(7th meeting) Executive Board of UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS (Second regular session 2026)

All right, colleagues, I declare open the seventh meeting of the Second regular Session 2026 of the Executive Board of UNDP and FPA UNOPS.
We continue with agenda item ten field visits.
Under this item, the board will consider the report on the field visit of the Executive Board of UNDP and NFPA UNPs to Panama, which took place from 11th to 13th of May 2026.
The report was prepared by participating members of the executive board and presents the delegations observations, findings, recommendations, and conclusions.
From the visit, I'm pleased to welcome to the podium Ambassador Lori Volloma, Vice President of the Executive Board.
He was also a member of this delegation that participated in the field visit, and he will soon provide this report.
But before we do that, we'll view a short video prepared on the field visit to Panama.
It will take a few minutes.
Video.
The Panama Watershed Plan provides ample opportunities for development.
We get a good sense of the symbiotic relationship between human and the nature.
And it's impressive how such support from D&DP from the UN system can enable communities, local communities to develop and to fulfill their potential.
Dend number two is well underway.
We've had this morning an excellent interaction with the Honorable Minister Javier Martinez Hacha, the foreign minister of Panama.
It was interesting to hear from a minister whose country, Panama, is currently in the UN Security Council and hosts a number of important UN agencies.
Especially UNFPA and UNOS and UNDP is doing, it has a real impact on the people of Panama.
You see behind me, for example, this great workshop Reenitos.
This is one of the great projects supported by UNDP, where the prisoner is given the second chance to reintegrate and to be part of the important society, but also to contribute to the employment.
The ministry's vision and leadership in implementing the Freedom Plan Plan Libertad with the support of the United Nations Development Program.
The whole visit has shown us a kaleidoscope of experiences that go to value what a ministry has been able to achieve.
We met with the authorities in charge of it, the institute we have in Panama, training students very impressed with the type of learning that is there, learning from real experiences.
Economic transformation is anchored on strong human capital.
And this is a good investment that's making.
The approach by Ise is to find solutions not just for today, but for tomorrow's challenges as well, and that's really robust.
We also visited Inade.
Inade is another fantastic institution looking across the whole country for an inclusive process for bringing people who are somehow left out of the equation to bring them back in and address the issue of skills gap that many countries face.
We had an interesting visit to the ad Center, Zero Bate in San Nicola, where UN FBA is providing incredible support to young people.
This is another demonstration of the impact the UN has on the ground in communities where it's needed the most.
We met a group of very inspirational young people who understand the mandate of the UN, but more importantly, understand their place in the world and the potential that they have to serve their own community.
We will hear more about this trip.
First, I give the floor to Vice President Vallma.
He will present the report and also share some reflections.
Please, Lori.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
I realize that the field visit is already quite far away in time in spring, the video was quite useful in reminding us of that.
But also, I want to emphasize from the start that written reports never do justice to the whole added value and also the atmospherics, what we can observe in real terms on the ground.
The field visit indeed was attended by the whole bureau and the timing of the field visit was in a way ideal in the sense that it was in the first half of the year still, and we could benefit from the observations made at the field visit for our work.
I also want from the outset to give huge credit and vote of thanks to Panama.
I don't know if Panama is represented here, but the field visit was of a high quality to a great extent thanks to the active participation of the host country and the excellent preparation that attention that was given to it by the highest level.
As is mentioned in the report, we had a preparatory lunch, hosted by His Excellency, Mr.
Eloy Alfaro de Alba, the permanent Representative of Panama here at the United Nations, but also by the Vice President of Foreign Affairs.
Also, I want to give credit to the lead entity of the visit, UNDP, and the resident representative of UNDP and her team there, who is also the Deputy Regional Director for Latin America and Caribbean Be of all de Montana.
Um, I think already from the organization of the visit, one can observe then broader theme.
That is the excellent interaction cooperation among the entities on the ground, be it on national aspects and regional hub aspects.
Panama, indeed, was not an obvious choice for a field visit in the sense that we are talking about a uh high income level country.
But it was interesting and I will get back to that to observe the added value of the United Nations system there on the ground.
But Panama is a hub for various UN activities and host 24 entities.
There is also that aspect.
Needless to emphasize the context, and it is elaborated in the report.
The context was very much not only what happens in the national portfolio of the UN, but also the regional UN as a regional hub, but also what is happening within the context of UN AT initiative.
