices, as a service provider, but also as a service recipient where possible, and UNOPS chairs the Common Back Office Task Team. And of course, our active involvement in the High-Level Committee on Management is another indication of our commitment to improve UN processes. The same with HLCP, where Christine Damkjær is part of. UNOPS leads on 5 of the HLCM's 22 far-reaching efficiency initiatives and participates actively in many more. Our Strategic Plan 2026-2029 further underpins this commitment to support the UN80 Many agencies work on implementation. We are probably the only one that just do implementation, because we have no normative or programmatic role. But we live in a world of escalating needs and shrinking official aid and development resources. To respond at the scale and pace required, we need a dynamic market for services across development, humanitarian and peace efforts, so we can drive efficiencies in the UN system, support for countries and the people we serve. Our self-financing and operational model, as you know, is distinctive in the UN system. We bring our unique strength to help de-risk implementation and increase impact. We bring our agility, cost-effectiveness, and reach. We bring our ability to scale our presence up and down quickly to meet demand, support resident coordinator systems and the UN system, and respond in emergencies even where UNOPS is not resident in a country. We bring our ability to connect public and private partners for implementation, including in special and fragile situations. And we bring our capacity to manage platforms for multilateral networks that accelerate SDGs and climate action. Throughout, we ensure transparent, efficient and cost-effective use of resources through a fee-for-service model with full cost recovery. Our focus is on finding alignment, complementarity and collaboration to ensure that across the UN family we can deliver effectively in this crucial moment. As I used to say, Stick to the mandates means that mandates should not be seen as lines of separation, but lines of complementarity. Over the past years, we have consistently relied on and benefited from our engagement with UN Resident Coordinators, so we can better support national and international development priorities. As we move forward, we are committed to building a more systematic approach to manage for impact, so we can complement our measurement and delivery of outputs with an attention to outcomes— going from outputs to outcomes. So we don't just report on the number of schools built, but also on pupils that benefit from them; not just on kilometres of road, but also of the people who, as a result of that, have better access to local markets and schools and hospitals. We are building on the learning and the success of our ongoing reforms. Over the past 3 years, UNOPS has undertaken extensive reforms to enhance our operational effectiveness, risk management, and overall governance structure. Our reforms have been truly wide-ranging, from establishing a more robust governance and management system and improved oversight, to better risk management, strengthening our organizational culture, overhauling our whistleblowing processes, and a more transparent approach to financial and performance reporting. In doing this, we responded to the third-party recommendations. The comprehensive response plan developed together with our executive board guided our efforts. But we went beyond this. We went beyond Comprehensive Response Plan, because we believe that in a healthy organization, continuous improvement is an ongoing necessity. We have completed the Comprehensive Response Plan. A third-party review of our reforms recognized the meaningful progress made by UNOPS and said the Comprehensive Response Plan can be considered completed. But we do know, and the third-party assessment confirms, that some areas of action are long-term by their very nature. They continue to be at the heart of reforms and transformation at UNOPS. Simply, our reforms go beyond the Comprehensive Response Plan. We are reviewing our entire legislative framework and further strengthening our enterprise risk management framework. We are implementing an enhanced accountability framework. We are embedding practices for outcome-based reporting. and managing for impact. And we will continue to prioritize crucial efforts to transform our organizational culture, which underpins all our actions. As we move to deliver our new Strategic Plan, we are also paying attention to our business model and adapting. We want to optimize aspects to ensure that we are fit for purpose. My colleagues will shortly elaborate on various aspects of our ongoing reforms. They will update members on the Comprehensive Response Plan and on our process innovation and digitalization programme. Across all these reforms, we are committed to being part of the joint effort to make our multilateral system more effective. Distinguished delegates, there is no sugarcoating this. Our multilateral system is in trouble, in a world facing an unprecedented period of transition. This is impacting the development cooperation system as we know it. Two of its pillars— policy and financing— both anchored in strong multilateral cooperation, are rapidly shifting. A third and crucial pillar, yet often overlooked, is implementation. Implementation is where policy intent and financing converge in practice. It is about achieving tangible sustainable development and peace outcomes for communities around the world. For our collective development agenda and multilateralism to succeed, sound, effective, and impactful implementation is central. And if these debates sound academic, our joint failure to implement and deliver has a very tangible impact on the lives of millions of people around the world: those 700 million people that lack access to electricity, the 700 million people that live in extreme poverty, the 4.5 billion people that were not fully covered by essential health services. And 1 in 4 people as you know, on Earth live in fragile and conflict-affected countries. We owe it to these people to bring our house in order, to deliver on the promise of peace and sustainable development for all. And I feel passionate— we feel passionate at UNOPS about this topic, not just because UNOPS has a sole focus on implementation, but because in a time of shrinking trust and resources, effective implementation can restore trust in the multilateral system and help us make good use of resources within and particularly beyond ODA. Against all odds, there is renewed energy for multilateral solutions. Last year's adoption of the Pact for the Future highlighted this momentum. Earlier this year in Nice, we saw more countries ratifying the High Seas Treaty and further progress in reducing plastics and tackling illegal fishing in our seas. And in July in Seville, we saw cautious hope and a commitment to reforming the international financial architecture and addressing the development finance gap. And as we look to the crucial COP30 in Belém do Pará in November, we look forward to seeing ambitious national plans to help us align with the 1.5 degrees objective, our last chance to make this a reality. These are challenging times, but also moments of huge opportunity. Channeling the collective energy of the multilateral system into results for people requires effective implementation. For 30 years, UNOPS has been focused on action. And at times of great upheaval and opportunity, we at UNOPS see our role as supporting global efforts to deliver peace, sustained development, and climate action. In this, we are driven by hope and determination. Peace is possible. Delivering prosperity for the people and the planet is possible. These choices— these are choices to be made. And UNOPS stands ready to support our partners in making those choices real, by offering practical solutions, for a more peaceful, fair and sustainable world. And again, I would like to thank the Board for your guidance, for your leadership, for your support, not only during the reform process but also on our operations on the ground and on the preparation of the Strategic Plan. I thank you.

Gracias.


President [18:47]:

Thank you very much, Mr. Moreira da Silva. I won't go into the blurb about the speakers and the order. I think you're all familiar with the practice that we have established for many years here, and I want to thank Mr. Moreira da Silva for limiting his statement statement to just 15 minutes and this will allow us to have a discussion to go deeper into a number of the topics alluded to there. But I do need to remind you that after 3 minutes the microphone will be turned off and I'm told that there is no way of reactivating it. afterwards. Groups— those speaking on behalf of groups will have 5 minutes. And so having said that, I will give the floor to the members of the Bureau who would like to take the floor, and we'll begin with Romania. You have the floor.


