Cross-regional statement delivered at the Executive Board of UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Annual Session 2023, Agenda Item 15: UNOPS.

Mr/Madam (vice) president,

I deliver this statement on behalf of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Qatar, Spain, Switzerland, Türkiye, the UK, Ukraine, the USA and my own country, Sweden.

First of all, allow me to warmly welcome Mr. Jorge Moreira da Silva following his appointment as new Executive Director of UNOPS. He joins UNOPS at a critical time. Reforming UNOPS, rebuilding trust and refocusing on the original mandate are key ongoing transitions and we look forward to engaging constructively and transparently with the ED as he steers UNOPS to calmer waters. We also once again extend our sincere appreciation to interim ED Jens Wandel and his remarkable achievements in turning the tide during his months in office.

We commend UNOPS staff and personnel for the work they have done throughout the past year in implementing activities and generating impact towards the achievement of the SDGs, whilst UNOPS was undergoing initial institutional reforms. We appreciate the complexity of this context and the delivery realized. We have indeed come a long way since May 2022.

Mr/madam (vice) president, reform is a verb. It is not something passive, but rather an activity that requires focus, endurance and commitment. The road to recovery - which includes rebuilding trust, strengthening internal systems, and correcting shortfalls - is long. We discussed many times in this room the importance of re-establishing a culture of ethics, integrity and accountability. That is an effort that requires time, leadership and dedication. As members and observers of the Executive Board we stand ready to support UNOPS. This reform is a collective effort.

We therefore require continuation of the monthly update briefings until at least the First Regular Session 2024, to support better communication, dialogue, transparency, and to ensure that the reform process continues to head in the right direction: Towards a UNOPS guided by a net-zero business model, firmly grounded in UN values, guided by demands of its partners and without a programmatic mandate.

We welcome the new Strategic Plan based on the Midterm review plus. Although consultations were limited due to the tight timeframe available, we appreciate the restated Strategic Plan with its strong focus on the original mandate of providing infrastructure, procurement and project management services. We would like to share two comments:

• First, it is good, as part of the forward-looking plan, to see what UNOPS will not We would be interested to hear more about programmes and projects that UNOPS, in adherence to its core mandate and competencies, will not accept in the future, because they do not fall within the mandate? Will UNOPS, as an integral part of the UN Development System, refer partners to other entities who are better positioned based on their comparative advantages?
• Second, we note that the anticipation of future demand can become a slippery slope. It opens many doors that could lead away from the non-programmatic, demand-driven mandate. Where do anticipation of demands end, and programmatic offers begin? We welcome further reflections on this by the ED.

Finally, we reaffirm the return to net-zero as the shared goal of our efforts during these Executive Board sessions. We support it as a new business model geared towards impact, not accumulation. Budgetary space for growth and institutional investments must be found or requested within the biennial budget, and we look forward to discussing the upcoming budget in this year’s Second Regular Session. UNOPS’ cost recovery model must be such that it enables this system. Excess reserves need to be redistributed until the net-zero system has had enough time to be fully effective, and redistribution must be based on the principle of proportionality as agreed to during the previous Session.

Mr/madam (vice) president, mr Executive Director. Against the backdrop of a clear need for accelerated action and scaling up of development impact, we reiterate our support to UNOPS in this time of internal and external trust building and reforms. It is our firm belief that these efforts will result in a stronger, more resilient and effective organization, to the benefit of the UN as a whole and the SDG Agenda.

Thank you.