UN Transcripts — https://transcripts.un.org/ru/asset/k18/k1802pumad
2nd meeting, UN Women Executive Board, Annual Session — Economic and Social Council — 23 June 2026
Language: en
Automatically generated transcript — may contain errors. Not an official United Nations record.

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Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [0:02]:

Excellencies, distinguished delegates, welcome back to the 2026 Annual Session of the UN Women Executive Board. Under the first agenda item before us this afternoon, the Board who will be briefed on the UN80 initiative. For this item, I'm pleased to welcome the following UN Women colleagues to the podium: Ms. Sima Bahus, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director; Ms. Naradzai Gumbozwanda, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director; Ms. Kirsti Mandy, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director; Mr. Mohamed Nassiri, Chief of Staff; Ms. Sara Hendricks, Director, Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division, and Mr. Jean-Luc Boriez, Secretary of the Executive Board. Distinguished delegates, under this agenda item, I first would like to invite UN Women Executive Director, Ms. Sima Bahous, to share an update on UN80. Without further ado, Madame Executive Director, Ms. Sima Bahous, please, the floor is yours.


UN Women · USG, Executive Director · Sima Bahous [1:10]:

Thank you. Thank you very much, dear Excellency Ambassador Suela Janina, Permanent Representative of Albania, Vice President of our Board and President of this Board this afternoon, Excellencies, esteemed delegates. Thank you for joining today's session on UNAT. We have met in many different configurations to discuss this issue, and I greatly value the seriousness and openness that you as Member States have brought to these discussions. From the outset of these discussions, I have been clear that for UN Women, UNAT must be about transformative action that places the rights, leadership, and empowerment of women and girls at the heart of the United Nations. It must strengthen the United Nations systems architecture for gender equality and women's rights and empowerment, ensuring it is better equipped, better resourced to deliver for all women and girls. At a time of intensified pushback and in an increasingly constrained financial environment, We must meet the scale of the challenges before us with bold ambition and unwavering support and resolve. Gender equality and women's rights are fundamental to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and to building more peaceful, prosperous, and resilient societies. The United Nations, with UN Women at its heart, has a vital role in translating that ambition into transformative results for women and girls everywhere. This remains our steadfast focus. This morning you heard me speak to the results achieved under our previous strategic plan. Since 2022, UN Women has supported 135 countries and territories to advance gender equality, women's empowerment, and women's rights. We have achieved this through strong partnerships, innovative approaches, and a feminist workforce made of both women and men deeply committed to our mandate. These results demonstrate both the strength of our triple mandate and the impact that becomes possible when ambition is matched by sustained investment. Excellencies, Esteemed delegates, UN Women fully supports the Secretary-General's UN80 reform efforts. As the youngest entity in the United Nations system, and one itself created through reform, we understand the value of examining whether our institutions, structures, and ways of working are fully equipped to meet the demands of of the moment and beyond. It is within the broader UN 80 context that the Secretary-General asked UN Women and UNFPA to assess the potential benefits of a merger, an issue on which we have had considerable and valuable discussions. At its core, I believe there is strong agreement amongst us all on the underlying principle of this work. That the United Nations must be equipped to respond to the scale of the challenges to gender equality and women's rights and empowerment we see today, so that we develop more effectively for all women and girls, and we deliver for them, actually, more effectively for all of them. Both UN Women and UNFPA are recognized for delivering transformative results and carrying forward critical mandates. We hear consistently from Member States, from you, that the work of both entities is essential to the stability, the prosperity, and the progress of your countries. Our responsibility, therefore, is to ensure that any future structure preserves and builds on the strengths of both entities while enabling greater coherence ambition, and impact. The Secretary-General has framed a potential merger as a possible opportunity to strengthen the collective influence of both organizations, enhance the strategic positioning of gender equality within UN country teams, deepen engagement with national counterparts, and generate efficiencies over time. As UN Women, we do see the promise of this proposal and approach, with openness and a commitment to be guided by you as this process moves forward. We recognize the potential value of a merger, while also taking seriously the questions and concerns you have raised, particularly around mandate protection—concerns that we also share. We know these concerns come from a deep commitment to UN Women's mandate and from the confidence and trust we have built together over many years in advancing it. We have also heard clearly the need for more information on the implications of a potential merger, including its operational model, footprint, delivery capacity, and financial implications, as well as your request, including through Executive Board decisions, to develop ambitious alternatives to a merger. We are working closely with UNFPA to meet these requests. With regards to the alternative options, as agreed in my joint letter with Edith Keita of UNFPA, we are on track to present them to you by the end of this week, by June 26th. The options under discussion are intended to identify practical areas where closer collaboration could strengthen delivery, reduce fragmentation, and increase efficiencies. These include, first, more coherent and integrated programming on ending violence against women and gender-based violence across global, regional, and country levels. Second, strengthened collaboration on data analytics and foresight. Third, further harmonization of back-office functions. And fourth, integrated country-level delivery including the possible piloting of joint leadership in a small number of countries, an option that remains under discussion. These discussions, I must tell you, are complex, and there are naturally areas where views differ. However, both organizations have and are approaching this work in a spirit of partnership, collegiality, and shared commitment to advancing the most robust possible outcome. Our aim is clear: every option we present must be ambitious, transformative, and equal to the significance of this moment. Each must strengthen delivery, enhance efficiency, and create lasting value for the women and girls we serve. Whatever outcome UNAT may bring, And whatever you, as Member States and the final decision-makers in this intergovernmental process, ultimately decide, we believe, as I am sure you do too, that the result must preserve and strengthen the gender equality and women's rights and empowerment architecture at the very heart of the UN system. Excellencies, dear colleagues, this is the clear goal that has guided UN Women throughout the UNAT process. Working with many of you, we have advanced three consistent priorities to ensure: one, that gender equality and women's rights are fully integrated across every reform discussion and workstream; two, that UNAT strengthens the UN system gender equality and women's rights architecture particularly at country level. 3, that diverse voices inform the process, including Member States and those of national and local women's civil society organizations. Across the different workstreams, we are engaging actively and constructively. In the humanitarian reset, we are working to reinforce the UN commitments to gender equality, localization, and principles need-based humanitarian action. This includes advocating for stronger support to women-led organizations, which are often among the first and most effective responders in crisis and disasters. It also includes ensuring that humanitarian action is designed and delivered around the distinct rights, needs, and priorities of women, men, girls, and boys. In the peace and security discussions, we are working with DPPA, DPO, and other partners to keep women, peace, and security at the center of the United Nations system-wide efforts. Our objective is to ensure that the UN's political peacekeeping, peacebuilding, and development tools work coherently to advance our shared goals on Women, Peace and Security. In discussions on the country team configurations, we are underscoring the importance of ensuring strong gender equality expertise and capacity at the country level. We believe that effective work on gender equality and women's rights and empowerment depends on sustained relationships, trusted alliances, informed engagement with national partners,, and a deep understanding of each country's political and social contexts. Strong in-country presence, guided by Resident Coordinator leadership and supported by regional expertise, enables the United Nations to advance its normative commitments and to deliver meaningful results where they matter most. The ongoing work on Data Commons presents an important opportunity to increase efficiency while strengthening the UN system's collective ability to generate, share, and use gender-responsive data and analysis. We are working with the broader UN system to embed gender equality and women's empowerment and rights from the outset of this work. On unified support services, UN Women is contributing extensively through shared services and common operational platforms across the UN system. We are calling for an expansion of these approaches where they can increase efficiency, strengthen effectiveness, and allow more resources to flow towards programs and towards results. And last but not least, we are advocating internally for our sister entities to retain and strengthen their gender equality and women's rights capacity. These teams are not peripheral nor expendable. They are core institutional drivers of the UN system's ability to uphold its commitments and to shape policy and programming that can deliver for women and girls. Excellencies, dear colleagues, UN Women remains fully committed to the promise of UN 80. And to working with you to build a stronger, more coherent, and more impactful gender equality and women's rights architecture across the United Nations. With ambition, with principle, and with a relentless focus on impact, UN80 can become a defining moment, not only for women and girls, but for the multilateral system as a whole. I thank you.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [13:54]:

Thank you very much, Madame Executive Director, for this comprehensive briefing for our Executive Board. Now, before opening the floor for the delegation statement, I would kindly remind you that delegations have at their disposal 3 minutes for their statements, while each group statement will be allocated 5 minutes. As already seen during the morning session, please respect this time allocated unless the microphone will cut off at the allocated time. Without further ado, I'd like now to give the floor to the first speaker on my list. The first speaker on my list is Spain, which is delivering a statement on behalf of 32 countries. After Spain, please Moldova prepare for the next statement. Spain, distinguished delegate of Spain, you have the floor.


