Statement?of the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Ms. Annalena Baerbock, on adoption of the resolution on mandate creation, implementation, and review for an efficient and effective United Nations
Today the United Nations General Assembly proved it can reform even in times of heavy pressure. With the adoption of the resolution on mandate creation, implementation, and review for an efficient and effective United Nations, Member States took an important step to make the United Nations more agile, more efficient, more effective, and fit for the future so it can better deliver for the people we serve.
With this major milestone under the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ80 Initiative, the General Assembly is underlining that it is here to act and willing, but also able, to reform and to modernize.
From the beginning of the 80th?session, it has been one of my key priorities as President of the General Assembly that we cannot continue business as usual with over 40,000 active mandates and 27,000 meetings a year. Mandate review is not only overdue after eight decades, but in fact lifesaving, as the pressure on this institution is high.
Today¡¯s decision will not only ensure that new mandates have clear objectives and more focus but also provide the tools needed to confidently adapt, merge, or retire the backlog of existing mandates, including review mechanisms, clear and objective retirement criteria, as well as leveraging the agreed upon ¡®Mandate Registry¡¯.
The end result will be a simplified and more coherent mandate lifecycle that has the dual effect of redirecting resources to where they are better placed, while alleviating the capacity constraints of Member States.
This is particularly welcome for smaller delegations who are constrained by the volume of mandates, many overlapping. Today¡¯s resolution and the work over the coming year will facilitate fair and meaningful engagement by all Member States.
While we mark this milestone, it is clear: it is one step in a much?larger Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ80 Initiative reform process, one that is both long overdue and increasingly urgent.
Member States¡¯ commitment to each workstream must therefore continue, in tandem.
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New York, 31 March 2026