UNGA80 FIFTH COMMITTEE MAIN SESSION
Statement by H.E Mr. James Larsen, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations
6 October 2025
Thank you Chair.
Let me take this opportunity to congratulate you on your assumption of your responsibilities and of course to express appreciation for the role of the Bureau. I have the honour today to speak on behalf of Canada, New Zealand and my own country, Australia. We look forward to working with you, the bureau and all Member States to ensure the transparent and accountable use of resources to enable the United Nations to operate efficiently and effectively.
At this critical juncture, CANZ reiterates our support for the Secretary-General’s efforts through the UN80 initiative to achieve an accountable, effective, efficient UN best fit to respond to current and future global challenges. We welcome the Secretary-General’s ambition and efforts as
Chief Administrative Officer to initiate and deliver reforms to strengthen and reshape the Organization.
It now falls to us as member states to play our part in taking those reforms forward. CANZ will actively support and help advance a reform
process that results in a resilient and sustainable United Nations system able to deliver effectively on all three foundational pillars of its work.
As we look to the upcoming session, I would like to outline the priorities for Australia, Canada and New Zealand. This is not a business-as-usual session, nor are we living in business-as-usual times. In addition to the standing financial items, we will consider the Secretary-General’s proposed Revised Estimates for 2026 - which for the first time, also encompass the Peacekeeping Support Account.
In the current environment, we must recognize the need for the UN to make significant economies, reduce duplication, and
improve alignment between mandates and actions. The Revised Estimates proposed by the Secretary-General represent an important step forward in this regard.
We urge this Committee to recognize the urgent need for action, engage constructively on these proposals, and agree efficiencies needed to build the United Nations’s resilience and ensure its continued operation and effective delivery.
Of course, whatever budget we approve here in the Fifth Committee is again likely significantly to exceed the funds available to deliver it, due to the ongoing liquidity crisis. As such, we continue to urge all Member States to fulfil their financial obligations to the United Nations, in full, on time, and without conditions.
And Fifth Committee must agree a way forward this session on the Secretary-General’s recommendations to improve the United Nation’s financial situation. This can give the Secretary-General sufficient flexibility on budget and management matters to enable the United Nations to operate effectively.
In seeking to help reshape the UN system, we also need to take a consistent and balanced approach across the UN’s three pillars. In particular, CANZ will advocate for adequate funding to enable the United Nations to deliver on its core normative functions, including those related to maintaining peace and security, protecting human rights, and promoting adherence to international law.
We will also advocate to strengthen the United Nation’s ability to deliver real impact on the ground for those most in need, including in the smallest and most vulnerable countries. We will continue to support strong oversight and accountability of the Organisation, as well as promote gender equality and the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women throughout the United Nations System.
In conclusion, this Committee is at the vanguard of reform, and our efforts will help determine the United Nation’s future ability to deliver the mandates that we set.
At this pivotal moment, CANZ is dedicated to building consensus and supporting a stronger, more effective United Nations.
We are committed to working constructively with all Member States to achieve a timely and appropriate 2026 budget that responds to the challenges before us. And I reiterate, Chair, our commitment to work as closely as necessary as we can with you.