The co-chairs of the informal Ad Hoc Working Group on the Mandate Implementation Review under Workstream 2 of the UN80 Initiative circulated the schedule of the Working Group’s future meetings and shared modalities for engagement in a two-phase process. The co-chairs will update the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on progress by 15 December 2025.

In their letter dated 7 October 2025, Permanent Representative of Jamaica Brian Wallace and Permanent Representative of New Zealand Carolyn Schwalger highlight that at the Working Group’s first meeting on 16 September, Member States and Observers stressed the importance of an open, transparent, and inclusive process and reiterated that the Working Group should strive for consensus. They supported a future-focused, system-level approach to consider mandates from their creation through to their implementation and review. Per the letter, members agreed that the UN Secretary-General’s Report on the Mandate Implementation Review “should form a critical, although not exclusive, source of inspiration.”

Working Group members expressed support for commencing work with a “discovery phase,” with the co-chairs consulting widely to gather perspectives, clarify priorities, and build shared understandings. A package of principles and follow-up actions distilled from those actions could form the basis of an agreed outcome during the “production phase” that will follow.

During regular briefings structured around the three stages of the mandate lifecycle, members will hear from the UN Secretariat, “who will provide the rationale behind the Secretary-General’s recommendations in each section of his Report and explain the data and analysis that underpins these,” – and will have an opportunity to ask questions.

The co-chairs will hold consultations on each stage of the mandate life cycle to provide an opportunity for members of the Working Group to hear responses to the questions posed during the briefings – and “to share their views on possible principles and follow-up actions.” Written inputs will also be invited.

To ensure transparency and inclusiveness, each of the meetings will be webcast. Outreach to Member States and Observers, the UN system, and other stakeholders to understand their perspectives, priorities, and proposals is also envisioned.

An update on progress to the UNGA, due by 15 December, will outline key themes that have emerged from the consultations and set out the co-chairs’ proposed approach to taking these forward in the production phase, according to the letter.

The final outcome of the Working Group’s work is expected by 31 March 2026. [UN80 Initiative]