I So one of the key objectives was indeed to observe the cooperation of UNDP, UNFPA, and UNPS on the ground.
But then we touched upon also the interaction particularly of UNFPA between UNFPA and UN Women, even though it doesn't fall in the remit of the executive board.
Second objective was, I've already mentioned, to observe the activities that have a regional dimension, regional hub, Panama as a regional hub of the UN system, and the third objective to identify development challenges associated with a number of issues from inequalities to water security in the Panama Canal watershed area.
Okay.
The visit as it was so well hosted, also meant that we could quite well explore the different levels of government and interact with them.
Indeed, we met with a number of ministers to start with the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
But also, as you could see in the video, we could in relation to each and every of the key themes of the visit, we could visit the UN activities on the ground.
The UN activities or the key themes rather are mentioned in the report and as well, we give examples in the report of the sites that were visited.
But I just want to emphasize one theme, not at the expense of the others, and it is that of the integrated delivery of the UN on the ground as a value proposition.
That I think, especially considering that we are talking about a high income country is an important theme and also then an observation to make.
So all in all, we visited sites related to water security and the Panama Canal Watershed.
You saw an example of the well, we saw that we visited a coffee plantation.
So that is because indeed and I had personally not really understood it.
The Panama Canal needs doesn't work with seawater flowing from the other ocean side to the other, but indeed, it needs, uh, uh, the water from the watershed of the canal.
And hence, there are some conflicting needs for the water and a need to understand the use of water scarcity as an important theme of development.
Panama Canal, obviously, we visited and met with the honorable administrator of the Canal, who is of ministerial rank in the system and visited various other sites related.
Science, technology innovation was an important theme.
You saw some of the sites on the video, and so was social inclusion, reintegration state capacity.
I just want to mention the the Ramenits workshop where we could see it on the video, we visited a site where industrial workshop, which is an initiative of the Ministry of Government's plan, which aims at at helping in the reintegration of the which helped the penitary system in the education of the in MDS Human capital technical education, employability was also an important theme.
It's worth reading the reports on that regard, it was interesting to meet the very, if I may say, energetic, dynamic Minister of culture who presented her work in the arts and cultural education.
Um with the support of UNDP, notably.
As all the three agencies were involved in our visit with a good balance, UNFPAs programs related to adolescent health, also the prevention of violence against women and girls was prominent.
You can read about that in the report.
I think when we made some concluding observations after the visit, I think one important one and it is mentioned in the report and it was maybe for me personally, let's say, when the visit started, it was not so obvious, but in the end, it was illuminating, if I may say, was that what is the added value of the UN in a country like Panama? It was very clear on the ground.
It was very clear when we visited a project of UNPS project, which was about the construction of the fourth bridge over the Panama Canal.
It was very clear when we visited a project of UNDP in education related to education and the UNFPA project.
One is the convening power, but it is beyond that, it is adding credibility and adding continuity to government interventions in the various sectors and policy areas.
This is where the UN through these agencies is irreplaceable.
It does add significant predictability and in a way, trust to the market in in these conditions.
And I'd also say that one it was interesting for me was, well, I've been to many countries, including Post where the UN and worked with the UN system, but now to see it as presented by the UN anyway, it was interesting to see how really the UN agencies, and in this case, resident coordinator is strongly a committed and such a key figure.
It's about the convening power as well, but beyond that on the ground.
But also that many projects cut across the mandates of the organizations.
Actually, many of the projects, and here, this was directly relevant for our discussions on UNH.
I I am not going to say much more on this visit, which was, I believe, highly useful for the Bureau.
Please go through the report or if you have any questions.
I believe we have a few minutes.
I I'll just end by saying something on the timing of the visits.
As I mentioned, it was good.
One takeaway is that ideally, the timing is such that it relates to discussions and processes here at the UN so that we get a better understanding of those.
But then there's been a lot of discussion as well on another aspect of time, that is the time dedicated to the visit.
Now the visit was very efficient.
We had a very intense program starting the first evening upon arrival, a lot of high level meetings and all that.
It was quite rationally planned.
We had dropped some sites.
Such as an important biodiversity site on the opposite coast, if I'm not mistaken, where we didn't go because simply we didn't want to travel crisscross the country.
We wanted to focus on meaningful issues closer.
But I'd say that these visits merit the time that is given.
As a personal observation, let's try for the forthcoming visits to give enough time Sometimes in New York and people can be skeptical about field visits.
