I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and my own country, Sweden.
We thank you for the update on the UN80 initiative. We appreciate the significant efforts invested in this complex process and value the continued dialogue with the WFP Executive Board today, as with other Boards over the past month. We also extend sincere appreciation to UN teams, including WFP staff – and especially at country level - who continue to deliver under increasingly difficult circumstances, with rising expectations and steadily shrinking resources.
In this context, an efficient, effective, agile and well-coordinated UN Development System is urgently needed. The Nordic countries strongly support the Secretary General’s UN80 initiative and expect all UN entities to engage fully, with a clear focus on strengthened delivery at country level. Reform must enable the UN to operate as one coherent system, with clearer leadership, fewer overlaps, stronger collective results, and each organisation focused on its core mandate and comparative advantage. We look forward to more concrete, realistic and risk-aware system-wide reform proposals that enhance effectiveness and impact. We also underline the importance of alignment between the UN80 initiative and the humanitarian reset and WFP’s engagement in affirming coherence between the two.
Protecting programmatic work at country level is essential. Given persistent financial constraints, reducing administrative costs is a must. We therefore welcome ongoing efforts across the UN Funds and Programmes, to adjust budgets, streamline structures, work towards joint services and relocate staff to lower-cost duty stations – difficult but necessary steps.
At the same time, progress on the Repositioning of the UN Development System must accelerate. UN Country Team reconfiguration and the establishment of common back offices – agreed years ago – remain far behind. As new initiatives emerge, previous commitments must be implemented without delay. To support this, we request clearer feedback on what is holding back implementation and what guidance from the Executive Boards would help remove obstacles.
In this regard, we expect WFP to exercise leadership in developing more aligned and integrated functions at country level, including reconfigured UN Country Teams under empowered leadership by the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinators.
We expect RC/HCs to be fully engaged in driving UN80 implementation, serving as the single-entry point for coherent and targeted support to partner countries, and for all UN agencies to contribute to these efforts. We furthermore support the vision set out in the Humanitarian Reset of a more coordinated engagement with local humanitarian actors through the Country Based Pooled Funds, and encourage the UN agencies, including WFP, to present how this will be supported. Strong and meaningful partnerships with local, including women‑led, organizations, the private sector, and - where feasible - national and local authorities are essential for effective action and accountability to affected communities.
Advancing joint administrative platforms at the global, system-wide level must become a higher priority. Existing common back offices show that effective scalable models already exist – as underscored both by the UN Board of Auditors and the Joint Inspection Unit. We expect renewed momentum on joint procurement, pooled logistics, and shared service platforms. The integrated UN supply chain initiative developed by WFP, UNICEF and the UN Secretariat is a promising model that should be expanded.
Incentive structures also require attention. Incentives that favour individual mandates over collective outcomes risk reinforcing fragmentation and duplication - undermining the ambition of UN80. We call on all entities and governing bodies to strengthen incentives for collaboration, respect comparative advantages, and prioritise joint results.
Finally, the UN‘s normative mandates – including human rights, gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights – remain fundamental. Together with the 2030 Agenda, they must remain a system-wide priority – especially at country level.
The Nordics remain committed to advancing these long-overdue reforms. The UN’s credibility depends on its ability to reform itself with urgency and coherence. Decisive, system-wide action is required.
Thank you.