Spain [14:49]:

Thank you very much, Madam President. Actually, it's 33 member states because we had an additional one joining us. So I have the honor of delivering this statement on behalf of Andorra, Armenia, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Canada, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador, Estonia, the Federated States of Micronesia, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Moldova, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Senegal, South Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uruguay, Vietnam, Zambia, and my own country, Spain. We wish to reaffirm our support for the Secretary-General's reform agenda and the objectives of the UN initiative— UNHCR initiative, as well as our commitment to ensuring that reforms are evidence-based, strengthen system-wide impact, and remain responsive to an evolving global context. We would like to underscore two key elements. The first is that, in line with our commitment to ongoing reforms, we have carefully reviewed the final strategic merger assessment for UNFPA and UN Women. Our findings are that there is currently insufficient evidence to demonstrate that the merger would result in efficiency gains of a sufficient magnitude, including in in terms of cost-effectiveness. Second, we are also concerned that the proposed merger options will not sufficiently preserve key normative mandates. We sincerely appreciate the Secretary-General's commitment to preserving the separate mandates of UN Women and UNFPA. However, we approach any prospect of intergovernmental negotiations on this matter with considerable caution. In light of these considerations and based on information available, we are currently not in a position to support the proposed merger as outlined in the assessment between UN Women and UNFPA. However, we do fully support continued discussions, including on alternative options that would further reform objectives, strengthen coordination, increase efficiency, and enhance impact, ensuring that both UN Women and UNFPA UNFPA are best positioned to deliver on their mandates in today's global context. In this regard, with satisfaction, we take note of the information provided by the Executive Director that the report on alternative options to a merger requested in Executive Board decisions during the first regular session is to be expected by the end of June. Credible alternatives to a merger of UN Women and UNFPA are an opportunity to identify an advance proposals that can deliver on our shared goals of enhanced coordination, efficiency, and impact while fully safeguarding key mandates and institutional strengths. Against this backdrop, member states and executive boards must be given sufficient time to review all new sources of information in accordance with the rules of procedures of the executive boards. These sources include the report on alternative options, the data requested in decision 26/2 of the Executive Board of UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS, Decision 26/2026/6 of the Executive Board of UN Women, and Decision 2026/16 adopted at the annual session of the Executive Board of UNDP, UNFPA, and UNOPS, as well as their responses to the matrices of outstanding questions submitted at the request of the Secretary-General. In light of the above, Chair, we remain fully committed to advancing reform under the UNHCR initiative, including Workstream 3, and to working collaboratively to develop solutions that strengthen the UN system. Thank you very much.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [19:03]:

I thank the distinguished delegate of Spain delivering this statement on behalf of a group of states. I now would like to invite the distinguished delegate of Moldova to take the floor, to be followed by Mexico, Montenegro, Dominican Republic, in this order. Distinguished delegate of Moldova, you have the floor.


Republic of Moldova [19:20]:

Thank you, Madam President, Madam Executive Director, distinguished members of the Executive Board and observers. I deliver this statement on behalf of Australia, Armenia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, New Zealand, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and my own country, the Republic of Moldova. We reiterate our full support to the UN Haiti initiatives and our strong commitment to a reform-oriented, fit-for-purpose United Nations. In line with the QCPR, we support reforms that strengthen system-wide coherence, complementarity, and impact, while reducing fragmentation. At the same time, reform must remain anchored in mandates agreed by Member States and deliver tangible benefits for people on the ground. We underline the central governance role of the Executive Boards in considering and recommending, within their remit, any proposed structural changes. To fulfill this role and sustain confidence in the UNAT process, Boards need timely, robust, evidence-based information, as well as structured, regular, and transparent consultations. The process must be inclusive, guided by realistic timelines, coherent across boards, and based on open and substantive engagement with Member States. Madam President, we appreciate the efforts of the Agency to share information on UNAID work streams and agency-specific work packages, while acknowledging the additional pressure this places on already stretched resources. Nevertheless, important questions remain. On Work Package 4, we note that assessments and consultations are ongoing. At this stage, and without the full information and evidence requested by the Executive Boards during their first regular sessions of 2026, there can be no emerging consensus in favor of any proposed model. Any decision must be guided by robust, independent, and transparent analysis of all options, including implications for mandates, governance, funding, staffing, and country-level delivery. Reform should be based not only through the lens of efficiency or institutional configuration, but also by whether it strengthens delivery for women, girls, young people, and communities in vulnerable situations. The protections and full implementation of existing mandates remains crucial, including those related to gender equality, population dynamics, women's empowerment, and leaving no one behind. This is especially important in the current global context marked by pushbacks against these mandates. Structural reforms must not dilute, deprioritize, or weaken them. At the same time, options to enhance collaboration and coordination between organizations, including better alignment of strategic plans, should also be considered. On Work Package 3, we note progress on the as-is analysis and on a separate merger assessment presented so far. We recognize the importance of exploring options to strengthen efficiency, transparency, and effectiveness, and to reduce fragmentation and duplication. However, key questions remain open, both on possible merge and on credible alternatives. The next steps must be— must rest on a comprehensive, evidence-based, and independent assessment of cost, including transition cost and financing, expected efficiency gains, risks, and implication for governance, staffing, and operational capacity. Capacity. Madam President, other system-wide elements of UNAID, including UN country team reconfiguration, the regional reset, the expertise on demand mechanism, and financing arrangements such as improvement quality pooled funding mechanism, will also be important for strengthening the efficiency— the effectiveness, efficiency, transparency, and accountability of the UN development system. We look forward to learning more about how the full range of UNAID reforms will support the mandates, operations, and country-level development and humanitarian impact of UN Women. We remain fully committed to engaging constructively across regions and across borders to shape a coherent way forward on UN aid. Such a way forward must reinforce country ownership and the broader UN Development System, safeguard the distinct mandates entrusted to each entity by Member States, and deliver concrete improvements for people and communities. I thank you, Madam President.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [23:54]:

I thank the distinguished delegate of Moldova for delivering this statement. Now I have the pleasure to give the floor to the Permanent Representative of Mexico. The floor is yours.


Mexico · Permanent Representative [24:11]:

Muchas gracias, señora Presidenta.

Thank you very much, Madam Vice President. Once again, we're delighted to greet The Executive Director. Mexico supports a constructive and transparent UNAT process that strengthens the three pillars of the Charter because we think this is initiative, um, which is an opportunity to make the UN system more useful, coherent, and transparent. Our support to the reform, um, can be distinguished in three different parts that we believe are a priority: the protection of mandates, central mandates including human rights and gender equality, evidence that supports decisions, and a guarantee for effective deliveries on country level. All structural proposals, including possible mergers or transitions, must be assessed on their own merits, fully considering the mandates, governance, their financing, and the impact on the country level. Gender equality and human rights are central mandates of Mexico's policies. Derived from the UN Charter and from our own foreign policy framework. We cannot step back on these principles, and we are in favor of progressively progressing here and achieving them. Having said that, Mexico is carefully assessing all of the aspects on the proposed merger between UN Women and the UNFPA, and it looks that We're analyzing all of the scenarios, and we wish to underscore that the first thing that struck us is that UN Women and UNFPA have a limited number of, um, elements that overlap. The participation of civil society organizations and other stakeholders is fundamental in the process to evaluate the merits of any proposal for a structural reform, in particular the proposed merger that we're discussing today. We see that official Dialogues organized by the UN have not fully included them. Mexico underscores the importance of a gradual, transparent, evidence-based process that mitigates risks for partners, that safeguards the impact on development, and that avoids interruptions in program implementation. We also believe that we should avoid any decision that may lead to setbacks in the rights of women and girls in all their diversity. As a priority, we must preserve the achievements that the international community has made so much effort to achieve. In this regard, my country's priority is to contribute to preserving this, as well as to strengthen this organization that for 80 years has been the framework par excellence of joint solutions, and that's why we hope that this reform is up to expectations. Thank you.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [26:59]:

I now would like to give the floor to the Permanent Representative of Montenegro.

Ambassador, the floor is yours.


Montenegro · Permanent Representative [27:04]:

Thank you, Madam President. We thank the Executive Director for the update on UN Women's engagement in the UNAID Initiative. Montenegro supports efforts to make the organizations more efficient and responsive. In the current financial environment, it is both necessary and responsible to examine how the UN system can reduce duplication and improve on delivery of mandates. At the same time, reform should be guided by evidence and not by urgency alone. Efficiency is important, but it cannot come at the expense of effectiveness or mandate delivery. In this regard, Montenegro remains cautious regarding proposals for structural mergers, including the possible merger of UN Women and UNFPA. While we appreciate the work undertaken so far, we believe that Member States still lack a sufficiently clear picture of what this would mean in practice, particularly for governance, field operations, and the delivery of mandates. For us, it is essential that the unique role of UN Women, including its normative mandate and system-wide coordination functions, is fully preserved and strengthened. We also believe that the merger should not be viewed as the only path towards greater efficiency. We look forward to the Secretariat providing a more detailed examination of alternative non-structural models in a few days. A clear comparison of costs and anticipated savings, as well as implementation risks and impact on mandate delivery, would help ensure that future decisions are evidence-based and that the most effective option is ultimately selected. Similarly, practical integration, including country-level delivery, if it's pursued, member states should be provided with detailed information in advance —including expected costs and savings, operational implications, potential risks, and clear indicators for measuring success. Decisions of this scale require thorough analysis, transparency, and meaningful Member State oversight throughout the process. Madam President, Montenegro remains committed to a constructive discussion on the future of the UN System. We support reforms that strengthen the Organization and improve results on the ground., but we also believe that major structural changes must be carefully considered before their pursuit. Thank you.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [29:28]:

I thank the distinguished Permanent Representative of Montenegro, and now I'd like to give the floor to the distinguished representative of Dominican Republic, to be followed by Spain, Russia, and China in this order. Ambassador, you have the floor.


Dominican Republic [29:50]:

Madam Vice President, distinguished Executive Director, distinguished delegates. The Dominican Republic is grateful for the information provided in the framework of the UNAT initiative and the strategic assessment report on the possible merger between UN Women and UNFPA. We also take note of the legal advice prepared by the legal office, which contains information that is highly relevant and that must guide our discussions. We must express our profound concern over the legal implications identified in the document. The legal advice warns that in the absence of an explicit decision from the General Assembly, there is no specific legal mechanism to ensure the continuity of existing mandates, which could be adjusted or redefined at the time of the merger. This is an issue of the utmost importance for our delegation. We also support the call for any structural reform to safeguard the mandates of UN Women. The analysis also shows significant risks in many different areas. Agreements with host countries and basic assistance agreements would not be automatically transferred. The contractual commitments and agreements with donors wouldn't be transferred automatically either, which could lead to operational and financial interruptions. Harmonization of service conditions and staff benefits, as well as the integration of um, institutional systems and policies pose additional challenges that has not been fully resolved. Madam, for our delegation, the information provided thus far is not sufficient to enable this board to make recommendations on a possible merger. We support the request for alternative options to a merger, more work on operational models, and additional details on the associated costs, including the transition costs and impacts on human resources. Discussions on specific mergers must not be considered in isolation from the broader UNAT work. It's essential that any assessment include information and analysis on the impact on delivery on the country level, the specific technical capacities of mandates and operational implementation in each region. It's also important that the Executive Boards have enough time to evaluate this information and to draft recommendations in line with their institutional mandate. By way of conclusion, the Dominican Republic remains committed to UNATIM as an inclusive, evidence-based, and transparent process that ensures that decisions are made in full knowledge of the legal, financial, and operational implications. We must proceed with the caution and rigor that this matter requires, and always with the goal of strengthening and not weakening the ability of UN Women to fulfill its mandates to benefit all goals. Thank you very much, Madam Vice President.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [32:35]:

I thank Her Excellency for this statement. I would like now to give the floor to the distinguished representative of Spain. Ambassador, you have the floor.