Romania [19:54]:

Thank you very much, Mr. President, for giving me the floor. And since the ED was short, I'll also try to be short and sharp. Mr. Executive Director, my delegation thanks you for the comprehensive review Sorry, overview regarding the efforts UNOPS is undertaking in conflict zones, but also in peaceful areas. We praise your colleagues' courage and determination to carry on missions meant to change destinies, especially in challenging environments. We are all aware of the importance of your mandate and the need to focus on deliverables. And I think this is the moment to use AI and to see that in your speech, I think the most featured word was implementation. We commend UNOPS' intention to maximizing the results by using knowledge and skills more effectively in the quest to align it to the UN 18 Initiative. Performing and functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of time, effort, and resources by producing the desired results is the quintessence of efficiency. Once adopted, the strategic plan for the upcoming 3 years should allow UNOPS to better coordinate with other UN entities and to calibrate its mandate to the new realities in the world. The capacity of being versatile and adaptive is essential in the context UNOPS is implementing these projects. And here I would like to, to connect with a topic which you raised in the larger version that you shared with us, and that is the ocean coordination mechanism, which in our view, it hints towards clusterization and also efficiency of policies and resources. And maybe you can give us some more details on this mechanism, especially in the view of the BBNJ, which is just happening next door. We welcome your commitment to the organization reforming as a necessity. This is a challenging process and many will be unsatisfied, but at the same time, some will be satisfied. So, you know, it's a good job that you're doing. On this note, I would also like to reemphasize that we remain interested to receiving updates on the ongoing recovery of the the 3SI funds. We also encourage UNOPS senior management and the whole staff under your supervision to apply the highest standards in addressing any suspicions of fraud and other deficiencies, including sexual harassment and racial discrimination, because, you know, in our view, these are part of the commitments towards effective multilateralism that you were also talking in your speech. And with that, I thank you.


President [22:23]:

Thank you very much. I now give the floor to Zambia on behalf of the African Group and African Group countries.


Zambia · Africa Group [22:30]:

Thank you very much, Mr. President, and we're most appreciative to the Executive Director for his very clear and insightful statement. We commend him for his leadership in the context of a very challenging global landscape. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the African African members of the Executive Board, namely Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tunisia, and my very own country, Zambia. The African Group appreciates the opportunity to engage with UNOPS leadership as it defines the role of the agency in delivering infrastructure and effectively managing projects. We encourage the promotion of country-led and country-owned development programs anchored on sustainable development cooperation frameworks and national development system priorities. In the context of the current challenging circumstances, we encourage UNOPS to focus on innovation, digitalization, and efficient procurement through its new strategic plan. We particularly commend the commitment of UNOPS in its efforts to support the narrowing of Africa's infrastructure deficit state, ranging from transportation connectivity to digital connectivity, and the continent-wide priorities such as the African Continental Free Trade Area, renewable energy, as well as smart urbanization. Mr. President, as we celebrate the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, we are also mindful of the declining fund flow of funds in development finance, as stated by the Executive Director. And all this despite the promises of their Disobedient Action Agenda and now the renewed commitment in Sevilla. We therefore concur with the Executive Director's statement about the new strategic plan, which we quote as stating, the efforts of UNOPS are geared towards support— to support the system-wide push to drive efficiencies and maximize impact, as well as to be relevant to be more fit for purpose. In the same vein, we welcome the UNAID reform initiative and recognize that it's an opportunity to modernize the multilateral architecture and align mandates for greater efficiency and impact, including towards the attainment of the 2030 Agenda on the SDGs. Our continent needs more risk mitigation instruments such as blended finance, to unlock private investment. UNOPS should prioritize modalities that particularly de-risk infrastructure investment in the continent of Africa. We see the value of UNOPS in building capacity and enhancing partnerships. We highly appreciate and encourage UNOPS to continue to source locally by augmenting value chains so that African small and medium scale enterprises can catalyze the domestic economy. The Africa Group further calls on UNOPS to bolster domestic capacity, thereby transferring skills in procurement reform, project oversight, and maintenance planning. We urge the leadership to collaborate with national governments and the African Union, as well as the regional and economic communities, to enhance and to enhance sustainability and integration. Mr. President, we are of the view that there is a reason for optimism during this challenging time. We look to UNOPS to continue to be pragmatic and to continue in its efforts to ensure accountability and transparency across its processes. This will further consolidate confidence in our shared future. UNOPS' success of delivery shall not be overshadowed by the past. In conclusion, Mr. President, the Africa Group, as always, is ready to collaborate with UNOPS in all aspects, particularly in unlocking infrastructure solutions that are resilient, climate compatible, and efficient. I thank you very much, Mr. President.


President [26:34]:

Thank you very much for that statement. I will now invite the Deputy PRs of Bangladesh, China, and Brazil. Bangladesh, you have the floor.


Bangladesh · Deputy PR [26:46]:

Thank you, Mr. President, Excellencies. I thank the Executive Director for his insightful presentation. Bangladesh has always supported UNOPS in fulfilling its mandate. Despite multiple global challenges, Bangladesh recognizes the organization's work in implementing the Comprehensive response plan and critical reforms. We also appreciate the organization's contributions in supporting the humanitarian operations of sister organizations in Gaza and Ukraine. Bangladesh remains committed to supporting UNOPS' transformation into a more accountable, efficient, and transparent institution, particularly in light of the S3I incidents. Mr. President, The UNOPS Strategic Plan 2026-2029 outlines a path to accelerate impact through practical, demand-driven solutions in infrastructure procurement and project management. We commend UNOPS for leveraging its global reach and expertise to de-risk implementation, complement policy, as well as mobilize financing. While Bangladesh appreciates the approach, we emphasize the critical importance of aligning UNOPS programs with national priorities. As we prepare to graduate from LDC status, we urge UNOPS to focus on supporting transition processes of LDCs in areas of trade, investment, education, and health, particularly through targeted capacity building and infrastructure development. that can ensure long-term growth and sustainability. UNOPS also plays a crucial role in tackling climate challenges. Bangladesh looks forward to continued engagement in providing affordable, sustainable solutions that strengthen the resilience of climate-vulnerable nations. Mr. President, we encourage UNOPS to utilize its online monitoring tool for real-time progress tracking as a means to address challenges effectively and to maintain continuous communication with the Executive Board. Cultural transformation within UNOPS remains a priority. Sustained investments in leadership and training are essential to build a people-centered, agile organization. We'd like to request the Executive Director to continue engaging staff at all levels to promote a culture of integrity, excellence, and collaboration. In conclusion, Bangladesh reiterates its commitment to working closely with UNOPS and the Bureau to support the fulfillment of its mandate. By working together, we can transform challenges into opportunities and strengthen UNOPS as a key partner in achieving the SDGs. I thank you.


President [29:38]:

Thank you. I now give the floor to the DPR of China.

You have the floor.


China · Deputy PR [29:44]:

President, China thanks Executive Director da Silva for the presentation. China also listened attentively to the statements by distinguished representatives of Romania, Bangladesh, and Zambia. China appreciates UNEP's focus on the requirements of the QCPR. In drafting the strategic plan for the new cycle, we encourage UNOPS to fully leverage its comparative advantage to provide UN system with efficient and high-quality solutions, improve the efficiency and quality of project implementation, help developing countries strengthen infrastructure building, and support fair participation in UN procurement to drive and advance the implementation of the UN China knows that according to the third-party review of the Comprehensive Response Plan, most of UNOPS-related reform recommendations have been effectively implemented. China recognizes UNOPS' efforts to actively implement the reform outcomes focused on rebuilding a culture of integrity, strengthen oversight and accountability mechanisms, continuously improve internal management, and enhance institutional performance. China is willing to strengthen cooperation with UNOPS and work with all parties to deepen practical cooperation in areas such as poverty reduction, infrastructure, clean energy, and procurement, and jointly accelerate the implementation of the SDGs. I thank you.


President [31:26]:

Thank you very much for that statement. Brazil, you have the floor.


