Thank you, Madame Chair.
The largest and most visible representation of the United Nations is its blue helmets. Thousands of men and women risk their lives to promote peace and security, and we owe a special debt to those who have given their lives in the cause of peace.
But gratitude alone isn’t enough. They also deserve the commitment of this institution, an institution that must return to its principal purpose of maintaining international peace and security. That is where our committee can play a pivotal role.
We will review the proposed peacekeeping budget of $5.5 billion. While this is two percent less than the approved 2024-25 budget, it is a $100 million increase in active missions following the closure of the mission in Mali.
We will continue to press for the use of data-driven methodologies to justify resource requests, including for air operations, the largest operational resource.
We will also work to ensure there is increased oversight and accountability for high-risk, high-cost activities, and proper accounting and reporting of actual expenditure and resources needs.
We will scrutinize staffing structures and ensure mission support components are scaled appropriately. In a time of increasingly scarce resources, the need for close scrutiny is increasingly important.
Unfortunately, only once since 2016 have we agreed on a cross-cutting policy resolution which provides member state instruction and direction to the Secretary-General. Nonetheless, we will work with this committee to address longstanding deficiencies, including shortfalls in accountability, like the continued inexcusable problem of sexual exploitation and abuse.
UN peacekeeping requires a streamlined bureaucracy that fosters innovation and responsibly allocates scarce resources. We look forward to discussing the Secretary-General’s proposal to rationalize peacekeeping support functions in headquarters.
What is true for peacekeeping is true for the UN as a whole. In the spirit of UN80, member states must focus our negotiations to find efficiencies, eliminate redundancy, reduce staff costs and focus on impact to better serve the core purposes for which the UN was founded.
Thank you.