STATEMENT BY H.E. AMBASSADOR SAMBA SANE AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING ON THE PROPOSED PROGRAMME PLANNING & PROPOSED PROGRAMME BUDGET FOR 2026

  Delivered by H.E. Ambassador Samba Sane

Permanent Representative of Guinea-Bissau to the United Nations

17th October 2025

Madam Chair,

1. I have the honor to speak on behalf of the African Group on Agenda Item 137: Proposed Programme Plan for 2026 and Agenda Item 136: Proposed Programme Budget for 2026.

2. The African Group extends its appreciation to the Secretary-General H.E. Antonio Guterres for presenting the Organization’s programme plan and budget for 2026 and his comments on the revised estimates resulting from the UN80 Initiative. The Group also thanks Mr. Jesús Valázquez Castillo, Vice-Chair of the Committee for Programmme and Coordination “CPC” and Ms. Julian Gaspar Ruas, the Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions “ACABQ” for introducing their respective reports.

3. The African Group aligns itself with the statement delivered by the representative of Iraq on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, and we would like to add a few remarks.

Madam Chair,

4. This session is unique in that the Secretary-General is introducing a budget report that, for all intents and purposes, has been overtaken by the revised estimates report resulting from the UN80 Initiative. As we await the report of the Advisory Committee, the Group’s comments are therefore preliminary. The Group emphasizes that established Fifth Committee procedures must be adhered to as we undertake our work. While we understand the time constraints, we should not dispense with the procedures out of expediency.

5. Relatedly, the African Group continues to attach great importance to ensuring the intergovernmental nature of programme planning and the sequencing of programme plan and programme budget, and we look forward to understanding how this sequence has been maintained in the preparation of the revised estimates resulting from the UN80 Initiative.

Madam Chair,

6. The African Group is concerned at the recurring inability of the Committee for Programmme and Coordination to reach consensus on the programmes and provide recommendations to the Assembly. Agreeing to only two programmes out of 28 programmes is alarming. The Group reiterates the important role that CPC plays with respect to the proper functioning of the Organization and trusts that in future sessions, more efforts will be exerted to reach consensus on all programmes before it.

7. Turning to the proposed programme budget for 2026 and the resultant revised estimates, the African Group emphasizes that mandates must be adequately financed. We also wish to highlight that financing for the Organization’s priority areas related to the promotion of sustained economic growth and sustainable development, as well as the development of Africa, should be enhanced.

8. In this regard, we acknowledge the Secretary-General’s efforts in exempting certain sections from reductions under the revised estimates such as section 10 on the Least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States; section 11, United Nations system support for the African Union’s Agenda 2063; Section 23 on Regular Technical Cooperation and Section 35 on Development Account that directly provide capacity support to Member States in their ability to continue to make progress towards the 20230 Sustainable Development Goals and the Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.

Madam Chair,

9. The Group notes the proposal of the Secretary-General on the restructuring of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Department of Peace Operations, especially the aspect of the integration of peacebuilding and rule of law functions and consolidation of the single regional political-operational structure. The Group will be interested in understanding the relationship and linkage with the holistic review of the peace operations and the peacebuilding architecture, as was mandated in the Pact for the Future, and we emphasize that the Secretary-General must avoid a fragmented approach to the reform of the peace and security pillar.

10. The African Group will also be interested in understanding the impact these proposals have on the personnel systems and institutional cultures. As the African Group has continuously reiterated on many occasions, the most valuable asset of the United Nations is its human resources. Reforming structures inevitably affects people, and how the Organization manages its human resources ultimately determines whether the Organization succeeds or not. We request that the secretariat should address the information gaps that persist and ensure complete, timely, and accessible disclosure of staffing and structural data, including the nationality and regional distribution of posts affected by this reform, especially those proposed for abolishment.

11. Furthermore, the African Group will be interested in understanding the measures being put in place, especially in the implementation of the downsizing policy, in ensuring that equitable geographical representation is adhered to in the proposed restructuring and reform within the context of the programme budget for 2026 and the resulting revised estimates.

12. Finally, the African Group assures you, Madam Chair, of our commitment to engage constructively on this agenda item.

I thank you