Brazil · Deputy PR [31:30]:

Thank you, Mr. President, Mr. Executive Director.


Speaker 13 [31:34]:

Bienvenue.


Brazil · Deputy PR [31:37]:

As others, I will be brief. I have to confess that I have a personal, let's say, inclination towards UNOPS, not because I do not have an inclination favourable to other funds, agencies and programmes, but because I believe that UNOPS, as the Director mentioned, quite often is really focused on implementation, and in the times we live, our public opinions, we ourselves at the UN, need programs, action that our people can see as a result of the action by the UN. We all know that the programmes by UNDP, by UNFPA, for example, they are incredibly important policy-wise, sometimes even in very visible results, but UNOPS deals with things that people see. It's a hospital, it's a road, it's a school, it's infrastructure. We know that infrastructure is not all, but again, in these times where we need almost justification for the very existence and action by the UN being visible, being perceptible by our citizens is crucial. And that's why I see that the UNOPS at this point in time has this special added value to our collective political effort to Demonstrate to the public opinion that UN matters and our collaboration matters. So UNOPS can continue to count on Brazil's support, both in our bilateral relations or cooperation and as a board member. Thank you.


President [33:30]:

Muchas gracias por.

Thank you very much for those very practical remarks. And this will allow us to put the time available to good use. I will now give the floor to the ambassadors accredited to ECOSOC. We'll begin with the United Kingdom, followed by Netherlands, and then the United States. United Kingdom Ambassador, you have the floor.


United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland · Ambassador [33:59]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Let me start by thanking UNOPS staff for their continued dedication against the backdrop of new and concurrent crises. We want to particularly acknowledge the work of staff on the front lines over the past year, including in Gaza and Myanmar. We commend UNOPS for its continued commitment to operational delivery. We welcome the progress made in implementing the restated Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and the lessons identified to inform the 2026 to '29 strategic plan cycle. The emphasis on strengthening financial management and enhancing impact measurement is timely and necessary. We also acknowledge the rollout of a new results framework and digital systems to support these goals. As we seek to adopt the strategic plan, the UK's firm expectation is that UNOPS will focus on its unique role in the UN development system as a provider of infrastructure, procurement, and project management services. Mr. President, we acknowledge UNOPS' progress and the sustained effort to date from all senior management and staff to strengthen the institution. Reform takes time, and we believe it is in our shared interest to ensure the processes underway are carried out to their full completion and with complete transparency. Including with the Executive Board. In particular, we expect proactive and transparent engagement related to organizational change and any significant developments regarding staffing and budgetary resources. As UNOPS is carrying out its internal reforms, it also needs to take into account the wider trajectory of UN 18 reform to the UN development system, and in that regard, I welcome the Executive Director's UNAT is an opportunity to bring about real, tangible change that delivers better impact on the ground. It is a chance to improve coherence, increase efficiency, and to maximize resources. We need to see a nimble— we need to see nimble UN country teams that can adapt swiftly to the needs of their country with greater coordination and operational coherence under the authority of an empowered resident coordinator. coordinator. We welcome UNOPS' engagement with this process to date and encourage the agency to continue to take a high-ambition approach to its inputs. And in that regard, it would be useful to get reflections from the Executive Director on the way the 2 development clusters are working together and whether those should be brought into one. The UK remains a committed partner for UNOPS and looks forward to continued collaboration to ensure that UNOPS delivers effectively, efficiently, and ethically for those it serves.

Thank you.


President [36:49]:

Thank you very much, Madam. I now give the floor to the Netherlands. You have the floor.


Netherlands (Kingdom of the) · Ambassador [36:54]:

Thank you, Mr. President. The Kingdom of the Netherlands would like to express its appreciation to UNOPS for the progress made in recent years and thanks UNOPS leadership and staff for their tireless efforts in delivering on its important mandate. We commend UNOPS for the speed and commitment in implementing the Comprehensive Response plan. The Organization has taken meaningful steps to strengthen its internal systems. We particularly recognize the dedication of both staff and leadership in advancing these reforms while continuing valuable delivery in complex environments. At the same time, we stress that further progress depends on ongoing commitment, open dialogue, and sustained investment in risk management, organizational culture, and financial management. This is needed to sustainably anchor the reforms and achievements made so far. We also reiterate our view that UNOPS' greatest value lies in its non-programmatic mandate, delivering high-quality infrastructure procurement and project management support services. We are pleased to see that the Strategic Plan for 2026-2029 underlines this because these are the areas where UNOPS holds a distinct comparative advantage within the UN system. In this context, we continue to caution against UNOPS taking up roles beyond what is defined in its mandate. This is especially important as the UN development system seeks to improve coherence and more concretely clarify agency roles. UNAT needs to be an incentive for all UN agencies to focus on their unique value proposition and to harmonize systems across the UN to improve efficiencies. The Kingdom of the Netherlands stands ready to support UNOPS throughout these processes and dynamic times.

Thank you.


President [38:52]:

Thank you very much for that statement. I now give the floor to the United States.


United States of America · Ambassador [39:25]:

Malnutrition, and war threaten the lives of far too many. How do each of us deal with all these challenges, either directly or indirectly? This is where UNOPS comes in. UNOPS is uniquely placed to catalyze and support the ethos of partnership the world needs today due to its partnership mandate, infrastructure expertise, and track record. But as an organization, UNOPS needs to walk the talk, including by putting agency partnerships and not profit margins at the heart of its business model. UNOPS can and should be the fulcrum of collective action. UNOPS must focus on its core mandate and comparative advantage. Avoid programmatic work, and avoid distracting narratives that fall outside that mission, like the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and ambiguous gender language. UNOPS also needs to make management's relationship with staff a truly accountable, communicative, and mutually beneficial partnership. The terrific talent in this organization needs to feel valued, safe, and have a firm understanding of where each member fits in the organization's mission, both present and future. Partnership also means leveraging opportunities like global shared services and common back offices to join collectively with other entities to address challenges in the field. One such opportunity is to join the Quantum Enterprise Risk Management framework, enabling country teams to efficiently and cost-effectively manage important but costly administrative functions such as payroll. We join other members in urging UNOPS to take that step. In the field, UNOPS staff have come through time and again to save lives, clear the rubble, and build communities. It is time for management to come through and live the partnership values needed for these times and worthy of their efforts.

Thank you.


President [41:53]:

Thank you, sir, for that statement. I will now invite the Chargée d'Affaires of Guatemala to deliver her statement. Guatemala, you have the floor.