Spain [32:47]:

Thank you, Madam Vice President. We support the ambitious reform program initiated by the Secretary General and the goal of the UNAT initiative to build a more effective, coherent, and efficient UN system. At the same time, we believe that any reform process must be based on evidence and preserve what works and strengthen the ability of the system to fulfill its mandates. In this regard, and getting straight to the point of the possible institutional merger between UN Women and UNFPA, we believe that any reflection on this must be based on the added specific value— start with the added value that both of these systems bring to the United Nations. These are complementary mandates, and this is precisely one of the strengths of the UN system in terms of achieving gender equality and women's rights. This is why, for Spain, any proposed reform must carefully weigh the benefits as well as the risks. These include— risks include possible dilution of mandates, heightened exposure to— of a merged entity to questioning that could affect the gender equality agenda, interruptions that could have an effect on the operational activities during the transition process, as well as potential repercussions on the political and financial trust of member states and donors in particular. For Spain, it's essential that any proposal be coupled with a rigorous cost-benefit analysis, as well as a risk assessment and an assessment of alternatives, and that the relevant governance bodies participate fully in this endeavor. Having said all of this, with the information currently available, Spain is in— is not in a position to support a merger between UN Women and the UNFPA as proposed, because we believe that there is not sufficient evidence to justify this. We, of course, remain open to discussing the alternatives that could help us to achieve the goals of UN 18 for both bodies to be able to effectively discharge their mandates. In order to achieve better efficiency in the work of both, both bodies in the areas where there is duplicity, like the fight against gender-based violence, we could propose joint and coordinated work with concrete proposals that would improve the impact, maximize synergies, and avoid overlap. Ultimately, efficiency must be evaluated alongside the added value that investments in gender equality bring that are widely recognized as a factor of economic and social and sustainable development. Thank you very much.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [35:37]:

Now I would like to invite the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation to take the floor. Ambassador, you have the floor.


Russian Federation [35:46]:

Thank you, Madam President. The Russian Federation would like to thank UN Women for the materials it's provided. Our delegation does not support the proposal to merge UN Women and the UNFPA. Madam President, we see in this proposal a significant number of problems, risks, and unresolved issues which, the way we see it, outweigh the supposed benefits from such a unification. There's still no clarity about the maintenance mandates of both organizations. There's no transparent financial model, and there's also the risk of overhauling the entity's powers to focus on a narrow thematic agenda. In light of the above, we support the efforts of the body studying alternative approaches which could help us to bolster the effectiveness and coherence of the UN system without changing the existing mandates of neither UN Women nor UNFPA. We believe it's important to maintain mandates across critically important areas such as lowering maternal and infant mortality in UNFPA's case, and in UN Women's case, the fight against poverty and lack of access for women, improving women's economic and social status. We believe support for the family to be one of the main areas of work for both entities. Transforming two bodies into a Women's Human Rights Council, which would work on sexual and reproductive rights, as well as the achievement of gender parity, as presented in the risks and upsides of the merger assessment will only see rollback from the achievement of SDG 5 and will definitively turn women's issues into a platform for activists. Therefore, with a view to finding alternatives, we believe that we should pay particular attention to differences in the way the two bodies work— different expert competencies, different working methods, different reporting systems as well. Madam President, we stand convinced that the executive boards of both bodies should play a key role in determining their future fate. They are the ones who have the powers to oversee the activities of both entities and are responsible before member states. Therefore, we believe that only states within the framework of the proper intergovernmental mechanisms can take reform decisions. We insist on the GA taking a decision on this issue no earlier than September 2026, after the end of the second regular session of UN Women's Executive Board, where states will have an opportunity to consider alternatives to the merger and to hold fully fledged consultations with all interested states. I thank you.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [38:25]:

I thank the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation, and now I would like to give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Bahrain, to be followed by Colombia, United Kingdom, and China. Bahrain, you have the floor.


Bahrain [38:41]:

Madam President, at the outset, I'd like to thank Ms. Simabahoos, the Executive Director of UN Women. Thank you for your presentation. The United Nations system is today confronting mounting challenges due to the acceleration of development across the world, political, economic, humanitarian, and development crises as well. Therefore, it's vital that we continue our review of the various opportunities for developing the organization's capacity, especially its capacity to achieve results. Thus, our discussion today is of particular significance as we can exchange views on how to bolster the organization's effectiveness and efficiency and to achieve the desired results. This also implies that reform efforts and the positive knock-on effects For mandates are important as applies to UN Women and equality between the sexes in particular. We support the SG initiatives, UN 80 in particular. It's an important opportunity to bolster the effectiveness and efficiency of the entire system to avoid duplication and allow the organization to implement and achieve its objectives in a consistent manner so that we can confront current challenges and future ones as well. Within this framework, we reiterate the importance of all reform processes being gradual and underpinned on convincing evidence led by member states within the framework of participatory consultations. We believe that structural reforms must guarantee greater effectiveness and efficiency for the organization so that it can discharge its mandates in a more consistent fashion. Furthermore, it's necessary for the aforementioned mandates to be flexible, clear, keeping in mind priorities, resources, and the expected results. We must also factor in the priorities of all states, their national legislation, and the idiosyncrasies of particular states. The above with a view to ensuring that the structural reform does not undermine mandates. Turning to discussions on the merger between UNFPA and UN Women, we must maintain mandates, the objectives of each entity, so as to ensure that any future proposal do bolster coherence, complementarity, and effectiveness. By way of conclusion, we will continue supporting discussions on UN Women in a constructive fashion so that we can build an organization that's more effective, coherent, and fit for purpose. And this through gradual and transparent reform led by member states.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [41:31]:

I thank you. Delegated of Bahrain. And now I'd like to give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Colombia.


Colombia [41:42]:

Gracias, señora presidenta. Thank you, Madam Vice President, and a very good afternoon, everybody. This discussion is not just a conversation on the institutional architecture. It's more about what's at stake is the way we organize two different entities in the system for entities to honor their commitments that has direct repercussions for women, girls, young people, and communities. Colombia's position is clear. We do not support a merger between UN Women and the UNFPA being used as the preferred option in this process. A reform of this nature needs to be demonstrated with sufficient evidence that it strengthens mandates, reduces risks, and improves implementation capacity. Unfortunately, thus far, this is not the conclusion we're able to reach from the analysis available. We recognize the need to improve coordination within the system. However, coordination does not involve absorption. The fact that there are some contact points between the mandates doesn't on its own justify a single structure. The question shouldn't be how to integrate these mandates into one single entity, but rather how to ensure that each one can implement their mandates with more clout, more clarity, and better political protection. Cairo and Beijing do not exist in a political vacuum.— they are subject to pressure, they're questioned, and efforts to reinterpret them within different multilateral spaces. Any institutional process that may open the door to revising language, reducing visibility, or modifying normative balances must be treated with extreme caution. The— it's also necessary that the analysis is based on operational experience. The mandates cannot be only measured in charts or written mandates. They are measured in their ability to support legislation, to sustain services, to support regional standards generate data to respond to crises and open spaces for participation. We take note of the fact that the evaluation identified some relatively limited functional overlap between UN Women and the UNFPA. There's also a lot of relationship between both entities and complementarities. The financial implications also require an in-depth review. The creation of a new entity could lead to transition costs, have an effect on donor trust and generate uncertainty, reduce the visibility of areas that already face financial difficulties. Nor can the process be designed from headquarters alone. Regional and national realities must be placed at the center of this endeavor and experiences must be The speaker's microphone was cut off.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [44:43]:

Thank you, distinguished representative of Colombia. And I would like to give the floor to the distinguished representative of the United Kingdom.


United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland [44:54]:

Thank you, Executive Director and Vice President. The UK is a strong supporter of UN Women and a strong supporter of the Secretary-General's UN80 reform agenda. Reform must lead to tangible improvement improvements on the ground. So we want to see stronger resident coordinators, less duplication, better alignment with cooperation frameworks and national priorities. Above all, of course, it must deliver more effectively for those that the UN serves, especially for women and girls across UN agencies. UN Women is central to this effort. As the UN lead— system lead entity on gender equality and the empowerment of Women. It plays a central role in driving this system-wide coherence, strengthening accountability, and embedding gender responsiveness delivery across the UN system. We encourage UN Women to provide ever more effective support to the resident coordinators and to work across the system to ensure gender equality is fully integrated at country level. We appreciate the efforts of UN Women and UNFPA to engage on the UN80 initiative we expect UN Women to actively engage across wider reform work streams beyond the question of the merger, including UN country team reconfiguration, expertise on demand models, and the regional reset to embed gender expertise from the outset and strengthen delivery for women and girls. Regarding the proposed merger, our position is straightforward. Insufficient evidence has been provided to date to make the case for us to support the merger at this time. We remain concerned about the risks to the distinct and complementary mandates of both organizations, especially at a time of increasing pressure on gender equality and sexual and reproductive health rights. For that reason, we require a cautious, transparent, phased process. This must include robust analysis of costs, benefits, and delivery impacts of a merger. Alongside credible non-merger options for the board's consideration. In the meantime, we encourage both organizations to pursue practical efficiencies now through closer collaboration, shared services, and stronger country-level coherence in line with the wider reform agenda. Fundamentally, any reform of these agencies should strengthen the system's ability to deliver coherent, effective, and accountable results. Results for women and girls. On that basis, we believe stronger evidence is needed before any decisions are made on structural change. Thank you.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [47:28]:

I thank the Ambassador for her statement.