I myself, I'm a strong proponent of those.
It is part of our work to observe, not just to be curious, but to observe things on the ground and to do it with all the seriousness, its merits and these field visits is time well spent.
Good.
Hopefully, I didn't my time, but thank you.
Thank you, Lori.
There is no time limit.
Very much welcome these reflections.
And indeed, I also want to thank the government of Panama and the authorities not only for their effort in facilitating this visit, but for the support they provide to the agencies that are governed by this board.
There was a very good cooperation.
It's obvious, good interaction between the agencies and the government and the authorities, and that's much important.
The work of the agencies is very much visible and through these visits, I think you get a good sense about what the UN represents in many parts of the world because the agencies and the work they are doing for the people in those countries is the mirror of the United Nations and it's so significant and that's the impact of some of the conversations that we have in our mix here.
I would also say these visits have a lot of value.
Indeed.
And with the appropriate level of investment, political, they do inform, indeed, a number of the deliberations we have in the board and be on the board.
As well.
It was very useful and indeed we timed the visit in a way that would inform some of the conversations in the board in the annual session in June and beyond that as well.
As we were in the middle of the UNAT conversation, they're useful for any other reflections that we have as a wider membership of the United Nations on the system itself, so very much valuable.
Of course, I would encourage for the future to maintain the same timing in between the first regular session and the annual session, I think it's a good timing rather than towards the end of the of the year.
Length wise, of course, it depends on the next president.
As far as I'm concerned, we want it to be focused and we spent three full working days plus half a day going and half a day coming back.
I think it was worth it anyway.
Of course, we invite member states to reflect on this visit.
It's not just bureaucracy, it's very much important.
Any views or reactions you may have now, of course, they're much welcome.
Questions as well.
Very much welcome.
I do have Randa speaking on behalf of the African group.
Randa, please.
Thank you very much, Mr.
President, for giving me the floor.
I am delivering this statement on behalf of the African group on the recent visit of the executive board.
First, the African group recognizes and appreciates the value in these field visits.
We find real melt field visits by the executive board because they bring the board's oversight close to realities on the ground.
They allow us to move beyond documentation and understand firsthand how UN programs are being coordinated, implemented, and supported under the country conditions.
Secondly, these field visits are directly linked to the mandate of the executive board.
Our role is not only to approve and review, but also to monitor and understand how UN country teams are supporting member states to deliver on their priorities.
We must ensure that country programming is implemented effectively and in line with the needs, commitments, and strategies of member states while also ensuring coherence among our UN entities where collaboration is very important.
And third, Mr.
President, African group underscores that field trips should lead to action, not only reflection.
We appreciate the lessons learned and observations generated through these engagements.
However, we also want to emphasize clearly that lessons learned must be implemented and the board and the wider UN system should avoid the risk of simply shelving some of these lessons.
If we take the time to travel, consult, and observe, then those insights must be translated into concrete improvements in program, design, delivery, follow up mechanisms, and accountability by the board.
Fourth, Mr.
President and colleagues, we believe these visits should strengthen our follow up and learning culture.
That means ensuring that recommendations are tracked, clarifying responsibilities of implementation by the relevant actors, and reporting back to the board on what has changed and as a result of the field observations.
Finally, Mr.
President, the African group encourages the Secretariat and the country teams to continue using these observations to both track the success and the challenges we all see when we go to these visits.
We reiterate that the group's support for the executive boards trip views as a valuable tool for oversight and learning aligned with our mandate to monitor how country teams support member states and how country programs are implemented.
We also call for a stronger follow up so that lessons are acted upon and used to improve performance rather than being set aside.
Thank you very much, Mr.
President.
Thank you, colleagues.
Thank you very much, I think, Brando, for the statement, for the comments on behalf of the African group.
If I may, because this conversation is indeed very much important, and these type of visits serve I think an important objective, which is, first and foremost, a direct knowledge on how the entities work on the ground.
Themselves, I think they do encourage better coordination and cooperation among themselves.
As it's a stro message for the host government that the headquarters, indeed, the work of those organizations in the UN system is very much followed carefully and thoroughly.
Now, of course, there are different experiences between different countries and that's why I think there is a geographical rotation of these field trips.
There is also in addition, I think all the boards, they do have their own regional trips, and there is a joint field visit of the boards, which is meant to strengthen coherence among the agencies in the US system.
