Check against delivery

Mr President, Mr Executive Director, Excellencies, dear Colleagues,

I am delivering this statement on behalf of the European Union as a donor. I would like to make three points.

First of all, the EU reiterates its appreciation for the efforts made by UNOPS since the financial issues that arose in 2021, in particular the widespread reforms undertaken under the “Comprehensive Response Plan”. We welcome the conclusions of the third-party review, which we hope will suffice to reassure the Board regarding the implementation of the reform, which remains an ongoing and dynamic process.

The ongoing reforms constitute a positive foundation on which to keep building our partnership and trust – a long-standing partnership based on the joint endeavor to support partner countries in achieving the SDGs. We hope to see further steps in this direction as accountability and transparency are the core values for EU financial rules.

Second, in the context of UN80, we are glad to see UNOPS is among the Agencies represented in the Development Cluster set up by the Secretary General. We hope that UNOPS’ own reform experience can help the wider UN system. However, we have seen that most efficiency gains by UN agencies over the last years have happened at individual agency rather than UN-system level. Major processes like the High-Level Committee on Management (HLCM) or the Business Innovation Group (BIG), although ongoing for years, deliver only modestly. Given UNOPS’ role and capabilities we want to see it lead by example. 

In light of recent developments, the EU would also like to recall the importance of upholding meaningful standards and consultation in the adoption of Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks (SDCF). It is essential that these frameworks align not only with the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, but also actively support progress towards the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. As we have consistently emphasized in the context of UNDS reform and, more recently, in discussions on UN80, transparency must remain a cornerstone of the process, particularly with respect to the consultation and development of Framework Documents. In this regard, close cooperation and inclusive consultations, as outlined in the EU-UN Joint Guidance, are indispensable to ensuring both the effectiveness and legitimacy of SDCFs and DCPs.

Third, let me say a few words about implementation, and the UNOPS Strategic Plans.

The EU congratulates UNOPS on the progress made against the targets of the 2022-2025 Strategic Plan. We welcome that UNOPS projects in 2024 spanned five regions and all three UN pillars, with a particular focus on countries in special and fragile situations – in line with our common priorities. We recognize UNOPS’ experience as an important asset in supporting smart investments in complicated contexts, particularly in climate and energy, transport, and health, while respecting the highest social and environmental standards. 

We however call for further attention to cross-cutting priorities, favouring a systemic approach to those during the project design phase, particularly when it comes to ‘gender mainstreaming and social inclusion’, ‘climate action in projects’ and ‘national capacity development’.

To support UNOPS’s reform efforts, we also call on this Board to grant UNOPS the adequate financial resources to advance its digitalization programme; and invite UNOPS to complete the roll out of the accountability framework. 

Looking ahead at 2026-2029, we thank UNOPS for sharing a draft Strategic Plan, aligned with the 2024 quadrennial comprehensive policy review. The EU welcomes the ambition to scale up and speed up the implementation of UNOPS’ mandate as the central resource for the UN system in procurement, infrastructure and grant management.  

We fully agree that strong implementation is the third pillar of sustainable development, complementing sound policy and adequate financing. This emphasis on delivery also ties into the broader UN80 agenda, especially the call for mandate alignment, structural reform, and programme realignment.

As with other UN agencies, we do not support a “can do-it-all” approach. Rather, we believe UNOPS should focus on its core strengths - areas where it adds the most value to the UN system. This includes proven solutions in procurement and human resources, where it has already demonstrated effective delivery at scale.

We also see an important role for UNOPS as a facilitator – enabling complex activities such as procurement or advisory services – without necessarily implementing all aspects directly. Supporting implementation through partnerships and scalable expertise should be a key focus moving forward. Delivery models should remain context-specific and based on comparative advantage.

Mr President, Mr Executive Director,

Let me take this opportunity to reaffirm the EU’s support to UNOPS in its indispensable effort to reform the office, and to close the implementation gap.

We hope that the "new UNOPS" can provide even more scale, more solutions in partnership with the rest of the United Nations, and more value for money, in the spirit of UN80. 

Thank you.