INFORMAL MEETING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON THE HUMANITARIAN PILLAR OF THE UN80 INITIATIVE AND ITS TRAINING AND RESEARCH DIMENSION
STATEMENT BY MR. JÉRÔME BONNAFONT,
PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF FRANCE TO THE UNITED NATIONS
TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
(TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH)
New York, February 27, 2026
New York, le 27 février 2026
Mr. President,
Thank you to Mr Guy Ryder and thank you to all the High Commissioners, Directors-General, Executive Directors, and representatives of humanitarian organizations.
Humanitarian aid is the most visible and most widely expected part of the United Nations, whose face of solidarity it represents. Through its humanitarian system, the United Nations saves lives on a daily basis and provides the most vulnerable people affected by the worst conflicts with relief and the ability to overcome hardship. Without humanitarian action, millions of people would immediately find themselves in absolutely desperate situations. In this regard, it is essential that reform in this area be successful, including by strengthening the effectiveness of this humanitarian system. As such, France welcomes the priority efforts made by Mr Tom Fletcher and the entire humanitarian team to make headway in that direction.
France recognizes the scale of the challenge facing the United Nations. The current political context and financial situation lead us to contradictory demands. On the one hand, we want the humanitarian footprint not to be reduced. On the other hand, we want more to be done with less. On the one hand, we want greater coherence among the actions of the different agencies. On the other hand, we are fully aware that each agency has its own specialization, personality and is often based on its own treaties.
Under these circumstances, France would like to confirm its support for the different approaches that have been presented to us :
 Support for rationalization, meaning redefining the overall view of what the humanitarian impact of the United Nations needs to be in crisis areas ;
 Support for the idea of integration, particularly with regard to supply chains and support functions ;
 Support for country-based pooled funds, whose increased inclusiveness and transparency should serve to enhance the effectiveness, clarity, and visibility of humanitarian action ;
 And finally, support for the strengthening of local and national actors in the humanitarian response, which plays a stabilizing role by consolidating the resilience of societies
Thank you.