Now, I would like to invite the distinguished delegate of China to take the floor, to be followed by Kazakhstan, Norway, and Philippines. Distinguished representative of China, the floor is yours.


China [47:43]:

Vice President, I thank Executive Bahoos for her briefing. UN reform and efficiency gains are the prevailing trend. UN Women's participation in the UNAID reform process is not only about institutional efficiency, but also about the healthy and steady development of women's causes worldwide. China would like to make 3 points. First, the well-being of women should be the starting point. Reforms should be grounded in upholding the institution's core mandates, focus on strengthening gender equality, and aim at promoting the comprehensive development of women. The results of the reforms should enable the agency to better implement the Beijing Declaration platform for action, continue to play a leading and coordinating role in gender equality and women's empowerment, and promote global cooperation on women's causes. Second, priority should be given to building synergies. UN Women and UNFPA have distinct yet complementary mandates. By leveraging each other's strengths, sharing technical expertise, and exchanging ideas, they can explore ways to deeply integrate their strategic plans, resources, data, and projects on the ground. They should establish a more efficient governance platform and operational hub to achieve mutual empowerment and create a 1+1>2 synergy. Third, development should be the primary focus. Reforms should effectively strengthen the pillar of development and reinforce the role of relevant entities as development institutions. It is essential to ensure the stability and predictability of core resources during the reform process to ensure uninterrupted on-the-ground delivery and that resource resources allocation aligned with member states' priority development needs, thereby better serving all member states. China supports UN Women and UNFPA in studying merger alternatives and looks forward to an evidence-based comparative analysis of merger and non-merger options, with the results released on schedule to inform member states' decision-making. We stand ready to work with all parties to participate constructively in the reform and advance the reform in a direction that meets the needs of the times and aligns with the expectations of all. I thank you. Thank you.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [49:49]:

I thank the distinguished delegate of China, and now I would like to give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Kazakhstan.


Kazakhstan [50:00]:

Thank you, Madam President. We thank the UN Women Executive Director Bachelet for her presentation. For our country, the promotion of women's rights is a strategic priority and a core part of our vision foundation for sustainable development. Over the years, we have focused on building a solid gender policy framework, aligning our national reforms with global commitments. Our progress on this path has been greatly supported by a longstanding partnership with UN Women. Kazakhstan supports making the UN system more efficient, transparent, and fit for purpose. While we embrace the UNAT efficiency goals, any major structural changes must be backed by solid evidence. We want to ensure that any consideration of a potential merger protects operational continuity and fully preserves the distinct mandates of both entities. Any such institutional shifts should be approached with care, guided by realistic assessments, and conducted in close consultation with member states. To guide the discussion moving forward, Kazakhstan highlights 3 core priorities. Priorities. First, preserving the comparative advantages and core mandates of both entities. UN Women and UNFPA each possess unique operational strengths and specific mandates that are complementary yet distinct. UN Women plays a pivotal role in global normative frameworks and accountability for gender equality, while UNFPA brings specialized expertise in reproductive health, family planning, and demographic data. Structural changes must reinforce these individual strengths and distinct roles. Second, ensuring the uninterrupted delivery of assistance on the ground. Both entities maintain active and vital operations that directly support local communities. Any potential transition must minimize administrative hurdles, respect existing host country arrangements, and protect services for women and youth. Third, maintaining strict cost transparency to preserve donor confidence. Any possible structural reform should deliver clear operational and financial benefits that outweigh the transition risks and costs. To move forward constructively, member states need a comprehensive assessment of expected efficiencies, implementation costs, and long-term impacts. In conclusion, we emphasize that the future of this initiative initiative must remain member-state-driven, transparent, and built on broad consensus. We are open to further discussions and look forward to receiving additional analysis to carefully weigh all implications. I thank you.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [52:42]:

I thank the distinguished delegate of Kazakhstan, and now I'd like to invite the distinguished delegate of Norway.


Norway [52:52]:

Thank you. Madam Vice President, Norway aligns itself with the statement held by the Republic of Moldova, but would also like to offer a few remarks in a national capacity. Norway strongly supports Secretary General's UN reform initiative. We want a UN that is fit for purpose, that delivers measurable impact for people on the ground. Grounded in its normative framework, efficiently, and as one. The credibility and relevance of our system ultimately depend on results. We expect ambitious and system-wide change. This means adopting common administrative systems, expanding shared services, and advancing integrated supply chains. This means concrete steps to strengthen coordination and coherence, including active support of the resident coordinator's strategic leadership at the country level. We will also accelerate the uptake of new technologies to drive efficiency and effectiveness. In this context, we see potential in closer integration between UNFPA and UN Women to better align policy and operational delivery and to strengthen our collective efforts on gender equality. However, let me be clear: Norway cannot accept any erosion of the mandates of UNFPA or UN Women. At a time when gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights are under extraordinary pressure, the normative coordination and operational roles of these entities must must be safeguarded no matter the outcome of the merger discussions. We all agree that any merger process must be evidence-based, clearly sequenced, and guided by a transparent timeline. Financing must match ambition. We call for stronger adherence to the funding compact, less reliance on earmarked funding, and increased joint resource mobilization rather than fragmented accelerated project delivery. We also support relocate— relocating functions to lower-cost duty stations. The Board has a vital role in advising ECOSOC and the General Assembly. Norway will act constructively, and they will strive to avoid placing unnecessary reporting burdens on the UN. Let us ensure that reform strengthens the UN and preserves its central role in multilateral cooperation. I thank you.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [55:40]:

I thank the distinguished delegate of Norway, and I now would like to take the floor, the distinguished delegate of Philippines.


Philippines [55:54]:

Thank you, Madam Vice President. The Philippines thanks UN Women for the briefing on its engagement with the UN80 initiative. We align ourselves with a group statement delivered by Spain on behalf of a number of member states. We welcome efforts aimed at strengthening the organization's effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, and impact in responding to needs of member states. For the Philippines, discussions on reform of the United Nations should be guided by several key principles: responsiveness to the priorities and needs of developing countries, respect for intergovernmental mandates transparency, accountability, and inclusivity. In the context of the UN development system, the Philippines supports reforms that enhance coherence, reduce duplication, and improve delivery at the country level. We recognize the important role of the Resident Coordinator System and encourage continued efforts to ensure that reform initiatives translate into tangible development results on the ground. At the same time, efficiency should not be pursued at the expense of mandate delivery. The Philippines reiterates its support for the objectives of the, of the Secretary-General's UN80 initiative. However, reform proposals, especially institutional restructuring, should be guided by a transparent, consultative, and evidence-based approach. Member states must be provided sufficient information to assess whether proposed changes will generate meaningful efficiencies and strengthen delivery at both headquarters and country levels. We welcome further clarification on the arrangements and safeguards that would ensure the preservation of key mandates and functions of the entities concerned. Closer consultations with country offices and program countries are essential in arriving at a better understanding of the potential implications and impacts of restructuring on operational effectiveness, program delivery, and support to national priorities. The Philippines further encourages a comprehensive assessment of report— of reform options supported by lessons learned from comparable reform processes and the presentation of alternative approaches. The Philippines remains committed to working closely with all member states to advance reforms that make the United Nations more effective, responsive, and fit for purpose, while ensuring that its core mandates and services remain strong and capable of delivering results for those most in need. Thank you.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [58:34]:

I thank the distinguished delegate of the Philippines. Now I would like to give the floor to the distinguished delegate of India, to be followed by Vietnam, South Africa, Cuba, and Nepal. India, you have the floor.


India [58:48]:

Thank you, Madam Vice President, and we thank the Executive Director for her remarks this afternoon. Madam President, at the outset, we welcome this opportunity to engage on the implementation of the UN80 initiative during this annual session. India reiterates its longstanding support for meaningful and evidence-based UN reform. As the international community faces enormous challenges, it is imperative that the UN remains fit for purpose, responsive to member states' priorities, and capable of delivering tangible results on the ground. Reform should strengthen the organization's ability to fulfill its mandates across the development, humanitarian, and peace and security pillars while ensuring optimal utilization of available resources. India recognizes the significant work undertaken so far under the UN Haiti Initiative, including efforts relating to efficiencies, mandate implementation, and institutional review. We remain committed to engaging constructively in these discussions and supporting reforms that will improve system-wide performance performance and delivery. India attaches particular importance to mandates implementation entrusted by member states to UN Women and UNFPA. Both entities play valuable roles within the UN system and have developed specialized expertise, partnerships, and operational capacities over many years. Any proposal on merger must ensure that the development outcomes for women and girls are not adversely affected. Madam President, We underline that discussions under Workstream 3 have significant implications for Workstreams 5, 6, 7, and 8, and therefore require a holistic and coordinated approach. Any proposals concerning regional reset, reconfiguration of UN country teams, or recalibration of the Resident Coordinator System must fully respect national ownership and be guided by the specific needs, priorities, and development objectives of program countries. We further stress that reform should not alter financing arrangements in a manner that adversely affects the resources processes, mandates, or operational capacities of agencies, funds, and programs, nor diminish the prerogative of national governments to determine their own development pathways. While system-wide coherence and efficiency are important objectives, they must not come at the expense of agency-specific mandates, operational independence, executive board oversight, or support for nationally owned development strategies. India remains firmly committed to the objectives of UN 18 Initiative and to advancing a stronger, more effective, and development-oriented We look forward to continued engagement with all stakeholders to identify practical and sustainable reform measures that enhance delivery, strengthen accountability, and respond to the evolving needs of member states. I thank you, Madam President.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [1:01:26]:

I thank the distinguished delegate of India, and now I would like to give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Vietnam.


