Deputy Secretary-General Urges Development Partners to Leverage United Nations Regional Capacities, in Message for R-SDG Forum event

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message for the R-SDG Forum segment on the “Presentation of the 2020 System-wide results report of the UN+ development system in Latin America and the Caribbean”, held today:

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

Over the past year, COVID-19 has devastated lives, upended economies, and dealt a major setback to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

Countries in Latin American and the Caribbean have responded to the simultaneous health and socioeconomic crises with urgency and scale, using all tools available.  Many have taken unprecedented steps to mitigate the socioeconomic impact of the crisis.  Several have shown exemplary leadership in limiting transmission of the virus.

The report we are introducing today is a snapshot showing how the United Nations at the regional level has helped to support national response and recovery.  This is a first-of-its-kind report.  It is aimed at creating greater transparency and accountability around our regional efforts.  It shows what the UN development system across this region accomplished in 2020.  And it points to the vast potential of the regional assets at our disposal.  We must make the most of them.

Working together, focusing on support to countries, we can have an even greater impact.  Thanks to the Secretary-General’s reforms, the United Nations development system is now on solid ground, ready to support countries in the transition to a better future, with the 2030 Agenda at its core.  We encourage all partners to engage fully and leverage the capacities of our new United Nations regional architecture.

I thank Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of ECLAC [Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean], and Luis Felipe López-Calva - Regional Director of UNDP [United Nations Development Programme], for leading the development of this important report.

The United Nations family in Latin America and the Caribbean will be your steadfast partner throughout your transformative journey to more equal, just and sustainable economies and societies. Thank you.