Guatemala · Chargée d'Affaires [42:08]:

Mr. President, Mr. Mario da Silva, UNOPS has accompanied Guatemala throughout the long journey of our society, which has evolved very rapidly following 36 years of fierce internal conflict that resulted in more than 200,000 victims and the destruction of democracy in 1954. Since the early '90s, UNOPS has been a crucial partner in this journey. Managing the Proderé project in the most conflict-battled regions of the country and supporting the peace negotiations, implementing the UN mission, the Historical Clarification Commission, supporting the transition of former combatants from the National Army and the URNG into civilian life. More recently, UNOPS has been a crucial partner in boosting fair and public management in fair public management in Guatemala, achieving impressive results both in public works and procurement, especially in the health sector. Today, Guatemala is engaged in a frontal battle against the systemic corruption that has afflicted our country for a long time, even compromising the foundations of democracy as evidenced by the CICIG. In this battle against corruption, Guatemala chose UNOPS as its partner for Fair public management. The contributions that Guatemala received from UNOPS in the last 18 months are of inestimable value for Guatemala in implementing this transition, ensuring public spending is managed efficiently and transparently, while at the same time facilitating changes that are needed to public administration to eliminate corruption, especially in the areas of health, education, transportation, and strategic infrastructure. Mr. Moreira, on behalf of Guatemala, I thank you and I thank your team for the continued assistance and support that you have been providing in this fundamental area. For this reason, it's crucial for us to have an agile, innovative, and capable UNOPS that can respond to the very difficult challenges such as the ones we are facing. Guatemala is convinced that this approach should guide the decisions of this Executive Board regarding UNOPS, and this is also— UNOPS has overcome the challenges And this is demonstrated also in independent studies from KPMG. We hope the Executive Board will determine that this is now a closed chapter. We express our agreement with the new 2026 through 2029 strategic plan, which sets out UNOPS' capabilities in line with the new challenges. We all benefit from a strong UNOPS as a partner for adaptive transformations under difficult conditions. We hope that this issue will guide you in your future decisions. I thank you.


President [44:59]:

I now invite the Russian Federation to take the floor, followed by Portugal.

Russia.


Russian Federation [45:07]:

Mr. President, Executive Director, the Russian Federation wishes to extend our gratitude for the presentation of the draft Strategic Plan for UNOPS for the period 2026 to 2029, as well as the Matrix of Results, as well as for taking into account a number of the comments that we have set out in drafting of these documents. We support their adoption by the Executive Board. We note that the draft Strategic Plan reaffirms UNOPS' commitment to its non-programmatic, demand-driven mandate in the areas of infrastructure, procurement, and project management. We trust that any mentions of so-called missions and other internal organizational initiatives, we trust that these will not distort the essence of the agreed-upon mandate agreed upon by member states for the agency. In this connection, we also called upon EUNOPS in the implementation of projects to refrain from imposing its own priorities and programmatic approaches, specifically when it comes to climate change. We wish to stress that UNOPS, in its role as a service provider, remains a key link in the UN development system and a useful tool for broadening implementation opportunities for partners, including in emergency situations. At the same time, we believe that UNOPS should rely upon its unique comparative advantages and not to delve into competition over resources with other UN system organizations. We value our partnership Russia values its partnership with UNOPS. A striking example of this is the Russian-Lao Friendship Hospital, the Mitahab, in Vientiane. We trust that the adoption of the new strategic plan will lay down a foundation for the further implementation of UNOPS's mandate for the benefit of developing countries. Thank you.


President [46:49]:

Gracias a usted por su declaración.

Thank you, Portugal.


Portugal [46:55]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Portugal welcomes. UNOPS Strategic Plan 2026-2029, which demonstrates a look forward— look forward-looking vision and a proactive response to the evolving operational needs of the United Nations system. We strongly commend UNOPS' steadfast commitment to efficiency, innovation, and sustainable impact, and we encourage the organization to continue driving transformative solutions that empower partner countries and strengthen the UN's collective effectiveness on the ground. We appreciate UNOPS' continued focus on operational excellence, sustainability, and cost-effective delivery, which ensures that resources are optimized to support the mandates of UNDP, UNFPA, and other partners, particularly in fragile and complex contexts. Portugal notes with satisfaction the alignment of UNOPS' strategic plan with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We encourage UNOPS to continue leveraging its expertise in infrastructure procurement and project management to facilitate tangible development outcomes and the achievement of national priorities. We welcome the emphasis on innovation, digital solutions, and partnerships in UNOPS' new strategic plan, which are essential for enhancing effectiveness, transparency, and inclusivity. We encourage UNOPS to continue fostering collaboration with governments the private sector, and civil society to scale impact. Among its initiatives, we particularly commend the process innovation and digitalization program for streamlining operations, reducing inefficiencies, and introducing digital solutions that enhance service delivery. We underline the important role of UNOPS in supporting UN system coherence, particularly through technical and operational services. That enable UNDP, UNFPA, and other entities to deliver more efficiently at the national level. We encourage continual alignment with the Resident Coordinators and UN country teams to strengthen system-wide results. We look forward to seeing the strategic plan— the new strategic plan translated into measurable results on the ground, especially in contexts where UNOPS operational expertise can contribute to advancing sustainable development resilience, and inclusive growth. Thank you.


President [49:14]:

Thank you. Germany, to be followed by Jamaica. Germany, please.


Germany [49:21]:

Thank you, Mr. President, distinguished Executive Director. Let me begin by commending UNOPS, and especially its staff, on the valuable and much-needed work they are accomplishing every day. Mostly under dire conditions, for the people most in need. It is exactly these partnerships and joint initiatives that prove that delivering as one brings about the collective strength of the multilateral system. Germany remains fully committed to a rules-based multilateral system and to the 2030 Agenda. We will uphold the universality, universality of human rights and will continue to advocate for gender equality, physical self-determination, and inclusion. We welcome that the new Strategic Plan reaffirms UNOPS' core mandate as non-programmatic and non-normative service provider to UN entities and other partners. UNOPS has taken meaningful steps forward, demonstrating a sustained commitment to reform and improvement. We believe that reforms and change must continue to be a priority in the implementation of the new Strategic Plan.

Plan.

We will continue to pay close attention to the impacts of the measures taken. The challenges around the PID program show that years of mismanagement and underinvestment cannot be resolved quickly. The budgeting and implementation of the program is complex and requires careful consideration, as well as continuous monitoring and review by the Executive Board, but also independent units and bodies to determine if UNOPS is still on track. We thus urge UNOPS to adhere to their recommendations and address existing risks as quickly as possible to strive on this important process to make UNOPS fit for purpose. As the United Nations embarks on the UN80 initiative, Germany calls on UNOPS to strengthen its commitment to the ongoing system-wide reforms. It is vital for UNOPS to ensure complementarity with the broader UN system, to enhance interagency collaboration, and shared services. In implementing the new Strategic Plan, we see the need to more clearly delineate UNOPS' roles and responsibilities, and to establish clear criteria for accepting or rejecting projects. This will help UNOPS to focus on its core mandate as resource and support function, first and foremost to the UN system. Thank you very much.


President [51:46]:

Gracias a usted.

Thank you very much. Now we'll hear from Jamaica, to be followed by Norway. Jamaica, you have the floor.


