Ad hoc Working Group on Mandate Implementation Review - General Assembly, 80th session

Welcome, colleagues.
I call to order the informal meeting of the working group.
Let me do that again.
I call to order the meeting of the ad hoc working group on mandate implementation review.
I have the script from the last time.
On behalf of Ambassador Pratt, I warmly welcome all of you to the first working group meeting on mandate implementation review.
I looked at my script a while ago and I saw on behalf of Ambassador Schalger that's when I knew something was wrong.
Let me begin by expressing our appreciation to the president of the General Assembly for trusting us to continue to lead this effort.
We are humbled by the confidence reposed in us.
We also thank her for her leadership and her team for the support rendered to us, especially during the first phase of this effort.
I would also like to thank Her Excellency miss Merita Pratt, the distinguished permanent representative of Norway, for accepting this awesome responsibility of co chairing this working group.
I also thank her team in advance for the work that lay ahead.
Allow me to pay special tribute to the distinguished permanent representative of New Zealand, Her Excellency, miss Carolyn Schrager, and her entire team from New Zealand for the exemplary collaboration and camaraderie during the first phase of our work on the informal ad hoc working group.
I take this opportunity to express my appreciation as well to the Secretary-General for his leadership and for his commitment to fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to the Secretariat in resolution 82 51.
In that same vein, I would like to thank Under Secretary-General Guy Rider and his entire team at the Secretariat for their steadfast support and collaboration throughout this process.
Finally, let me thank you, the membership of this working group for the spirit of collaboration and engagement that must be held up as an example of how we can work together as member states to ensure that this organization becomes more efficient and effective for the people we serve.
I'll give the floor to Ambassador Bratst to deliver her opening remarks.
Thank you, Ambassador Wallace and thank you also for your kind remarks.
Thank you and team Jamaica, for continuing your leadership and co chairing the working group.
Let me also pay tribute to Ambassador Carolyn Schalger and Team New Zealand for their leadership with you in the first phase of this process.
It has been exemplary and an inspiration for the rest of us.
Team Norway is ready to go, both because we find the UNA initiative to be one of the most important and consequential processes at present in the UN, but also because the way the informal working group was led by Jamaica and New Zealand makes us believe that it is possible to come to a good result when we look at the implementation now of resolution 80 slash 251.
Back to you, Ambassador Wallace.
Thank you so much, Marta.
Let me also say how much we welcome the fact that we have interpretation services for this meeting and we look forward to the same being provided for our future meetings as well.
Colleagues as promised a roadmap outlining our proposed work plan for the next few months has just been shared with you.
You may also access it from the QR code.
Via email.
Next meeting, we will have QR codes.
In paragraph 33 of resolution 80 slash 251, the General Assembly decided that we would meet a number of deliverables in accordance with certain timelines.
We have designed our work plan to meet these targets and the roadmap reflects that effort.
The first of these deliverables is the development of concept note, resolution, and decision templates, as well as model mandate implementation review and retirement clauses by May 30, 2026.
This is set out in paragraph 33 D, Roman one, it is with a view to implementing paragraphs 2 and 5 of the resolution.
In paragraph two, you will recall it was agreed that proponents of new mandates would provide for the information of member states, concise concept notes which include the context and rationale, objectives and expected impact, the mandate landscape, proposed mandated activities, indicative financial implications, the technical Secretariat at focal point, UN system implementation lead and implementation timelines.
And in paragraph five, member states committed to drafting and adopting clearer and more concise mandates, which include inter a mandate implementation review clauses and as appropriate, mandate retirement clauses.
We have therefore also shared draft templates and model clauses for your perusal and contemplation.
And we invite you to submit written comments on these documents by close of business on the 15th of May.
We take this opportunity to advise that the draft templates and model clauses we have provided for your consideration reflect our efforts to draw on best practices across the UN system and will continue to benefit from technical advice from the Secretariat.
We will convene a general consultation with you on the 20th of May to hear your views, suggestions, and reflections.
At that meeting, we will spend half of the session on the templates and the other half on the model clauses.
We will then revise the drafts and circulate them to you on the 29th of May 2026, in order to meet the deadline in Paragraph 33 D Romani.
I give the floor now to Ambassador Ratter.
Thank you.
Now, paragraph 33 D Roman three mandates us to develop clear and objective criteria to guide decisions on the renewal, adaptation, and merger, replacement or retirement of GEA mandates as outlined in paragraph 21.
And subparagraph Roman four require us to develop modalities to guide the review of the existing stock of general assembly mandates as referred to in Pars 22 and 25.
These two sets of deliverables are to be done by the end of August this year.
Therefore, on the 5th of June, we propose to meet for an initial exchange of views on the criteria and the modalities, following which we as co chairs, will prepare and circulate a non paper on both issues for your consideration and feedback.
We will then convene a series of 490 minute informal consultations on the 16th and 18th of June.
That is, two on each day, which you will be able to attend at your convenience.
Sign up modalities will be shared ahead of these informal consultations.
We will then convene another meeting of the working group to exchange views altogether on the criteria and the modalities and reactions to the co chairs non paper.
We will continue to consult and further refine the criteria and modalities over the ensuing weeks until the end of July and we'll communicate with you next steps on the way forward by that date, while bearing, of course, in mind the usual unavailability of delegations that may take summer breaks in August.
Also, by the end of July, we will receive and consider the Secretary-General review of mandated Secretary-General reports as set out in Paris 16 and 33 D Roman two.
