EU Speaking Points: High-Level Panel on UN System-Wide Coherence

Informal meeting of the Plenary of the General Assembly with members of the United Nations System-wide Coherence; Statement by Ambassador Gerhard Pfanzelter, Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations, on behalf of the European Union.


Mr. President,

● I would like to thank you, Mr. President, and the distinguished members of the panel, for this briefing on the state of play on the United Nations System- Wide Coherence in the Areas of Development, Humanitarian Assistance and the Environment, in pursuance of the mandate of the World Summit and for giving us the opportunity to address questions to the Panel.

● The European Union is strongly committed to an efficient and effective United Nations and fully supports the reform process.We deem it very timely and useful that this Panel has been established and see it as an important complement to the on- going reform deliberations in the General Assembly.

● We realize that the panel has very limited time at its hands to address some very complex issues and therefore will quickly have to find the best approach to these issues in order to guide us with its strategic vision for the role of the UN operational system in the future. We consider the inter- linkage of development, humanitarian and environmental activities of high importance.

● The Panel should lay a particular emphasis on the needs of and the results in developing countries, since the aim and justification for reforming the UN operational activities must be to generate a clear dividend that will fully benefit the recipient countries and their people. Any improvement in efficiency that can be achieved will release much needed financial and organisational resources as well as personnel capacities.

● The Secretary General suggested that the Panel should also include in its work an assessment of how gender equality, including through gender mainstreaming, can be better and more fully addressed in the work of the United Nations, particularly in its operational activities on the ground. In this regard we would be grateful if the Panel members present today could give us some information on whether this issue has been included in their work.

● We would also be grateful if you could elaborate further on the link of the work of the panel with other ongoing reform processes.

● Mr. President, I can assure you that the European Union is looking forward to working closely together with this panel. We are also looking forward to the development of a concrete and comprehensive analysis and recommendations that will help to further strengthen United Nations operational activities. We think that in order to ensure wide acceptance and a successful subsequent implementation of the findings of the panel, it will be essential for the panel to consult widely both with member states and relevant stakeholders.

I thank you, Mr. President.

| Arriba |

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