Jamaica [51:56]:

Thank you, Mr. President. I thank the Executive Director for his presentation and congratulate UNOPS on the development of its strategic plan. The plan clearly emphasizes UNOPS' decades of experience in infrastructure procurement and project management and outlines its intention to more closely position itself to meet global development priorities, particularly for developing countries in the areas of climate resilience, energy access, and digital transformation. UNOPS has been a longstanding implementation partner in the Caribbean, supporting resilient infrastructure and procurement projects such as rehabilitation of roads and bridges in Jamaica, for instance. As a region of small island developing states, Jamaica was therefore pleased to note UNOPS's willingness to act as a potential implementation partner for the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States. The region's partnership with UNOPS has been an instrumental one, translating priorities into tangible results. As a result, I would be grateful to hear how UNOPS plans to partner with SIDS to address some of the capacity needs as outlined in the ABAS. In addition, there were also a few areas of interest mentioned under the 8 outlined non-programmatic missions, including support for a transition to sustainable food systems, advancing digital transformation, and promoting access to and use of digital infrastructure for developing countries, as well as increasing energy access, as well as supporting states to increase their resilience against environmental and economic shocks and harness the benefits of a sustainable ocean economy. However, while ambitious and forward-looking, we would like to UNOPS to clarify whether an analysis has been done to see where these areas are being addressed by other agencies in the wider UN development architecture. Second, how UNOPS envisions that these missions will more closely— will more effectively, rather, support its core mandate. And finally, will the outcomes of these missions be reported to member states? Mr. President, Jamaica also recognizes the concerted efforts of UNOPS to move a period of greater accountability and transparency. We were therefore pleased to note that UNOPS will be establishing senior-level accountability compacts to reinforce achievement and implementation— achievement of implementation and management targets against— across the organization. We look forward to receiving updates on this effort. We also commend UNOPS on the completion of its CRP. The presentations were thorough and timely. In conclusion, Jamaica looks forward to deepening its partnership with UNOPS and will support the efforts of the agency and the board to increase organizational agility, trust, and transparency as it delivers on its core mandate. Thank you.


President [54:38]:

Thank you. Norway, you have the floor, to be followed by the European Union. Norway.


Norway [54:44]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. Executive Director, thank you very much for your presentation today. First of all, Norway would like to thank the UNOPS staff and leadership for the efforts made in the progress on the implementation of the CRP. We know that this is a difficult task. It was a massive undertaking you made, and we also would like to underline the necessity of remembering that this is a long-term commitment. We know you do, but we just wanted to underline that. As you said, Mr. Executive Director, the planet— in your speech, the planet faces multiple challenges. There are many conflicts. We in Norway are very concerned of the negative effects of climate change and growing inequality, and it is with great pleasure that we know that in your new strategic plan you've made clear— you have a clear focus on the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, and also on climate action. We think that this is really important and that you're playing an important role in mitigating the effects of these crises. We also want to underscore the non-programmatic mandate of ENOPS, but in a positive manner, helping enabling partners To work strategically to improve the UN development system in cooperation with the resident coordinators. So, Mr. President, Mr. Executive Director, all of you UNOPS, thank you again for your presentation and for the good work you're doing.


President [56:33]:

Gracias a ustedes.

Thank you. Now, finally, we have the EU to close out our list of speakers. EU, you have the floor.


EU · EU [56:41]:

Thank you, President, Executive Director, Excellencies, dear colleagues. I'm delivering this statement on behalf of the European Union as a donor. The EU commends UNOPS for the progress achieved and reaffirms our longstanding partnership in advancing the SDGs. We welcome the presentation of the Strategic Plan and Results Framework for 2026-2029. In the context of the UNAT reform agenda, We value UNOPS' ambition to scale up and accelerate as a demand-driven and agile partner. At the same time, we consider that the 8 proposed missions may lack focus. Some, like the triple planetary crisis, are overly broad, while others, like SIDS, describe challenging contexts rather than priorities. We would have welcomed a clearer articulation of how UNOPS will deploy its expertise most effectively under UNAT. While the plan rightly highlights UNOPS' potential to connect public and private actors, modalities for PPPs, risk sharing, and leveraging private capital could be further developed. Looking ahead and in the rollout of the strategy, we see the following 3 priorities as presenting most potential for the EU and partners. First, efficiency and system leadership. UNOPS should lead by example, focusing on its comparative advantages, strengthening partnership-based delivery models, and contributing to system-wide efficiencies. Second, focus on sustainable infrastructure and enabling environments. UNOPS' efforts, as illustrated by its work under the Global Gateway with the EU and Team Europe, such as in South Sudan and Sierra Leone, demonstrate its ability to deliver impact. Beyond implementation, its role as a neutral facilitator, scaling up capacity through advisory services and partnerships, is increasingly essential. Third, addressing fragility, conflict, and political complexity. Our collaboration in Myanmar, Afghanistan, Gaza, Yemen, or Ukraine highlights UNOPS' vital role in enabling smart investments in challenging contexts. On the 2026-2027 budget, we take note of the proposed estimates and the shift to results-based budgeting approach. We encourage UNOPS to ensure that transparency, efficiency, and value for money remain central in resource allocation. The EU has stood by UNOPS in difficult moments in the past years. While we do expect focus We reiterate our support for its future-oriented journey and look forward to this new phase of partnership. Thank you.

Thank you.


President [59:00]:

We have a few minutes remaining that we could use with the Executive Director, Mr. Mario da Silva, and his team to give him a chance to to come back to some of the questions and remarks that were made. So feel free to ask members of your team to delve deeper into any of the issues as you feel appropriate. Mr. Mario, you have the floor.


UNOPS · Executive Director · Jorge Moreira da Silva [59:28]:

Mr. President, Ambassadors, distinguished delegates, it's going to be a hard task to address all the all the points. I will try to aggregate some of the elements, and then I would like to ask my colleague, Christine Demkiar, to cover one specific element that was present in many statements and comments from delegations on moving from outputs to outcomes and focusing on results and impact, which is a key element of the new Strategic Plan. It's one of the most distinctive elements of the Strategic Plan, so I would like to ask my colleague to focus on that part, as she has been very involved, as you know, in the preparation of the Strategic Plan, in the regional consultations. First of all, I would like to thank the support that has been expressed by Member States on the Strategic Plan, but also on the reform agenda. That recognition obviously makes us even more responsible in the future to strengthen our capacity to implement while delivering reform. So I would like to understate that we will continue reforming. We will continue reforming beyond the Comprehensive Response Plan, but also within the Comprehensive Response Plan. Thank you. From the very first day I joined UNOPS, almost two years and a half ago, also from my previous experience in reform agenda, I've shared with member states that one thing is approving reforms, one thing is implementing reforms. A different thing is seeing the result of the reforms and course correcting. And while the comprehensive response plan. plan can be considered— except on the pit— can be considered accomplished. A different thing is whether the reforms have provided all the results. Of course not. This is part of the journey. We are committed to continue overseeing the implementation of these reforms. Those are implemented, but now it needs to be monitored. And adjusted, especially on culture. Culture cannot be changed by decree, cannot be changed just because we approved some documents. Culture change is nurtured every day. I'm very happy to see, as a result of the surveys that we get internally but also from our partners, that there are significant progress on cultural change, and I've seen it on the ground, which is another important element. I really liked to hear today your praising to my amazing team, particularly those on the ground working in very difficult contexts. Regardless if colleagues are working in headquarters or on the ground, everyone is committed with the same objective, that is supporting those most need. And the fact that UNOPS has high concentration of projects in conflict-affected countries and in fragile contexts is obviously unique. More than 50% of all UNOPS activities are concentrated in conflict-affected contexts. And I know what I'm talking about because this is not theory for me, for me and for my colleagues. I've been in the last 4 or 5 months In Gaza, in Syria, Sudan, Lebanon, Somalia, Myanmar, and before that Afghanistan, Ukraine, Cabo Delgado, and in many, many other places where I could see how the partnership with governments, with other UN agencies, with MDBs, under your support, has been so important to change lives. So I really want to thank you for the fact that in your statements you have been praising my amazing team, because this is precisely what makes UNOPS unique, is this service-oriented approach, and also, as several delegations mentioned, the point on partnership. A non-programmatic agency— and again, I would like to reaffirm our commitment to We will stick to the mandate. We are non-programmatic and we are very happy for not being programmatic, so there is no advantage for us of becoming programmatic. That would be a mistake. We will become redundant with others, so we will stick to the mandate, which is non-programmatic, but that doesn't mean that we are agnostic or neutral. We will not deliver projects if those projects do not contribute to SDG We will not deliver projects if those projects are not aligned with UN principles and values. We will not deliver projects if those projects are not contributing to climate action. We will not deliver projects if projects are not aligned with our mandate. And as you remember, I think it was a few months ago, I shared with you that in the previous year we refused more than $300 million of projects because simply those projects were including risk or misalignment with the mandate that was not consistent with our own assessment. So I'd like to reiterate this because several delegations were very positive and supportive about the Strategic Plan, but always recalling us, keep your focus on non-programmatic, Of course, this is our objective. The other point that was made was about collaboration and about partnership. We only exist if we can partner. An organization that is demand-driven, non-programmatic, with no normative mandate can only work if it can partner, if it can partner with other UN agencies, if it can partner with governments, if it can partner with the MDBs. So partnership is an essential element, it's a defining element of UNOPS, and that's why I see the UN80 as a massive opportunity. This is the moment where we have to mobilize ourselves, all UN agencies, towards a common objective that is delivering on the SDGs, on climate action, and all the UN agenda. And the fact that we have distinctive mandates is an advantage, because we can address policy, programming, strategy, implementation and operations in a more integrated manner. So UNOPSIS is eager to continue partnering with our sister agencies in the system, but also with the Resident Coordinator. We are extremely supportive of the Resident Coordinator system because we can see the advantage of the Resident Coordinator. Because we only exist, as you know, Member States, we only exist if we have projects on the ground. We cannot afford to have teams on the ground if we don't have projects. Obviously, we rely completely on the Resident Coordinator role to do arbitrage, to do coordination, to enable the environment for us to operate. So this is a very important element, this integrator role, and I would like— because this was also mentioned in several statements— so I'm trying rather to answer delegation by delegation. I've tried to identify common points to— I hope that you won't find it disrespectful that I'm not commenting specific delegations, but I tried in the interest of time to to aggregate based on topics. Other delegations made important points about our distinctive value providing services and implementing projects, particularly on infrastructure and procurement, and also de-risking those operations. Indeed, infrastructure matters. And the fact that 92% of the SDGs depend on infrastructure shows how an infrastructure agenda is fundamental. Is UNOPS the only agency that is tasked with this? Of course not, but that's important that all the agencies that have a programmatic policy, but also non-programmatic role, can align on this agenda on infrastructure, energy, digital, also water, sanitation, schools, hospitals, roads, all the enablers of the SDGs, because without infrastructure we will not succeed on the SDGs. I know that very often we tend to aggregate infrastructure as a concrete, steel, bricks conversation, where infrastructure is about social development, because without infrastructure there is no access to education, to health, and even to human rights. So I'd like to thank member states for this call to focus on infrastructure. The same on procurement. Procurement represents 15% to 20% of GDP, So the way we procure and we buy matters. Buying and procuring aligning with SDGs matters. It can change production and consumption. It can align economies with the environmental and social objectives. So I'm very proud that both infrastructure procurement and— but also project management is core to our mandate. Several delegations mentioned the word de-risking and the role of UNOPS helping de-risking the implementation. This is precisely one of our distinctive advantages. Why do developing countries decide very often to ask us to implement projects? They could go directly to the private sector. What UNOPS is doing, which is building roads, hospitals, schools, energy transmission lines, energy projects and a long list of activities. These are areas that could be tasked to the private sector. Why is UNOPS chosen by developing countries, by MDBs and by donors and other entities to engage in projects that could be developed by the private sector directly? Because we have a comparative advantage on project management. The fact that governments transfer to us the implementation of projects is basically transferring to us part of the risk of the operation, and therefore, rather than going directly to the private sector, choose one agency that is skilled managing projects to then go to the private sector, because then we procure locally, then we engage with local partners, then we engage with the local economy, then we engage with the private sector. So this element is very important to de-risk, but also to ensure effectiveness on the operations. The other element of de-risking is in conflict-affected countries. Would the private sector be ready to go to a war zone? Would the private sector be ready to go to a context where security and conflict hinders the conditions to develop a market? That's not been the case, and that's why our presence in the most difficult context is the only way many times to have projects that can enable access to food, to health, to education, to energy, to digital platforms. So I think that this element that was underscored by several delegations, I think it's very important, this de-risking element that can enable operations. Other point is, again, going back to the reform agenda, and this is a lateral comment, I should have brought it earlier, it's about the recovery of the funds. Of course, we remain totally committed in doing all the efforts to recover the funds. Affected by the SRI project. And we have maintained member states updated on these efforts in June and before in January, and we'll keep member states informed on all the efforts that we have been doing with the support of the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations to recover these funds. Maybe my final comment— there was another comment related with our role hosting partnerships. This is maybe one of the areas that is not sufficiently acknowledged or known, which is in this context of reworked multilateralism. One of the key activities of UNOPS is precisely providing services to entities, namely intergovernmental entities, that require back-office services, logistics, administrative, legal, financial, HR support. This is the case on the ocean review mechanism, but also the case on many other hosted entities such as Stop TB, Roll Back Malaria, the Sustainable Energy for All, Cities Alliance. There are, I think, 12 entities that have decided to be hosted by UNOPS precisely as a matter of cost efficiency, because we can provide those services, and this is, as you can see, for a non-programmatic agency. We don't enter at all in the programmatic dimension of these intergovernmental bodies, but we provide services, and I think that this is a good example— again, many delegations mentioned this— about what we could do also in the context of UNAID. If there is something that will be required, it is more collaboration across the system on common back offices, shared services, mutual recognition. I don't pretend, we don't pretend that UNOPS is the only entity in the system that can do it. There is no monopoly in this area, but definitely I think that UNOPS can be at service of other UN agencies and member states in these areas. Mr. President, in the interest of time, I tried to cover most of the topics. Apologies if If I have missed any specific element, I would be very, very glad to interact with Member States after the session if there is any point that was not sufficiently covered. If you agree, Mr. President, I would like to ask my colleague, Deputy Executive Director on Delivery and Partnership, to address this point on the Strategic Plan on impact, because it was a point that was mentioned. And again, many thanks for all the support, your guidance, your leadership in this unique moment in our history. Thank you.


President [1:15:30]:

Please, yes, you have the floor.


UNOPS · Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director for Delivery and Partnerships · Christine Damkjær [1:15:33]:

Thank you, Executive Director, Mr. President, distinguished Board members. Allow me to share just a few words on the critical work that we do on impact. This strategic plan charts a path for UNOPS to scale up and speed up impact through practical solutions, fulfilling its role as a demand-driven and non-programmatic service provider. The plan commits UNOPS to continued transformation, including an ambition to measure and manage for impact. In order to report on contributions to our partners' objectives and broader development goals, it is necessary necessary to design and manage projects with that in mind. This is why UNOPS, in the Plan, commits to continue building capabilities to measure and manage for impact, including for reporting. The Plan's results framework sets principles for project-level targets to measure impact. The principles would be considered when new projects are designed. This involves going beyond outputs to consider contributions to outcomes and impacts, and acting accordingly. We already adhere to the principles in a number of the projects we implement. Let me illustrate this with a few examples of outcomes from 2 projects where we already manage for impact. In Afghanistan, UNOPS implements the Community Resilience and Livelihoods Project with financing from the World Bank.