Viet Nam [1:01:38]:

Madam President, Vietnam reaffirms its strong support for the Secretary-General's UN80 Initiative and its objective of making the United Nations more coherent, efficient, and fit for purpose. At a time of growing challenges and constrained resources, reform is necessary and timely. For developing countries, the value of reform must be measured first and foremost by its ability to deliver concrete results for people on the ground. Any structural reform should therefore enhance the capacities of UN entities to respond to national priorities and support country programs while avoiding disruption to ongoing cooperation with host countries. In this spirit, we support continued discussions on how to enhance coordination, reduce fragmentation, and make better use of limited resources. At the same time, decisions on structural reform should be evidence-based based, member-state driven, and guided by broad consensus across the membership. With regard to the proposed merger of UN Women and UNFPA, Vietnam believes that further clarity is needed on its implications for mandates, governance, and operational continuity. The mandates and institutional strengths of both entities should be carefully preserved, with particular attention to the needs and priorities of program countries where both organizations play important and complementary roles. We welcome the preparation of alternative options and encourage that Member States be given sufficient time to review them carefully. Reform should be both ambitious and prudent, inclusive and capable of strengthening delivery for women, girls, and all people we serve. I thank you.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [1:03:26]:

I thank the distinguished delegate of Vietnam, and now I would like to give the floor to the distinguished delegate Minister of State of South Africa.


South Africa [1:03:42]:

Thank you, Madam President. South Africa appreciates the update on the UN80 initiative. We continue to work towards a UN system that better serves human beings globally. Therefore, when we consider the possible merger of UN Women and UNFPA, South Africa will continue to reiterate its support for efficiency and cost-saving measures without compromising individual mandate delivery, effective governance, adequate funding, and country-level delivery, as well as safeguarding the UN Development Agenda, which includes the empowerment of all women and girls. In line with the QCPR, we support reforms that strengthen system-wide coherence. Complementarity, and impact, while balancing transformation costs with tangible benefits for people on the ground. We note the evaluation criteria in the report that seek to protect mandate, operational and programmatic capacity, as well as projects, and which asks important questions on political and managerial feasibility. We have noted the three options presented, as well as the risk analysis undertaken taken on a new entity. However, the possible imbalance across mandate components continues to be a particular concern, as we value all aspects of both UN Women and UNFPA. They are key contributors to sustainable development and fulfill important individual as well as cross-cutting roles in the states they partner with. While we appreciate the emphasis on mandate protection, Concerns also remain whether specific risk mitigation measures have been elaborated to safeguard mandate delivery. Receiving such information remains essential. We look forward to the Executive Board receiving the requested information to fulfill its governance responsibility by making a recommendation on the proposals to the General Assembly for its consideration. We thank you.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [1:05:45]:

I thank the distinguished delegate of South Africa. Now I would like to give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Cuba, who is the last speaker on our list. Cuba, you have the floor.


Cuba [1:05:57]:

Muchas gracias, señora presidenta. Thank you very much, Madam Vice President, Madam Executive Director. The delegation of Cuba believes that the inclusion of this item on the agenda of the executive border is timely. We've maintained that any reform process of the UN system must fully respect the mandates agreed by member states, must guarantee the equitable participation of developing countries in decision-making, and must preserve the intergovernmental nature of the organization and strike the right balance between its three pillars, respecting the specialization of each entity of the system. This has always been our clear position in all of the ongoing debates on the UNAT Initiative. As part of this initiative, we have been duly following up the— on the proposed merger of UNFPA and UN Women, and we've been clear in both executive boards that the reform must not affect the mandates of the entities concerned, nor must it weaken programs on the ground. Including the cooperation framework of the UN and the country programs that are currently in operation. We appreciate the efforts of both entities to present information for the consideration of member states, and while we have received initial documentation, we believe that the information received thus far is not enough to make an informed and evidence-based decision on the merger. It's necessary to have more information on what the safeguards would be, um, preliminary identified, um, and the order that actions would be taken to implement this merger exercise in light of the risks identified in the initial conclusions. It's also necessary to have details on how, um, this new structure would be created, how it would function in countries where there is currently no presence of these agencies. We must also define The impact that the merger could lead to on the financing from donors and safeguards, guarantees that any merger would not harm equitable geographic representation must be provided also, especially for countries of the Global South. For all of these reasons, we would appreciate having enough time to discuss the details of each each proposal, and in line with the decision adopted in the framework of the annual session of the Executive Board of UNDP, UNFPA, and UNOPS, we will be looking forward to more information provided by the entities on the proposed merger as well as alternatives for it. Thank you very much.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [1:08:43]:

I thank the distinguished delegate of Cuba for the statement, and we have heard the last statement for this topic of the agenda, and I would like to invite the Secretary-General to respond to the comments and questions that have been posed by members of the Executive Board. Madam Executive Director, the floor is yours.


UN Women · USG, Executive Director · Sima Bahous [1:09:08]:

Thank you very much, Madam President, and thank you very much to all of you, Your Excellencies, my esteemed colleagues. I really want to thank you for this afternoon's discussion, and also for your continued engagement, your continued candor, and also the support that you have brought to this process. That is an important part of the work that we do here together as UN Women and you, our board. I also welcome and would welcome more discussion on the basis of all the questions that you have highlighted here today. And also I think I welcome the ambition, both of us, all of us, that we can bring to this UNAT process. As you have heard us say, on June 26th you will receive the report of the alternative proposals. I hope that you will— we will be discussing that even more and more as you see it. Other— other requests that you have presented to us today and earlier also, we will be providing them in real time as much as possible, and we hope that we will continue our discussion on this. I think also the most important question that have been raised today is mandate protection. We share that, we share the concern, and we need to to make sure that our shared commitment to the mandate and to the UN, to our mandate and to women and girls across the globe, is safeguarded and is protected. And so will also be the issues of resources and the issues of impact. How we move forward in this process will also, my dear esteemed delegates, will depend also on member states, and the final decision is yours in this. We will do our utmost to present every piece of information that we have, that we can bring about to you, and we will continue to move forward. I think what I want to say is, again, I will repeat, you are in the driving seat. That has been my position from the beginning as UN Women Executive Director has been, and you've heard it many times, but I I will repeat it, that whatever this UNAT is going to present, to bring for women and girls, it must bring a strengthened gender equality architecture to the United Nations system that is able to serve women and girls more, better, and stronger, especially at a time when we are seeing the pushback against women's rights, the decline and the regression of the rights that, and the gains that we have made so I think you can count on me to be frank with you and to be honest and to tell you what I see based on my experience across the United Nations system and having one day sat in your place. So I will be happy to continue to be open to the discussions that you would like to have with us. You can also count on me to be guided by you you as well and as our Executive Board. Again, I will reiterate, protecting our mandate is non-negotiable. We must ensure mandates are protected in this process, but this cannot mean that we are going to stand still within this UNAT process. It must also mean that we strengthen our ability to deliver, to influence, to convene, to support change where it matters most in countries, communities, and the lives of women and girls. As we all have acknowledged, the status quo cannot be our ambition, especially again, I will repeat, at this time of pushback and at this time of regression on women's rights worldwide. So I look forward to continuing this discussion with you, including on the alternative options that we will be sharing on Friday., and all the best to all of us in this process for women and girls across the United Nations.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [1:13:25]:

Thank you. Thank you, Madam Executive Director, for your frank and clear responses. Now I would like to invite ourselves to conclude this point of the agenda if there is no further comments or statements at this point, and invite you to continue with the next point of the agenda for today's meeting, which is agenda item 4, audit and investigation matters. Under this agenda, we'll receive a presentation on the report on the internal audit and investigation activities for the period from 1st January to 31st December 2025, as well as the report of the Advisory Committee on Oversight for the period 1st January to 31st January 2025, and their related management response. Responses. In addition to the Executive Director and both Deputy Directors, we thank you for staying all the time with the Executive Board today. I would like also to invite to the podium the following colleagues: Ms. Anna-Karin Jetforce, Director, Strategy Planning Results and Effectiveness Division; Ms. Lisa Sutton, Director, Independent Evaluation, Audit and Investigation Services; Ms. Suzette Schultz, Director, Investigations Division, Office of the Internal Oversight Services, and Ms. Jennifer Lester, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Oversight, who is joining us online. First, I'm pleased to invite the Director of the Independent Evaluation, Audit, and Investigation Services, Ms. Lisa— Lisa Sutton, to present the report on the internal audit and investigation activities. Then I will invite Jennifer Lester, Chair of the Advisory Committee to present the report on the Advisory Committee on Oversight. Following these presentations, I will invite Ms. Kirsti Mahdi to provide some brief introductory remarks, followed by Ms. Anna Karen Judd-Foerst, who will present the related management responses. Without further ado, I would like to invite Lise Suton for her presentation. Lise, you have the floor.


UN Women · Director, Independent Evaluation, Audit and Investigation Services · Lisa Sutton [1:15:31]:

Thank you very much, Madame Chair. Good afternoon, distinguished delegates. Dear colleagues, I'm pleased to present the annual report on Internal Audit and Investigation, and allow me to first start by thanking my team of Audit and Investigation colleagues as well as OIOS for their diligent work last year. I would also like to thank the Advisory Committee on Oversight for their continued advice and support. In 2025, the independent evaluation Audit and Investigation Service continued to operate independently— in accordance with its mandate and professional standards. Last year, the Internal Audit Service issued 15 audit and advisory reports. Each one provided independent analysis and recommendations to strengthen the governance, risk management, and controls of the organization. They also highlighted positive practices. Management continued to take action to address the risks highlighted in our audits, and we continued to track their progress. At the end of last year, 2% of internal audit recommendations were long outstanding. This is a clear improvement from previous years and below the maximum 10% target, driven by follow-up efforts of the Strategic Planning, Results and Effectiveness Division. In 2025 and overall, the Internal Audit Service concluded that UN Women's governance, risk management and controls were generally established and working but needed some improvement. Management introduced several positive measures last year. For example, the quarterly business reviews that we've heard about continued with increased areas of coverage. The risk management committee met several times and reviewed top risks. The performance and results system for management went live, and UN Women was developing a people strategy. At the same time, there were some overarching areas for further attention. The second line, in terms of management oversight, is improving but could be further strengthened. The statement of internal controls process is progressing, with the next step to expand beyond financial controls. Mechanisms are needed to help minimize leadership vacancies, particularly in country offices. Clearer project management monitoring and oversight structures could help to deliver corporate initiatives and high-risk or larger projects. And information system technology risks, including cybersecurity, AI, and data governance risk, must continue to be monitored and addressed. Turning to investigations, UN Women maintains a zero tolerance approach to misconduct and is committed to ensuring that all allegations are addressed with independence, fairness, and due process. To support this commitment, the entity continues to implement a hybrid investigation model. All allegations of potential misconduct are received through an independent intake mechanism provided by OIOS. Both OIOS and the UN Women internal investigation function have the mandate to carry out investigations. Last year, 66 new allegations were registered compared to 76 new allegations in 2024. Allegations of potential fraud and financial irregularities made up about about 40% of the total intake, followed by prohibited conduct, other misconduct, and sexual misconduct allegations. This distribution is similar to previous years and reflects, in my review— in my view, the environment in which UN Women works, the way it works, and the policy and procedures which help to detect red flags should they occur. Every allegation received is carefully reviewed to understand and determine how it should be handled to ensure timely and effective accountability. In total, 21 investigations were completed last year, resulting in 11 substantiated cases. Looking ahead, the Internal Audit Service will continue to provide timely assurance on UN Women's governance, risk management, and controls. In line with its vision of being a trusted advisor, it will invest in its use of technology, people, and processes to further support management to deliver its commitments. IAS remains professionally staffed and in line with corporate cost-saving measures, is managing a reduction in non-staff budget. The internal investigation function was strengthened this year with the establishment of 2 fixed-term investigators. To free up further resources to invest in our investigation mandate, the Internal Audit Service is pivoting 3 of its staff from New York to Bonn to generate approximately $150,000 annually in pro forma savings. Savings. In closing, Madam Chair, distinguished delegates, I am proud of the work carried out by my dedicated audit and investigation staff. These services would not be possible without our small operations team. I'm also grateful for management's continued respect, their commitment to continuous improvement, and openness to engaging with our advice in support of stronger performance. The board can continue to have confidence in robust UN Women's oversight function one that supports the organization in delivering while helping to safeguard its resources and ensure that they are used effectively, efficiently, and responsibly. Thank you.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [1:20:36]:

Thank you, Ms.

Sutton, for your presentation. Now I'm pleased to invite Ms. Jennifer Lester from Advisory Committee on Oversight to present virtually the report of the Advisory Committee on Oversight for the period of 1st January to 31st December. 2025. Ms. Lester, you have the floor.


ACO · Chair · Jennifer Lester [1:20:56]:

Thank you, Madam Vice President. Good afternoon, Excellencies, distinguished members of the Executive Board. It is my honor to present the Advisory Committee on Oversight's annual report for 2025 as chair of the ACO. As you know, the ACO is an independent external advisory body that supports the Executive Director in fulfilling her oversight responsibilities. During 2025, the Committee held 3 in-person full Committee meetings in New York, engaged regularly with senior management, and held private sessions with the UN Board of Auditors UNOIOS, internal audit evaluation, and ethics function. We also reviewed the 2024 financial statements, internal audit and evaluation risk assessments, and plans for 2026 oversight functions. The ACO is pleased to affirm the independence and robust oversight of the independent evaluation Audit and Investigation Services. Turning to internal audit, the IAS continues to deliver independent, high-quality services. We welcome the strong progress in reducing longstanding high-priority recommendations from 45— excuse me— in February 2024 to 11 as of December 31st, and emphasize the importance addressing high-priority audit issues related to trust fund management, cybersecurity, and outsourcing governance policy and framework. On evaluation, we note the agility and contribution of the internal evaluation services. However, the Committee believes that stronger prioritization and follow-up mechanisms are still needed to meaningfully translate findings into organizational learning, resource allocation decisions, and performance management at the regional and country levels. Regarding investigations, we observed improved timeliness and effectiveness under the hybrid model with UNOIOS. While this model is working well, we continue to emphasize the importance of predictable institutional funding. Finally, on this, um, issue, we noted that UN Women received the 14th consecutive unqualified audit opinion from UN Board of Auditors on its 2024 financial statements. And while progress has been made in implementing the longstanding UN Board of Auditor recommendations, we urge of the remaining outstanding recommendations. Excellent. On ethics, we welcome the steps taken to continue to promote awareness and adherence to ethical standards. We are, however, concerned about capacity constraints following the departure of the ethics advisor in mid-2025 and encourage management's efforts to explore hybrid delivery models. Uh, in 2025, the ACO also conducted a review of women— UN Women's financial sustainability, governance, risk management and controls, and operational program management. Turning briefly to financial resources, we recognize that in 2025 the organization faced significant funding pressures. We acknowledge management's swift actions in managing costs, the proactive funding scenario planning and mitigation measures. In this context, the PIVOT initiative has proved relevant and timely to optimize expenditures. We also welcome the new partnership strategies and, and encourage the development of benchmark financial targets and innovative thinking on a sustainable financial structure. On financial statements, the Committee welcomed the comprehensive overhaul of financial statements. It significantly improved the clarity and usability, and we also welcome the timely finalization of the first Statement of Internal controls. Thank you. Uh, turning to human resources, the launch of the People Strategy was a positive step. However, the committee remains concerned about the risks posed by ongoing under-resourcing of the HR function, especially in the context of the pivot initiative. Effective communication and a comprehensive evaluation of the pivot exercise remain essential. Next slide. On information technology and communication technology, we noted the progress in implementing the Quantum ERF system. However, weaknesses do remain in cybersecurity controls, data protection, change management, and partner payment reconciliation. Sustained investment in ICT governance is important for operational efficiency and organizational credibility. And the Committee noted the continued maturation of enterprise risk management. Further strengthening, however, is needed to enhance corporate risk reporting to allow for better risk escalation and top-down monitoring of mitigation actions. And as reliance on external service providers is expected to increase, it is— address the longstanding internal audit recommendations related to third-party risk management, particularly in ICT and data-related areas. This concludes my presentation of the annual report. And in closing, the ACO commends UN Women for its continued commitment to organizational excellence and business transformation. In 2026, the Committee will focus among its, uh, as part of its portfolio on the implementation of the 2026-29 Strategic Plan and the steps taken to manage the impact of the evolving geopolitical and possible structural changes. We remain available to support the Executive Board and the Executive Director in strengthening accountability and organizational effectiveness. Thank you for the opportunity to present this report.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [1:28:16]:

Thank you, Ms. Lester, for connecting with us virtually and for presenting the report of the Advisory Committee on Oversight. Now I would like to invite Kirsti Mahdi, Deputy Executive Director, to provide some introductory remarks. Madam Deputy Executive Director, the floor is yours.


UN Women · ASG, Deputy Executive Director · Kirsti Mahdi [1:28:35]:

Thank you so much, Madam Chair, distinguished delegates, and dear colleagues. Let me just start with by expressing UN Women's sincere appreciation to the Internal Audit Service led by Lisa, the Advisory Committee on Oversight— many thanks to Jennifer, who's leading the team— and the Office of Internal Oversight Services for their professionalism and constructive engagement. Their work is providing valuable assurance and insight that helps to strengthen UN Women's governance, accountability, and effectiveness. The management welcomes the findings and recommendations contained in the 2025 Report of the Internal Audit and Investigation Activities, and the 2025 Report of the Advisory Committee on Oversight. These reports come at the time of significant change across the multilateral system. In 2025, like many organizations, UN Women operated in a more constrained financial environment, while at the same time responding to growing expectations for Member States and partners. Against this backdrop, strong governance, oversight, and risk management remain absolutely essential. We are encouraged that the Internal Audit Service concluded that UN Women's governance, risk management, and control processes were generally established and functioning. We also welcome the Advisory Committee on Oversight's recognition of progress made in strengthening the systems and structures. By the end of 2025, long-standing internal audit recommendations represented only 2% of all outstanding recommendations, reflecting stronger follow-up and closer collaboration across different divisions in Headquarters and across Headquarters, Regional Offices, and Country Offices. The Joint Management Response highlights a number of key messages. Firstly, both reports provide assurance that UN Women's governance, risk management, and oversight arrangements are functioning, while identifying opportunities to further strengthen accountability and consistency across our decentralized operating model. Secondly, UN Women management is addressing these findings through targeted actions to improve program delivery, risk management, oversight, and organizational culture. Thirdly, we are using these recommendations to build institutional capacity and sustain these improvements over time. This is key to ensuring that our governance our people, our resources, and systems remain fit for purpose in an increasingly challenging operating environment. Our management response also outlines actions on investigation matters, including safeguarding, organizational culture, and disciplinary follow-up, reflecting our strong commitment to addressing concerns promptly and appropriately. Together with robust oversight and assurance functions, these efforts are critical to upholding accountability and sustaining the trust and confidence that Member States and partners and you, Executive Board, place in UN Women. With that, Madam Chair, if you allow, I would like to invite Anna-Karin Jätforss, Director of Strategic Planning, Results and Effectiveness Division to present the UN Women management response. Thank you so much.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [1:32:28]:

Thank you, Madame Deputy Executive Director. Anna Karin, I have the pleasure to give you the floor for management responses.


