Statement by H.E. Mr. Paruyr Hovhannisyan, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN at the First Regular Session of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board on Engagement with the UN80 Initiative

02 February, 2026

Mr. President,

Distinguished members of the Executive Board,

Excellencies,

Armenia welcomes this opportunity to reflect on the Secretary-General’s UN80 Initiative, and we reiterate our commitment to engage constructively within our membership to the Executive Board of UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS. We recognize the urgency behind UN80: to streamline operations, reduce duplication, and ensure the UN remains fit-for-purpose amid tighter resources and rising demands—while keeping impact for people at the center.

For Armenia, efforts to achieve efficiency must translate into stronger delivery: faster and more coherent support to member States, in particular countries in special situations and middle-income countries, better value for money, and measurable results aligned with national priorities and the 2030 Agenda. Implementation should prioritize technical assistance and knowledge transfer that strengthen national institutions over the long term, with capacity transfer serving as a key indicator of programme efficiency. In this spirit, we support UN80’s focus on system-wide improvements and structural options, conducted in strict accordance with intergovernmental rules and procedures, with Member States providing direction.

We note that this work is ongoing, with initial findings and options expected to be presented to Member States in early 2026. In our Board context, we see today’s “Engagement with UN80” as a vital step in ensuring transparency, clarity of objectives, and confidence in the process.

As discussions advance under UN80’s work on structural changes and programme realignments, including potential mergers of UNDP–UNOPS and UNFPA–UN-Women, Armenia encourages three practical principles:

1.⁠ ⁠Delivery-first design: Any structural change should be justified by a clear theory of change for improved country-level outcomes—especially in complex settings—rather than by organizational charts.

2.⁠ ⁠Safeguards, accountability and risk management: Efficiency gains must go hand-in-hand with robust oversight, compliance and risk controls.

3.⁠ ⁠Protecting core mandates and capacities: We should avoid disruptions that weaken specialized expertise or dilute mandates—especially where trust, neutrality and technical depth are essential for results.

Having said so, Armenia is of the view that any assessment of the proposed UNFPA–UN Women merger should be grounded in a thorough, evidence-based analysis. Such a review should ensure that the agencies’ existing mandates are fully preserved, with a stronger focus on gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights, while also enhancing coordination in humanitarian and crisis contexts.

In this context, Armenia welcomes the opportunity to explore the potential benefits of a consolidated institutional arrangement between UNDP and UNOPS, focusing on functional complementarity on the ground and leveraging UNDP’s policy and development expertise, complemented by UNOPS’ operational capacities. We trust that any such process will proceed in close coordination with and under the guidance of the Executive Board, with a view to strengthening end-to-end delivery, particularly in crisis, recovery and resilience-building contexts.

In conclusion, Armenia stands ready to engage constructively in this process. We believe UN80 can help us build a UN development system that is leaner where it should be, stronger where it must be, and consistently better at delivering for the people and communities we serve.

Thank you.

MFA RA
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