Bank.

It provides employment through labor-intensive and cash-for-work initiatives, thus far reaching more than 10,000 communities and generating 27 million working days. The project contributes to enhanced resilience, increased incomes, and safeguarded community institutions. All in all, 13 million people have gotten improved access to basic services services through the project, contributing to SDG 1, No Poverty. In South Sudan, and in partnership with UNMAS, the Emergency Response to Humanitarian and Climate Change— Climate Crisis project provided crucial mine action support to the United Nations mission. Together with implementing partners, the project team facilitated the survey and release of land equivalent to 1,500 football fields. The project contributed to access to land and livelihoods for over half a million community members and contributed to the Goal 13 climate action and Goal 13 partnerships. Over the next 4 years, we will continue building the organization's capabilities to manage for impact, building on the experience from projects such as those I just highlighted. We plan to systematically consider the intended impact of our projects and act on it. To that end, we will make sure that our people have the right skills and that results management is integrated into our processes and systems for project management. By managing for impact, we will be better enabling our partners to achieve their goals, helping people in need and supporting countries to accelerate achievements of the SDGs. We thereby aim to deliver value above and beyond achievements of the SDGs. We hereby aim to deliver value and agility, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, and we continue to offer partners this through outputs we deliver as we implement our projects. Thank you, and we look forward to the continued dialogue.


President [1:19:10]:

Thank you very much, Deputy Executive Director. Mr. Marodisil, you have the floor.


UNOPS · Executive Director · Jorge Moreira da Silva [1:19:15]:

Mr. President, of one specific question that was made, and I'd like to respond as it is a very important point for several reasons, which is on SIDS, the Small Island Development States. So I would like to reiterate our total commitment in delivering on ABAS but also on NIS. Indeed, both the Antigua and Barbuda and the NIS Conference have strengthened. I think it were really game changers on positioning multilateralism at service of SIDS. We know that SIDS are disproportionately affected by climate change and with significant difficulties on access to finance. Some of the seeds have graduated from ODA, so it's difficult to have access to finance, access to infrastructure, issues related with critical mass and with scale, and therefore it's fundamental that the system, the multilateral system, the UN and UNOPS, mobilizes on the implementation. We are deeply committed on that across the regions. This is an area that is cross-cutting. It's precisely one of the areas that we are not approaching region by region or country by country. Of course, it's country-driven, demand-driven, local aspirations and local commitments, but we have an horizontal approach to SEED so that the entire UNOPSIS is supporting projects in infrastructure but also on procurement.

Thank you.


President [1:20:54]:

Thank you very much. I think this has been a very engaging exchange of views. I must confess it's a little bit of déjà vu from my part. I think this is also what I heard and as we were preparing these meetings, but clearly it is important that we reiterate these points that are well known both by the Executive Board in terms of our preparatory work, but also, as I said at the inauguration of this session, and this applies to this segment as well as to the others, this has put us in a situation to adopt the appropriate decisions at the appropriate time. And this concludes our consideration of Agenda Item 11, UNOPS Strategic Plan 2026 through 2029. I wish to inform the Board that a draft decision on Agenda Item 11 on the UNOPS Strategic Plan 2026 through 2029 is under preparation and will be presented for the Board's consideration later on.


Speaker 42 [1:22:06]:

Thank you.


President [1:22:11]:

We can now move to the next UNOPS segment, which is agenda item 13, third-party review of the comprehensive response plan, the CRP, and the associated management response. Under this agenda item, we will hear remarks by Mr. Abdul Dieng, Director of the UNOPS Internal Audit and Investigations Group, to be followed by a statement by Ms. Hillary Balbuena, Chief of Staff of UNOPS, for the management response. Mr. Abdul Dieng, you now have the floor, sir.


UNOPS · Director, Internal Audit and Investigations Group · Abdul Dieng [1:22:53]:

Yeah, thank you, Mr. President. Distinguished, in November 2022, At the request of the Executive Board and following the SRI crisis, KPMG issued a report on their view to reflect their view on UNOPS' internal control, risk management, and governance. Towards the end of 2023, IIJ commissioned KPMG to review the implementation of the Comprehensive Response Plan, and the report has been shared with you with an unredacted version. In 2024, the Executive Board requested IRJ to commission a third-party review to assess the implementation of the open recommendation with the exception of the PID, assess the continued implementation of the recommendation closed back in 2023, and finally assess the impact on UNOPS efficiency. IRG has commissioned KPMG to conduct this independent review. The review concludes that most recommendations have been completed. In addition, the review notes that some areas that are completed but where intended impact requires long-term action or intervention. These areas are culture, risk management, and mainly control testing and financial reporting. In KPMG view, these areas require sustained efforts and long-term investment to achieve broader organizational impact. The response plan can be considered completed to an extent that is relevant given given the evolving context. KPMG therefore recommends that the remaining long-term efforts, again on culture, risk management, mainly control testing and financial reporting, to be incorporated into the organizational forward-looking transformation plan that will build on progress made aligned with current strategic needs and ensure continuity of development. The report has been issued back in May 2025, presented to the Executive Board in the closed session by KPMG and myself. And thank you for your attention, Mr. President.


President [1:25:27]:

Thank you very much.


UNOPS · Chief of Staff · Hillary Balbuena [1:25:35]:

Excellencies, distinguished members and observers of the Executive Board, and colleagues, it is an honour to speak to you today to outline the status and progress made in implementing the Comprehensive Response Plan. UNOPS recognizes the significant role that the Plan has played in reforming UNOPS. We have been guided by your steadfast commitment on reforms, and we are grateful for that. The Third-Party Review on the Implementation of the Comprehensive Response Plan recognizes the meaningful progress made by UNOPS and that the plan can be considered completed. The review confirmed that 41 out of the 43 recommendations are completed. The 2 ongoing recommendations relate to the multi-year process innovation and digitalization program, as well as the efforts led by the Office of Legal Affairs to recover funds from S3I investments. The review also recognizes that 12 recommendations recommendations, although completed, require long-term actions to achieve the intended impact. UNOPS fully concurs with this finding and has, since 2024, integrated these long-term actions into ongoing transformation initiatives and work plans. Please allow me to summarize the 3 areas requiring long-term action. In the area of risk management and the control environment, UNOPS has implemented significant measures to enhance risk management policies and processes at all stages of the project lifecycle. We are currently developing a risk appetite statement and a corporate risk register to strengthen our enterprise risk management framework. Building on reforms on due diligence already implemented in 2023, UNOPS is updating its framework and introducing the concept of integrity due diligence, which includes various integrity risks such as sanctions violations and financial crime. We have a new enhanced accountability framework. We are developing an accountability handbook, and we are strengthening our internal control framework. In the area of ethics and organizational culture, we continue to implement our organizational culture work plan. The whistleblowing mechanism, mechanism has been overhauled. We are using our integrity portal and our new UNOPS code of conduct, code of ethics, global manager-led ethics dialogues with case materials are being rolled out across the organization to familiarize personnel with the code of ethics and its relevance in daily decision-making. In reforming our internal justice mechanisms, issues such as fraud, abuse of authority, and harassment are being addressed decisively, and we do have robust mechanisms in place through the ethics office to protect whistleblowers. Blowers from retaliation. UNOPS continues to fostering— prioritize fostering an open and inclusive dialogue through various established channels, promoting a culture whereby people speak with, speak out, and speak up. We are always— are also reinforcing performance management and accountability at all levels. In the area of financial management and performance management, and more specifically outcome-based reporting and accountability for results. UNOPS will continue to embed institutional capabilities to measure and manage for impact, and more systematically learn from implementation. This is a strategic response to external recommendations and requests to increase transparency of contributions. As an overall measure to strengthen accountability for results and implementation of the Strategic Plan, UNOPS will establish senior-level accountability compacts for results, reinforcing achievement of implementation and management targets across the organization. Please allow me to conclude my remarks by highlighting that organizational transformation is a gradual process, requiring sustained efforts, learning, and adjusting based on experience. All of our reforms and actions are underpinned by the way in which we are reshaping organizational culture, a culture which is transparent and upholds the values of integrity, professionalism, respect, and accountability. And we are accountable to you, members of the Executive Board. At every first regular session, we update the Board on organizational culture and enterprise risk management and on the Process Innovation Digitalization Program. And at every annual session, we report on progress with implementation of our enhanced accountability framework. At UNOPS, we are committed more than ever to achieving and sustaining the intended institutional impact, ensuring our organization remains agile, responsive, and fit for purpose, serving as a valuable asset of and for the UN system and its partners, and effectively delivering practical solutions for impact. Thank you, Mr. President.

