The European Union has called for a more evidence-based approach to reviewing UN reporting mandates, urging the Secretariat to provide detailed methodology and concrete examples of efficiencies, in a statement delivered on 15 July 2026 at the UN General Assembly. Speaking on behalf of the EU and its Member States, Coordination, Press and Information Attaché Daniel Prada Jimenez de Cisneros welcomed the Secretariat's emphasis on focused, user-oriented and evidence-based reports, while pressing for greater transparency on the analytical basis for proposed reductions.
The EU supported proposed improvements including differentiated reporting formats, concise update reports, greater use of data and visual presentation, standardized structures and clearer recommendations, saying these measures would improve accessibility for Member States without affecting the substance of existing mandates. However, the bloc sought clarification on how recommendations from the Secretary-General's note would feed into Main Committees and other intergovernmental bodies, asking what basis committees would use to consider the recommendations and how consistency across the system would be ensured.
The EU reiterated the importance of strengthening the evidence base underpinning the review process, calling for a comprehensive overview of existing mandates including reporting mandates, meetings, agenda items and programme budget implications, accompanied by information on implementation and delivery. It requested additional detail on the reporting series and mandates assessed, the methodology used to arrive at estimates of reductions of "less than 5 per cent" and "about 10 per cent", and a list of reports identified for consolidation or changes in periodicity. The EU noted that the only concrete example provided — reports on major construction projects considered by the Fifth Committee — did not sufficiently demonstrate the type of efficiencies envisaged, and instead called for identification of genuine overlaps or duplications where consolidation could reduce reporting burdens.
The EU encouraged the Secretariat to continue developing standardized reporting templates across reports mandated by intergovernmental resolutions, arguing that greater consistency in structure and presentation facilitates comparison across reporting cycles and supports more informed decision-making. The bloc recalled its broader position that the review process should comprise two complementary strands: criteria guiding future decisions on creating or renewing mandates, and modalities for reviewing the existing stock of mandates, both guided by clear, objective and evidence-based criteria. On the interaction between the Ad Hoc Working Group and Main Committees, the EU said the Working Group should serve as a coordinating and escalation mechanism, providing a forum to take stock of progress, assess how reviews have been conducted across the system, identify cross-cutting lessons, promote coherence and transparency, and consider issues requiring further collective reflection.