‘Delivering as One’ Enhances National Ownership, Deputy Secretary-General

 

Tells Open Meeting on Follow-up to Fourth High-Level Conference

 

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro’s remarks at the open meeting for Member States and United Nations staff — Report from and follow-up to the Fourth High-level Intergovernmental Conference on Delivering as One in Montevideo, Uruguay — delivered in New York on 22 February by Robert Orr, Assistant Secretary-General for the Strategic Planning Unit:

I thank our hosts, Dr. Cánepa and Ambassador Wetland, for organizing this important briefing on the outcome of the Fourth Intergovernmental High-level Conference on Delivering as One.  I am also grateful to the Government of Uruguay for hosting the Conference in Montevideo last year.

That Conference sent a strong message that “Delivering as One” works.  It brings United Nations support in line with a country’s imperatives so we can deliver more and better results.  And it helps Governments to optimize the United Nations development system.

The “Delivering as One” countries are proving that the “no one-size-fits-all” approach works for all.  They are building national ownership and leadership of the development process.  They are ensuring that our support goes where it is most needed.  And they are holding us to account — which is exactly what we want.  We want to be transparent.  We want to answer to our constituents.  We want to be measured against our promises.

“Delivering as One” reduces costs and streamlines processes.  When we cooperate, we cut red tape and end overlap.  We advance based on a true partnership.  We are also developing approaches that can make the United Nations stronger, more responsive and more effective.

Five years after the launch of the “Delivering as One” initiative, the momentum is stronger than ever.  Almost 30 countries are now spurring innovation based on this approach.  Governments meeting in Kigali and Hanoi stressed that this is the way forward.  The message from Montevideo was the same:  Delivering as One must become our way of doing business.

In Montevideo we examined what is working and what needs improvement.  Here is some of what we learned.

Delivering as One enhances national ownership and leadership.  It cuts down on fragmentation.  And it ensures access to the United Nations extensive expertise and resources on cross-cutting issues:  poverty, jobs, sustainable development and gender equality.

We are hearing the same messages from a range of countries, whether they are least developed, middle-income or in transition from crises.  They all say the approach is flexible in adapting to their specific needs.

Looking ahead, we still need to do better.  That means managing and monitoring for results, increasing accountability and improving outcomes on the ground.  We must also continue enhancing our governance, funding and coordination.

The year ahead presents important opportunities.  A few months from now in Rio, we have a chance to set the world on course toward the future we want.  Delivering as One can help us get there.

As we meet, experts are finalizing the Independent Evaluation of the initiative.  The Secretary-General looks forward to the findings, which will be helpful as we advance our work.  The lessons we have learned should also find their way into the comprehensive policy review of operational activities — the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR) — which the General Assembly will carry out this fall.

The Government of Albania will be hosting the next intergovernmental conference on Delivering as One in the middle of this year.  That will be an opportunity to reflect on the outcome of the independent evaluation and propose forward-looking recommendations for the QCPR.

Last month, the Secretary-General presented his vision to the General Assembly in a five-year action agenda.  He voiced his strong resolve to continue strengthening the United Nations system.  And this action agenda was welcomed enthusiastically by the Member States.

The action agenda calls for launching a second generation of Delivering as One, which will focus on managing and monitoring for results, ensuring increased accountability and improved outcomes.

I encourage all of you to continue working in the months ahead to strengthen the United Nations development system.  At this time of economic uncertainty and inequality, our joint efforts are especially important to improve living standards and give hope to people around the world.

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For information media • not an official record