Gracias.


President [1:30:19]:

Thank you very much, Ms. Balbuena. There have not been any requests for the floor, and so this concludes our consideration of item 13 on our agenda, third-party review of the comprehensive response plan and the associated management response. I thank Mr. Dieng and Ms. Balbuena for their statements once again.


Speaker 48 [1:30:44]:

Thank you.


President [1:30:44]:

I would like to inform the Board that a draft decision on agenda item 13 on this issue we have just considered is under preparation and will be presented for the Board's consideration later in the session. We can now move without delay to the next item of the UNOPS segment, item 17, Process Innovation and Digitalization Program and Funding, which will include the formative evaluation of the Process Innovation and Digitalization Program and the management response. I now give the floor to Mr. Abdul Teng, Director of the UNOPS Internal Audit and Investigations Group, for his presentation. You have the floor, sir.


UNOPS · Director, Internal Audit and Investigations Group · Abdul Dieng [1:31:31]:

Thank you, Mr. President, distinguished. In 2024, the Executive Board requested IRJ to commission a third party to conduct an independent evaluation of UNOPS process innovation and digitalization. We commissioned KPMG to conduct the independent evaluation, which covers various topics including business case, strategy, governance, risk management, business process analysis, budget, implementation progress, and technology As an overall assessment and based on the evaluation procedure, KPMG concluded that the PID program is progressing towards its objective of strengthening UNOPS delivery for partnership and beneficiaries. However, the evaluation makes few observations and highlights high risks that require attention from the management. Where risks have been identified, observed. The evaluation recommends action for the management considerations. The report has been issued as for the CRP back in May 2025. An unredacted version has been shared with the board and presented in the closed session by KPMG and myself. Thank you for the attention.


President [1:32:51]:

Thank you very much, sir, for that presentation. I now give the I now give the floor to Mr. Oren Ginsberg, Director for Process Innovation and Digitalisation Programme, to present the management response.

You have the floor.


UNOPS · Director, Process Innovation and Digitalization Programme · Oren Ginsberg [1:33:04]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, honourable members, the Process Innovation and Digitalisation Programme aims to simplify processes and upgrade UNOPS systems, enabling UNOPS to deliver better services to partners and beneficiaries. Around the world. The success of the PID is essential to UNOPS' continuous improvement. A lot has happened over the last year. The PID Programme has accelerated delivery in a number of areas, including project management, finance, procurement, HR, artificial intelligence, grantmaking, and other areas. The Programme as we've just heard, went through a midterm formative evaluation which was positive, confirming that the program is needed and is on track. We presented the report to you alongside our management response and together with a detailed outline of how the program is addressing every recommendation in the evaluation report. The program also submitted to the Executive Board a detailed fully itemized budget that allows Executive Board members to identify and assess the cost of various projects under the PID. We shared a lot of additional information and documentation, and over the last 2 months, we gave 3 different briefings to the Executive Board, and that allowed us also to answer your questions and concerns. So as you see, we've been working diligently to provide you with all the information requested, and we really appreciate the opportunity to respond to queries and to provide further clarification as needed. The external evaluation of the, the PID noted the need for predictability of funding for the program given its multi-year nature, and UNOPS was able to present to the Executive Board the program, a roadmap, timelines for implementation the positive formative evaluation, a detailed budget, a funding methodology, and also thanks to Treasury gains in 2024 in particular, sufficient resources to commit from the liquid excess reserves to a separate reserve that would allow funding of the program until completion, meaning for the period 2025 2029. We presented all of that and we proposed an approach whereby the Board would adopt, for the funding of the PID, the same methodology that it has adopted for the funding of the Comprehensive Response Plan. This is a methodology that involves the creation of a separate reserve. We can call it the PID reserve, specifically dedicated to the programme. That UNOPS could only use for the purposes of, of the PID. It became clear over the last few days that the Executive Board in this August session believes it could benefit from a different approach and is seeking additional time. The current draft language of the decision point on the PID sees the Board committing $3 million from the UNOPS reserves to the PID. $3 million is the amount that we had requested for the rest of 2025. The draft decision asks the program to report back at the first regular session in 2026, at which time the Executive Board will revisit the program and make a decision. Also, to make sure that all options are still open in January 2026, The draft decision proposes that the distribution, the refund of excess reserves be paused until a decision is made on allocating funding to the PID to allow UNOPS time to bring back to the January session a new plan of work. We look forward to a continued engagement with the Executive Board over the coming months and to presenting all of that in January. We really appreciate the Executive Board's engagement. From now to January, we will need your continued support and guidance on information which will be beneficial to the Executive Board come January, and we of course remain at your disposal for any additional information or any additional questions that you may have. Thank you very much.


President [1:37:45]:

Thank you very much. Mr. Ginsberg for that presentation. There are also no requests under this agenda item, and so you have my thanks, Messrs. Ginsberg and Dieng. This concludes our consideration of agenda Agenda Item 17, Process Innovation and Digitalisation Programme and Funding. I also wish to inform the Board that a draft decision on Agenda Item 17, on the Process Innovation and Digitalisation Programme and Funding, is under preparation and will be presented for the Board's consideration later in the session. We will reconvene this afternoon at 3 o'clock to continue the UNOPS segment of the 2nd regular session. The morning meeting is adjourned with this, and I thank you, Mr. Moreira da Silva. I thank you and your team, and once again, I very much look forward to adopting the decisions. I believe that we now have all of the elements that we need to do this in hand. The chair's intention may have surprised you, but here it is. I hope that we will adopt the decisions and that we will conclude our work tomorrow morning. I do believe that this is within reach. I think we have everything that we need, and I would ask delegations to listen very carefully and very actively to what you've been hearing over the past months in preparation of the session and during the session itself. So thank you very much, and I'll see you at 3 o'clock. Distinguished delegates, I have a message from the Executive Board Secretariat that decision negotiations will resume at 12 o'clock. Thank you.