UN Women · Director, Strategic Planning, Results and Effectiveness Division · Anna-Karin Jätforss [1:32:37]:

Thank you very much, Madame Vice President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, dear colleagues. On behalf of UN Women, I'm pleased to present our joint management responses to the reports of the IAS and the ACO., as well as management's response to investigation activities. Um, today's presentation really explains how we are leveraging findings and recommendations from these important independent oversight providers to strengthen organizational effectiveness, results delivery, and risk management. The IAS and ACO reports are distinct, but we also see several commonalities between them, and we've identified we provide 5 strategic priorities to strengthen effectiveness, accountability, and sustainability. First, we are continuing to align our country presences and organizational structures both with strategic priorities and available resources, and this ensures that our decentralized operating model is both financially viable and fit for purpose. Second, we continue to accelerate implementation of the pivot to regions and countries, while safeguarding operations. This includes enhanced workforce planning and monitoring, stronger succession planning and interim arrangements so that we ensure uninterrupted delivery of our mandate. Third, we continue to enhance our risk culture, uh, through updated policies and procedures, stronger quality assurance, and more systematic use of assurance findings to support evidence-based decision-making. Fourth, we're working to clarify roles and responsibilities of both first and second line functions across global, regional, and country offices. We are also reinforcing organizational accountability by strengthening internal governance and institutionalizing performance monitoring at all levels. And finally, we are expanding the use of integrated tools and platforms such as the quarterly business review, newly launched results management system Prism, various management dashboards, and tracking of audit recommendations, so we improve risk visibility and can ensure timely corrective action. Turning now to the IAS report, I would like to highlight 5 additional areas where management has taken action to strengthen accountability and performance. First, on strategic priorities, The systematic implementation of the planning, monitoring, and reporting policy has strengthened planning and delivery on strategic notes, and this has ensured that our ambitions are aligned with projected resources and supported by enhanced pipeline monitoring, donor mapping, and data quality. Second, we continue to expand risk-based capacity assessments and related capacity development for our program partners. Together with strengthened monitoring and assurance of partners. This has enhanced the quality of our program partnerships and improved partner performance oversight. Third, on product management, new procedures and templates have been introduced, including strengthened project documents with clearer baselines, enhanced risk and sustainability planning, and improved resource planning throughout throughout the project life cycle. And these measures help ensure consistency across programs and operational contexts. Fourth, we have strengthened project oversight and compliance by integrating PRISM tools, reinforcing appraisal and oversight committees of projects, and improving monitoring, donor reporting, and delivery tracking. And finally, we continue, as Didi Marie mentioned, to prioritize the timely implementation of internal audit recommendations, and this enhanced follow-up and really systematic engagement and partnership with our internal audit service has significantly contributed to this progress, um, to a historic low of just 2%, uh, long outstanding internal recommendations. And this really demonstrates management's sustained commitment to not just accountability but continuous improvement. Turning now to the management response to the ACO, I want to highlight 5 additional areas where UN Women is strengthening our governance and organizational effectiveness. First, on oversight architecture, we welcome the Committee's recognition of the integrated independent evaluation, audit, and investigation services model and the close coordination among oversight functions. On ethics and investigations, we remain committed to maintaining the hybrid investigation model with sustainable funding, uh, while further improving timeliness of investigations. We're also advancing a sustainable ethics framework through strength— strengthened policies, enhanced disclosure mechanisms, and broad awareness initiatives to promote a culture of integrity and accountability at all On financial sustainability, various organisational changes, including the recent establishment of the Integrated Resource Management Section, is helping to ensure holistic and forward-looking resource planning. And this is, of course, especially important as we prepare for the next integrated budget. On human resources and workforce planning, we are advancing on our new people strategy. And improving the HR operating model, uh, with an aim of ensuring that we have adequate HR capacity and a sustainable workforce structure. And finally, in implementing the recommendations of the BOA, we are building on our strong record of stewardship, having received our 14th consecutive unqualified audit opinion and maintaining now 5 years in a row without any long outstanding BOA recommendations. And this really demonstrates our consistent commitments to not just implement recommendations, but to translate them into concrete actions that strengthen our governance and accountability for results, uh, so that we remain well equipped to deliver on, on our mandate. Let me just conclude with management response, uh, to investigation activities and organizational integrity, uh, through our hybrid investigation model in 2025. Allegations were addressed efficiently and with due care by both OIOS and our internal investigation function. Management remains committed to a zero tolerance approach to misconduct, and we continue to take prompt and appropriate action in all substantiated cases. We're also investing a lot in prevention, including through enhanced screening such as via ClearCheck 2.0 and the misconduct disclosure scheme that goes for the full UN system and in fact beyond. We also have internally a global network of 127 focal points, um, which continues to operationalize our prevention and response efforts at the country level using a victim and survivor-centered approach. We've also expanded outreach on our accountability framework while providing personnel with access to ethics services, informal conflict resolution mechanisms, and confidential psychosocial support. So put together, these efforts really help us foster a culture of trust, awareness, and safety where personnel feels both supported and empowered to raise any concerns, knowing that actions will be taken. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, thank you so much for your continued engagement and support as we continue our efforts to strengthen accountability integrity and organizational effectiveness. Thank you very much, Madam Chair.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [1:40:32]:

Thank you, Anna Karen, for presenting the management response to both the reports. Now, distinguished delegates, I would like to open the floor for you, for member states. If you have any intervention, comment, or question regarding this agenda item, I now invite you to push the the bottom of the microphone so we can know who is asking for the floor and give you the floor. I have on the list Norway and Rwanda. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Norway.


Norway [1:41:08]:

Thank you, Madam Vice President. I deliver this statement on behalf of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, and my own country, Norway. We thank the Independent Evaluation and Audit and Investigation Service and the Advisory Committee on Oversight for their reports and insightful recommendations. Which provide valuable guidance both for UN Women as well as for the Executive Board. We further thank UN Women for its management response and follow-up recommendations. We appreciate UN Women's continued efforts to strengthen internal controls, risk management, and accountability. We underline the importance of the full independence of internal audit and investigation functions and their direct access to the executive board. Strong and independent oversight functions are crucial for an organization's accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness, and as well as for ensuring transparency and trust in the organization. Madam President, please allow us to highlight a few elements. First, experience shows that during periods of organizational change, risks tend to increase. In the context of UNATD and the pivot to the country and regions initiative, it is particularly important that oversight functions are adequately resourced. If caseload increases while budgets and capacity tighten, this might affect the delivery of the independent mandate. We also have to consider the opposite risk. A falling caseload does not always mean genuine, genuine improvement. It could instead reflect reduced access to or trust in reporting channels. Protecting the internal audit and investigation functions is not optional. It's rather a core part of managing institutional internal risk. We expect UN Women to provide the internal audit and investigation offices with sufficient capacity so they are able to discharge their mandate effectively and efficiently. Second, we appreciate UN Women's progress towards implementing the long outstanding recommendations. We wish to stress the importance of effective case processing in investigations and the management's follow-up of audit recommendations. Strong oversight depends not only on identifying weaknesses, but also on processing investigation cases of alleged wrongdoing efficiently, reducing backlogs, and ensuring that findings lead to corrective action. The ability to respond quickly and correctly is essential for maintaining donor trust and reducing exposure. Could you kindly update us on the status of the implementation of the remaining long outstanding recommendations? Third, we recall Decision 2023/5, Para 9, excuse me, which encouraged the Independent Evaluation, Audit and Investigation Service to undertake a proactive approach in high-risk areas that are susceptible to fraud, corruption and other wrongdoing.. We continue to encourage you to include a discussion of these efforts in the annual report. Fourth, we underline that internal audit and investigation must be seen as tools for risk prevention, learning, and institutional improvement. The common themes from audit and assurance engagement reports include recurring weaknesses in project management, oversight of partners, accountability, and risk management. Management. These are systemic issues that require sustained management attention. Oversight is most valuable when it helps organizations not only address individual cases, but also identify patterns, strengthen controls, and prevent similar issues from reoccurring. Our overall message is clear: in times of increased risk and pressure, internal audit and investigation Institutions must be safeguarded as a critical line of defense. Strong oversight is a precondition for accountability, sound risk management, and credible delivery. I thank you.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [1:45:59]:

I thank the distinguished delegate of Norway, and now I would like to give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Rwanda.


Rwanda [1:46:10]:

Thank you very much, Madam President.

Very good afternoon, colleagues, and thanks to the briefers— very useful, very informative— and Thank you very much. Again, we took very good note of the two reports and the management response. We had some time to read it. I think what we take away from these reports are encouraging developments and which deserve our recognition in terms of the conclusions which you reached at, that the work of the management and the risk management of UN Women is in the right direction, so we appreciate that. Just to echo what the Deputy Executive Director mentioned, the share of the longstanding recommendations that have fallen significantly from 11% in 2023 to 2% in 2025 is very impressive, and it means that actually that recommendations are being acted upon rather than just being recorded. We really appreciate that. Maybe beyond that, we also in the reports saw issues that Warren and probably the recognition of the board. One observation that stands out is that while the UN Women corporate system continues to mature, implementing at the field level remains uneven, and 3 of the 8 audits conducted in 2025 required major improvement. This is in the report. The recurring findings are familiar. I think we saw it even in other boards. Management, partner oversight, risk management, and organizational capacity. So what we take— it suggests that the challenge may no longer be the absence of policies, but rather ensuring consistent implementation across the organization. I think probably this is something that needs to draw the attention of the UN Women. Maybe from our perspective, we have one question and we will I would appreciate to hear from the management how they intend to address these recurring weaknesses and whether sufficient support and accountability mechanisms exist at regional level and country level to prevent these very findings to keep coming. And maybe lastly, do you have enough resources to do this work? Now, because in the report we saw that this liquidity crisis within the agencies is affecting anything, maybe also if the management report could speak to that, if you have what it takes to do what you need to do going forward. Thank you very much.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [1:48:53]:

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Rwanda. I don't have other requests for the floor, so now we return to the Secretariat to respond to the comments and questions that have been posed by the distinguished delegates. I think it will be a management response, so Deputy Executive Director, you have the floor.


