UN General Assembly adopts landmark resolution to strengthen the work of the UN system

Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the adoption, describing it as a “historic resolution” and “a major step” that establishes a critical building block for a 21st century United Nations system that is more effective, more accountable and better equipped to deliver results in a changing world.

“The resolution adopted today reflects a shared understanding of the full mandate lifecycle – and a shared commitment to strengthen each step of it,” the Secretary-General told Member States. “Today’s resolution helps translate the ambition of the UN80 Initiative into concrete, practical action.”

A stronger approach to the mandate lifecycle

Mandates - decisions adopted by Member States that guide the work of the United Nations - sit at the core of the Organization’s ability to deliver on peace and security, development, human rights and humanitarian assistance.

The resolution strengthens the full mandate lifecycle by introducing measures to:

• Strengthen mandate creation, bringing greater discipline, coherence and transparency, and encouraging mandates that are clearer, sharper and more focused, backed by better information for decision-making from the outset;

• Strengthen implementation, with more user-oriented and data-driven reporting, better coordination and more effective use of resources;

• Strengthen review and accountability, including through a culture of continuous improvement grounded in evidence, accountability and results.

Member State leadership, supported by the Secretariat

The resolution builds on the work of the General Assembly’s Informal Ad Hoc Working Group on the Mandate Implementation Review, co-chaired by Ambassador Brian Wallace of Jamaica and Ambassador Carolyn Schwalger of New Zealand.

The Working Group was established by the General Assembly in September 2025 to consider the proposals contained in the Secretary-General’s report of the Mandate Implementation Review developed under Workstream 2 of the UN80 Initiative. The report examined how mandates are created, implemented and reviewed, and offered concrete proposals to strengthen each function. Workstream 2 of the UN80 Initiative. The report examined how UN mandates are created, implemented and reviewed, and offered concrete proposals to strengthen each function.

The resolution decides to deliver through a formal Ad Hoc Working Group on Mandate Implementation Review, open to all Member States and observers. The tasks include, for example, developing better practical templates, stronger review clauses and further review of existing mandates.

While reaffirming the Member State-led process, the Secretary-General outlined how the UN Secretariat will support the Working Group, including through:

• a single point of contact for delegations on mandate-related questions and process;

• enhanced information on the cost of commonly mandated activities and earlier indications of the financial implications of new mandates;

• strengthened coordination of implementation responsibilities across Secretariat entities and the wider UN system; and

• strengthened results-based approaches, more tailored and user-friendly reporting, and continued development of the UN Mandate Source Registry and other digital transparency tools.

From adoption to implementation

Calling the resolution “a major step” - but “only the beginning” - the Secretary-General said the UN system would work as a single, coherent Organization guided by the Working Group to improve how mandates are supported and implemented.

The UN80 Initiative, launched by the Secretary-General in March 2025 and welcomed by the General Assembly in resolution 79/318, is a system-wide effort to reshape how the UN system works - so that every mandate, dollar and decision delivers greater impact for people and planet.

Media Contacts

UN80 Secretariat: un80contact@un.org