Informal Dialogue on General Assembly Revitalization
Statement by H.E Mr. James Larsen, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations
28 August 2026
Thank you, President.
I speak on behalf of Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
CANZ remains firmly committed to General Assembly revitalization.
Last year, Member States agreed – by consensus – to important reforms in resolution 79/327.
The credibility of this process will not be measured by the commitments adopted, but by how their implementation revitalizes the General Assembly’s work.
CANZ would like to make three points.
First, we must contain and reduce the General Assembly’s growing workload.
At a time of significant financial pressure on the UN, we cannot continue adding mandates, meetings and resolutions without equal attention to impact, efficiencies, prioritisation and delivery.
Through resolutions 79/327 and 80/251, Member States committed to exercising more discipline in the creation of mandates and to avoid unnecessary duplication.
As Member States, we must implement these commitments without delay.
In this regard, one practical measure will be for Member States to fully implement the moratorium on new international days, weeks, months and years.
A moratorium on commemorative mandates during the eighty-first and eighty-second sessions was established in response to longstanding concerns about the cumulative burden they place on the system.
Such reforms will push us towards a General Assembly that spends less time on managing processes, and more time on delivering outcomes.
This will be critical not only to gain efficiencies, but to restore trust and relevance in this institution.
Second, General Assembly revitalization must proceed alongside broader reform.
CANZ welcomes progress already achieved on working method reform of the Main Committees, including the recent Second Committee decision on revitalization measures.
We encourage all the Main Committees to apply revitalization principles to their own work.
Specifically, we encourage all Committees to bring forward proposals that:
- expand the use of biennial and triennial reporting cycles;
- reduce repetition and eliminate duplication;
- encourage Member States to exercise restraint and to limit the creation of new agenda items; and
- maximise the use of digital tools.
As incoming Chair of the Third Committee, Australia is committed to driving practical reforms that make 3C more focused, efficient and impactful.
CANZ also encourages closer alignment between General Assembly revitalization and the UN80 reform process.
Principles agreed in resolution 80/251 regarding mandate review clauses and retirement provisions, as well as ensuring scrutiny on financial implication, duplication and long-term value of new mandates, will be essential if we are serious about building a more effective and sustainable United Nations.
Finally, CANZ welcomes implementation of other General Assembly revitalization reform measures, including efforts to enforce speaking time limits, streamline procedures and strengthen transparency in the selection of the next Secretary-General.
We encourage the incoming President of the General Assembly to continue advancing a culture of efficiency and accountability.
Colleagues,
The General Assembly has never lacked ideas for reform.
What it has often lacked is implementation.
The eighty-first session presents an opportunity to shift the dial towards a more focused, disciplined and effective General Assembly.
CANZ stands ready to do our part.
Thank you.