UN Women · ASG, Deputy Executive Director · Kirsti Mahdi [1:49:15]:

Thank you so much. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for the very pertinent observations and questions that you have shared. So let me just make a few remarks, and then perhaps Anna Karen Jadford as well as Lisa may want to also comment, because some of the elements were sort of observations also on the function. So I would like to just really I really appreciate and reiterate the point that Anna Karin also was making earlier, that the management is absolutely 150% committed to full accountability, continuous improvement, and organizational effectiveness. We take this work extremely seriously. And I think we can proudly say that we have made good progress, but there's no question about that more work needs to be done. And I really actually want to appreciate the collaboration that we have with the independent oversight services and Lisa's team and with the organization. We are together— the observations and the recommendations that are being shared with us, we are having really in-depth conversations about those, addressing, for example, in the cases of investigation, addressing the individual cases exactly as the distinguished delegate from Norway was saying, but also looking at what are the systemic challenges that are there. So we have to work on those both levels, and that's about how we as an organization are maturing. I think I really want to appreciate the delegate, distinguished delegate from Rwanda, for your question, because this is the fundamental challenge for us. The challenge is, it's critically important, as Norway was saying, we need to be investing in the third line of response, but at the same— defence, but at the same time, we need to have the adequate investment in the first line and in the second line of defence. And the challenge is, in that, still, sometimes, when complex and decentralised operators environments where capacity is uneven. So there, this is why working on the accountability, clarity on the accountabilities, and making sure that all of our colleagues at all levels are aware of their responsibilities and accountabilities, and they have the capacity to, to fulfill those. So therefore, we are strengthening the second line oversight both at headquarters and at the regional levels by clarifying the roles and accountabilities across corporate policies, procedures, and governance mechanisms in alignment with the internal control framework. So that means having a clear distinction between first-line own— ownership of risk and controls and the second-line oversight guidance and monitoring function.. And we are doing that through continued strengthening of the corporate policies, procedures, governance mechanisms, and risk management processes, but also having the clear articulation, as I said, of the distinction of the ownership of risk controls and implementation. And yes, we do need resources for that, and that is the challenge— it is the challenge that we have. We need to be investing in the third line, but we also need to have more capacity to invest in the second line. So it is true that it is a challenging situation under the current financial context, but you can rest assured that we are doing everything possible from our side within the resources that we have to make sure that those systems are in place. We really are also strengthening further the oversight role of the Regional Director and providing more support consistently for the application of the internal control framework so that we can ensure that the risk and control issues are identified, they are escalated, and that they are addressed appropriately. There was also a reference by the distinguished delegate of Norway to the proactive approach, and I want to really highlight that, because when you are looking at the outcomes or the results of some of the audits because— and also partially because of the request that the Executive Board itself has made in consultation with the management— the internal oversight services, they have decided to follow a risk-based approach. This means that the audits are prioritized in offices which are assessed as having higher risks. So this is our systemic approach to really make sure that we are going— we are not just trying to get positive ratings, but we really want to make sure that actually the internal audit assurance is really addressing the areas where we think we may have challenges. And that, of course, means that there may be more challenging observations, but I'm sure Lisa can elaborate on that. More. But let me just, from my side, to conclude. You can be assured that UN Women management at all levels is absolutely committed to implement and to assure that we have our systems in place and that we continuously improve on those.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [1:54:49]:

Thank you. Thank you very much, Didi Kirsimaty. Now I would like to invite Didi Gubonzvata for some remarks.


UN Women · ASG, Deputy Executive Director · Naradzai Gumbozwanda [1:55:01]:

Thank you. Thank you so much, Vice President and Chair of this session. Just some quick 4 messages to add to the— as an addition on some specific points. We really appreciate, and I do, the Advisory Committee on Oversight. The close discussion the committee has with us and with me me, I can speak from my personal behalf, is to get feedback and support and guidance. So it's maybe issues that might not appear on the detail, on the text, but I just want to say to our esteemed board, it's a very important structure that we have in terms of support, equally to us as leadership. Secondly, since morning you had a deep discussion with us on impact, monitoring impact and results. And as part of our oversight, linking resources with results and looking at context is how we are strengthening our development results framework in monitoring the strategic notes. And our global management team has just approved an approach and we'll come back to you on the details. It allows allows us to really move into what you were expecting— you are expecting us to do— country-level impact, those strategy not showing results so that it's more not just the output and events and activities, but also being very contextual, understanding that we are delivering in specific context. The third point that I have is on the trust funds. I also just want to really appreciate In the last 3 weeks, we have had intense meetings, including with the various boards of the trust funds, the ELSI Initiative Fund, the Women, Peace and Humanitarian Fund, the Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, strengthening the governance of the trust fund and us building on the policy, and I'm very excited that this is one area that we are also closing and we would be providing further information to you, but it's very critical. And lastly is the people strategy. For us to deliver results and impact, it's about the people. So I just want also to so much really reconfirm and reaffirm the approaches that we are taking on the people strategy. Our people in the country in crisis countries are working in very hard environments and in refugee camps, in displaced camps. So this people strategy is more than just about the policies and the procedure, but also understanding the very, at times, very tough context with which our staff deliver at this moment. Thank you very much.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [1:58:02]:

Thank you, Didi. Now, Anna-Karin, would you like to join this responses. You have the floor.


UN Women · Director, Strategic Planning, Results and Effectiveness Division · Anna-Karin Jätforss [1:58:09]:

Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and thank you to the distinguished speakers for their questions and comments and for the encouragement as well. I wanted to respond to some of the specific questions. First, from Norway, on behalf of a group of countries, with regards to the status of the long outstanding recommendations. So out of the 11 in total that are long outstanding, there are 4 that are deemed high priority. So maybe focus on those. I can say briefly they're all on track to to be implemented by the end of this year. But we have the trust fund policy that the DED spoke to just now. There is one trust fund policy in the final stages of approval in the next week or so. And then we have another grantmaking policy that's under final stages that also will be finalized and approved in the coming months. We have, in response to the cybersecurity audit, a new policy on the use of personal and corporate devices also on track. To be finalized in the coming months. And the last one is on— stemming from the audit on outsourced services, where we will have a third-party management and outsourcing policy and procedure, again, all to be done within this year. Specifically on the question on anti-fraud, just to confirm that all our offices now undertake dedicated fraud risk assessments, and the outcomes of last year fraud risk assessments were presented and discussed with our Global Risk Management Committee, and then the findings and the outcomes from the top-down was also shared back with offices so that we're having both a bottom-up and a top-down approach in addressing any weaknesses. We've also been delivering refresher trainings this year to all country offices. We have a network of fraud risk champions who are training their colleagues so that we have broad awareness of anti-fraud risk measures, particularly on how to report. As you said, we do not see low reporting as necessarily low incidence. And so to really encourage and making sure that all staff have knowledge and confidence to report cases. So that's something that we're encouraging as well. I also wanted to respond to your comment around, in times of change and uncertainty, the importance of really using these recommendations and findings. So what we have done is we've embedded identified risks and materialized risks, including audit findings and recommendations as part of our work planning. So it's mandatory for offices to address any identified findings and also to do their own risk-based planning as part of the work planning. That's no longer separate, it's been embedded. And I hope that also partly responds to the comment from the distinguished delegate from Rwanda, because it's not only about having separate resources. Of course we need to have investments, but we're also trying to embed the risk management and the fraud risk and the audit implementation in everything that we do, so that it's also mainstreamed. But specifically, maybe to Rwanda, on how we are looking, you really put your finger on it. It's, in many cases, we have the policies in place, but the challenge is ensuring full and systematic implementation, including at the decentralized level. What we're doing to try to strengthen that, one is, of course, to invest in regional capacities, including in critical areas where we see risks, such as product management, procurement, strategic planning. So, we're really embedding that capacity at the regional level. That's number one. I think second, also on the monitoring of the performance on a regular level through the quarterly business review, it is to identify risks and to set corrective action, but it's also to build that risk culture so that offices are planning and adjusting based on identified risks. And then the final element I want to highlight is that within our policies and procedures, we are now doing, I would say, a better job at systematically defining and clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the different levels, particularly separating the first-line responsibilities as the owners of risk and controls, with the second-line oversight guidance monitoring functions, including the role of regional offices. So, we're systematizing also what we expect the different levels to do, and that will help us ensure systematic implementation. I believe that responded to the remaining specific questions, but if I missed anything, happy to ask.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [2:02:43]:

Thank you. Thank you, Anna Karen. Now, I'd like to invite Leda Diza, if you'd like to intervene as well, the floor is yours.


UN Women · Director, Independent Evaluation, Audit and Investigation Services · Lisa Sutton [2:02:50]:

Thank you very much and thank you very much, Chair, and the distinguished delegate from Norway on behalf of several countries and the distinguished delegate from Rwanda, thank you very much for your interventions, very thoughtful, very pertinent. I just want to echo and build upon what we have heard from management in terms of their respect and adherence to good governance, transparency, commitment to excellence. I truly believe that UN Women has a very strong independent oversight function, and what makes it unique among several agencies is the fact that we have independent evaluation, internal audit, and investigation together under one mandate. That brings efficiencies, and that also brings effectiveness. We will continue to interact directly with the board, as we do independently through our annual sessions, through our closed sessions, and I just want to reiterate our commitment— my commitment to to the board, to management for independent oversight and providing assurance on risks and providing elements to ensure accountability. Thank you.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [2:03:53]:

Thank you, Lisa, and thank you indeed to the Secretariat for these important responses you have given to the comments and questions by the delegates. Now, before we conclude this meeting, allow me to invite the Secretary-General to share with you give you some information on the following steps.


UN Women · Secretary of the Executive Board · Jean-Luc Boriez [2:04:12]:

Yes, thank you, Madame President. So just the practical information on where we are going from here. I would like to remind all delegations that the negotiation will start in about 30 minutes. We'll give you 30 minutes to move from here to the UN Women headquarters located on 220 East 42nd Street. For negotiation in person on the draft decisions, and the negotiation will take place in Room 1925 on the 19th floor of the building. I hope you are registered to be able to go through security, and then tomorrow we will start the session in this room at 10 AM, the plenary session.

Good evening. Thank you.


Albania · Vice President / Chair · Suela Janina [2:04:59]:

Thank you, Mr. Secretary, for this information, and this brings us to the end of this meeting with thanks for your engagement and contribution to the discussions, distinguished delegates, and also many thanks and gratitude for Executive Director, Deputy Executive Directors, and all the team of UN Women for being with us today and responding to our request for more information. And I would like now to adjourn formally the meeting. The meeting is adjourned. Have a nice evening, everyone. Thank you.