I think one of the functions of these visits is indeed the level of guidance provided by member states from the headquarters, here from New York to the entities themselves and to the host government.
I think has the potential to strengthen the coherence of the action and it's important.
That's why, of course, through this engagement we have after these visits is not only meant to fulfill a bureaucratic type of function or exercise, but to share the reflection and also to invite member states to reflect on how this could be and how this is transformed into action.
I think that's a valid point, how to transform the reflections into action.
It does happen.
I could see that I've been serving in the board as vice president for two years before that, now as president, there is quite a lot happening.
Also, the organizations, the agencies themselves, they do absorb the lessons from those visits in what they do here at the headquarters as well.
All in all, there is a good potential which indeed has to be very well utilized.
Now, any other comments or questions? Lori.
You have a comment or question I'm asking? No.
Come on, you should.
No, only if you feel like, but I want to thank you as well for the effort because the report again goes into the substance of this interaction and that's very much important in capturing the overall spirit of the conversations we've been having during this trip.
Thank you very much, Lori and thank you, colleagues.
Thank you.
Now, this concludes consideration of agenda item ten field visits.
But if there are no objections, I take it that the Executive Board wishes to take note of the report on the field visit of the Executive Board of UNDP and FPA Us to Panama.
It is so decided.
We continue now with agenda item 11 adoption of Decisions.
Under this agenda item, we will consider the draft decisions before us for adoption of this second regular session.
We have six draft decisions for adoption.
Item two, if there are no objections, I shall take it that the executive board wishes to adopt the draft decision on the agenda item two, update on the assessment of how the executive board executes its governance and oversight functions.
It is so decided.
If there are no objections, I shall take it that the Executive Board wishes to adopt the draft decision on the agenda Item three, UNDP structured funding Dialogue.
It is so decided.
If there are no objections, I take it that the executive board wishes to adopt the draft decision under Agenda item five, UK structured funding dialogue.
It is so decided.
If there are no objections, I take it that the executive board wishes to adopt the draft decision under Agenda Item seven, UOP's financial, budgetary and administrative matters on the update on the distribution of excess reserves.
It is so decided.
If there are no objections, I take it that the Executive Board wishes to adopt the draft decision under Agenda Item eight, UNPs process innovation and Digitalization program.
It is so decided.
If there are no objections, I take it that the Executive Board wishes to adopt the draft decision under Agenda item nine, engagement with the UN AT initiative.
It is so decided.
These decisions adopted by the board together with the summary of the proceedings will be reflected in the report of the second regular Session 2026 to be circulated in due course.
I would like to thank very much the facilitators of this decision.
I know there have been intensive consultations and discussions throughout the week.
I do think that I want to thank facilitator and also delegations for the effort put into it, but particularly the investment, the energy invested in these decisions is very much acknowledged and the effort put behind.
I want to acknowledge by name the facilitators We have agenda item two, the update on the assessment of the House Executive Board executives governance and oversight functions.
Thank you very much to Mr.
Robert Key Namura from Rwanda, who also facilitated agenda item nine engagement with the UN AT initiative.
Thank you very much, Robert.
The item three, UNDP structure funding dialogue, Mr.
Hadi Labi from Tunisia.
Thank you very much.
Item five, UNFPA structured Funding Dialogue, Mr.
Jo Lindberg Kursiv from Finland.
Thank you very much.
Item seven, financial, budgetary and administrative matters.
We have misses Sasha K.
Watson from Jamaica.
Thank you.
And Agenda item eight, process Innovation and digitalization Program.
Doctor Gabriel A Hosn from Romania, thank you very much.
And thank you all colleagues for the effort that you have invested in these decisions.
I think that was a very good warm up for the season that comes in the committees with a large number of decisions and discussions.
Now this concludes the consideration of agenda item 11, and we revert now to agenda item one, organizational matters.
We will consider the tentative work plan for the first regular session 2027, and I invite misses Masa Jaafai, the Secretary of the Executive Board to present the tentative work plan for the first regular session 2027.
Mr.
Jafar, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Good afternoon, distinguished delegates, members of the executive board, and observers.
As we conclude the second regular session 2026, allow me to briefly introduce a tentative work plan for the first regular session, 2027, scheduled to take place 25-20 8th of January.
Tentative work plan has been circulated for the board's consideration.
It is aligned with the draft 2027 annual work plan and has been reviewed by the Bureau.
