President,

China aligns itself with the statement delivered by Uruguay on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. We support the efforts of the Secretary-General and the heads of agencies in advancing the UN80 Initiative. I thank the Administrators of UNDP and UNOPS for their detailed presentations. I wish to share the following points:

First, reform must always uphold the principle of national ownership and leadership. Reform should be guided by the urgent needs and priorities of developing countries. It should promote stronger synergy and coordination among agencies, reduce duplication of work, and leverage complementary strengths so as to better serve Member States, particularly programme countries, and support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In the decision-making process, the effective participation of Member States must be ensured, and the Executive Boards should fully exercise their critical role in governance and oversight. We look forward to the two agencies urgently submitting a consolidated and evidence-based assessment report covering both the potential merger and alternative options, so that Member States can make the most informed decisions possible under the current circumstances.

Second, reform must safeguard agency mandates. As a pillar of the UN development system, UNDP holds a broad mandate centered on poverty reduction and spanning climate change, energy, resilience, and other key areas, supported by a global network of country presences. It plays a unique role in policy formulation, normative guidance, and programme delivery, and has long been highly relied upon by programme countries. UNOPS, through its fee for service model and agile responsiveness, has steadily expanded its operational scale in recent years. The ultimate outcome of reform should be to empower development agencies, strengthen operational coordination, reduce redundancies, consolidate the development pillars, and strengthen the development system as a whole.

Third, all levels of reform must be approached in a coordinated manner. Reform at the regional and country levels must be tailored to local contexts, and a "one-size-fits-all" approach must be avoided. Resident Coordinators should remain focused on development and play a coordinating role to ensure that United Nations Country Teams operate in line with national circumstance and development strategies. Greater coherence between policy-making and operational action must be ensured, so that the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks and country programmes documents are fully aligned with the needs and priorities of programme countries.

President,

China stands ready to continue fulfilling its responsibilities as a Board member, engaging deeply in the discussions on the potential merger, and playing a positive and constructive role throughout the process.

Thank you, President.