We will communicate further with you at a later date on this deliverable and further consultations with the Secretariat.
This colleagues includes our updates for today.
Having just shared the documents and information, it's not anticipated that we will hear statements from you today unless you have any brief initial reflections you wish to share.
You may think about that while I first give the floor to Ayakasuki, director in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, and then we'll come back to you.
Hi.
Thank you very much, co chairs.
Thank you so much for inviting me to participate in the first meeting of the ad hoc working group on mandate.
I would also like to start by expressing my appreciation for Ambassador Schoger and Te New Zealand for an amazing job they've done as co chair of the informal ad hoc working group and the previous one, as well as Ambassadors Braisted and Ambassador Wallace for taking on this very important responsibility for this phase of your work.
We look very much forward to working closely with you to ensure that the implementation of mandates resolution delivers on its promise.
What we have been doing, the co chairs have asked us to provide an update on the steps that the Secretariat has been taking to date to implement the General Assembly Resolution 80 slash 251.
I'm pleased to report that progress has already been made across a range of areas.
So as some of you may have seen, the guide that we have shared two weeks ago now, progress and Next Steps comprehensive guide to UN 80 Initiative work packages, includes references to some of the work underway in the area of mandate creation implementation and review.
In particular, please look at pages 33 to 37.
Let me briefly outline some of the progress achieved to date, as well as next steps that we are planning, following the mandate life cycle structure used in resolution 80 slash 251.
So on mandate creation, Paragraph four of the resolution requested us to further develop the mandate registry as a critical reference tool for member states.
Work in this area is continuing and a number of new functionalities have already been introduced.
First, we have introduced a new functionality allowing users to compare successive versions of resolutions.
A presentation document from a technical briefing session on the mandate registry held previously is also available through the UNAD website for those of you who would like to have more practical information.
Secondly, we will soon update the mandate registry to incorporate new resolutions that are cited in the upcoming proposed program budget for 2027, which member states will receive in a few weeks' time.
Third, additional functionalities will be rolled out in stages over the coming month in order to support a system wide perspective and enhance coherence across the UN system.
Obviously, we will continue to work closely with the co chairs to identify additional opportunities for the enhanced functionality of the mandate registry.
As a reminder, it's mandates.un.org to support decision making throughout the mandate life cycle as referenced in paragraph 30 of the resolution.
In paragraph three and six of the resolution, member states requested the Secretariat to provide enhanced administrative and technical Secretariat support to proponents of mandates and to provide relevant resources, including information on the financial implications of commonly mandated activities.
We have had first discussions on how best to present existing information to member states.
The intention is to make these resources available through a centralized website, and we will share more information in due course.
On mandate implementation, In paragraph eight, member states requested more focused and user oriented reporting, including through differentiated formats and length.
In response, we have developed revised internal reporting guidelines, which include differentiated formats and length and place greater emphasis on data and visuals.
These guidelines have been subject to broad consultations with lead drafting entities.
They will be submitted for endorsement in the coming weeks with the expectation that reports following the new guidelines will begin to be issued in the fall.
In paragraph 11, member states requested that implementation responsibilities across the UN system be better aligned with entities comparative advantages.
In this connection, we are developing terms of reference for an external strategic assessment examining options for strengthening the strategic oversight and coordination of the UN systems Division of Labor.
We expect the findings of that assessment to be available in the fall in the form of the Secretary-General information brief.
On mandate review.
In paragraph 16, member states requested us to review the full portfolio of mandated reports in order to identify possible candidates for streamlining for presentation to this working group by the end of June.
We have completed the survey phase of this exercise, and we are developing our analysis.
You can expect proposals across all areas of reporting, including recommendations for discontinuation, merger, or adjustments to reporting cycles.
We're discussing with the co chairs how best to present the underlying data, which captures over 600 reports circulated in 2024 and 2025.
We hope that this will provide member states with a clearer sense of the scale and breadth of the current reporting portfolio.
Let me also mention that the report download statistics are now displayed on both the UN official documents System and the UN Digital Library websites.
On system wide coherence, extensive work is underway as part of the wider UN 80 initiative to strengthen system wide coherence and coordination.
To date, a concept note has been developed for practical UN system wide mechanism focused on management for results, aimed at strengthening coherence, accountability, and collective delivery across the system.
In this regard, the UN System Chief Executives board for coordination will meet in a few weeks to discuss these issues further and the guidance provided in resolution 80 slash 2251 is very valuable to support that work.
We will keep member states informed as this work progresses.
In conclusion, I This working group can count on the full support of the UN system.
We're committed to delivering on the timelines set out in resolution 80 slash 251 and look forward to working closely with all of you member states on this very important undertaking.
We will remain at the disposal of member states, both in support of the work of this working group and of the General Assembly more broadly.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much, Aya.
That was very useful.
Are there any requests for the floor? I see none.
Then I give it back to you, Brian.
Thank you so much and I join in thanking the Secretariat for that update.
I think you can rest assured that such updates will be a consistent feature of our deliberations throughout the work of this working group.
Colleagues, it is our intention to conduct the work of this working group in a spirit of collegiality, respect, transparency, and pragmatism.
We will be very sensitive to the competing priorities of delegations and to the heavy workload we already face, and we intend to be very deliberate and outcome oriented in our planning.
We also want to make ourselves as available as possible to meet and discuss with you all at every stage of this process.
It is our hope that we can count on you to engage in this spirit throughout our journey together on this important mandate.
With that, this meeting is adjourned.
Ha.