As usual, it remains subject to adjustment as required.
At this stage, the session is structured as follows.
On Monday, 25th of January, the session will open with organizational matters, including the adoption of the agenda and work plan for the session.
The report of the second regular session 2026 and the 2027 annual work plan of the Executive Board.
The remainder of the morning will be devoted to the joint segment on engagement with the UNA initiative.
In the afternoon, the joint segment will continue with the recommendations of the Board of auditors and risk management.
On Tuesday 26th of January, the UNDP segment will begin with the interactive dialogue with the UNDP Administrator.
In the afternoon, the board will consider the joint item on organizational culture, including the joint update and address by the chairperson of the Staff Council and the annual report of the Office of the Ombudsman for the United Nations Funds and Programs.
This will be followed by the items on addressing racism and racial discrimination and the assessment of how the Executive Board executes its governance and oversight functions.
On Wednesday 27th of January, the UNFDA segment will begin with a statement by the UNFDA Executive Director.
In the afternoon, the UNFPA segment will continue with the item on evaluation, followed by the remaining UNDP and UNFPA items on country program documents and related matters.
On Thursday 28th of January, the UNOPS segment will begin with a statement by the UNOPS Executive Director, followed by consideration of the UNOPS process innovation and digitalization program.
In the afternoon, the board will consider the report on the joint field visit of the executive boards of UNDP, UNFPA UNOPS, UNICEF, UN Women and WFP.
The session is expected to conclude with the adoption of the decisions under consideration, followed by the adoption of the tentative work plan for the annual session 2027 and the closing of the session.
Mr.
President, allow me to briefly introduce the draft 2027 annual work plan of the board, which forms part of the documentation before the board.
The draft reflects standing agenda items, reporting requirements for 2027 and issues that have emerged over the course of this year.
It remains under review and the Bureau and Secretariat will take account of any additional reporting requirements arising from the decisions adopted at this session.
Delegations may submit any further comments to the Bureau for its consideration.
The annual work plan will be formally adopted at the first regular session 2027 and as usual, may be adjusted over the course of the year.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
It has been a pleasure working with all of you, the Bureau, and all members and observers throughout the year.
On behalf of the EB Secretariat, I would like to thank all delegations for their continued cooperation and engagement, and we look forward to welcoming you back for the first regular session in January 2027.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr.
Jafari.
Comments, questions, I do recognize Rwanda, Robert.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much, Mr.
President.
I don't think I have questions or comments.
I just want to take the floor to express thanks to you, Mr.
President, and then the board for having chosen Randa and myself to lead on the two decisions.
I wouldn't have reached where we did without, of course, the colleagues who constructively engaged with a sense of responsibility to come up with a decision.
I think that's what I saw within the group.
I really thank thank thank them for their cooperation and to my few colleagues like I the colleague from Brazil, France, Finland, creating small groups.
Thank you very much for help.
I really appreciate that.
To also our Secretariat people, to the agents people who were present all the time to provide all the answers that we needed during our negotiations, which made it easier even where we got stuck.
We really thank you for that.
To Masa, thank you very much for your guidance, even where we got stuck a little bit, and thank you for reminding us all the time to keep the time, but also to keep focused on where we need to be.
And lastly, I think it's the people, I think they call them the editors.
I think the editors, when I was saying some of the two editors were helping me to capture.
Even before I understand what the delegate is saying, they have already captured it.
Sometimes I was thinking, why did we even invent AI? They are more speedier than the AI itself.
I have very high respect for these people who are capturing some of these different views and how we're putting them together.
Thanks very much.
Again, colleagues, thank you very much.
Mr.
President, thank you very much for trusting me.
Thank you.
Thank you, and thank you again.
Any comments on the tentative work plan? I think there is enough time planned for the session in January.
If there are no comments, and if there are no objections, I take it that the board wishes to approve the proposed tentative work plan for the first regular session 2027.
It is so decided.
We conclude agenda item one as well organizational matters, and I also wish to remind the board that the annual work plan 2027 as presented in document DP slash 2026 slash CRP two will be finalized in consultation with the Bureau and presented at the first regular session 2027 for approval.
Now, with this, we are coming at the end of the session.
I want to thank you all for your cooperation and your support.
And with this, I now declare the second regular session 2026 of the Executive Board, UNDP, and FPA UNOS closed.
Thank you very much.