At Interactive Dialogue, Deputy Secretary-General Highlights Member States, Resident Coordinators Relationship, Noting Both Progress, Needs for Growth

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, on the occasion of the interactive dialogue between Member States and the resident coordinators, in New York today:

It always gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this interactive session between Member States and resident coordinators.  The Secretary-General has introduced this practice since the launch of the reforms of the United Nations development system and it embodies, in many ways, the spirit of our transformed coordination system.

This is about full ownership and leadership, by Member States, over the work of the United Nations development system in support to the Sustainable Development Goals.  This is the clear mandate that Member States have given us in the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Reviews.

The presence of the President of the General Assembly, and of the President of the Economic and Social Council, are deeply symbolic.  I am very grateful that you made the time to participate in this dialogue.  This is the fifth global meeting of resident coordinators since the launch of the reforms.  The first in person since 2019.

Today, you will hear directly from our resident coordinators on how country teams are working on the ground as countries step up to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Over the course of the week, the resident coordinators met with the Secretary-General and United Nations leadership, to home in on a single objective — sharpening the United Nations ability to support Governments grappling with the cascade of crises across food, finance and energy, climate change and the unequal recovery from COVID-19.  And to do so in a way that builds the foundations for long-term prosperity and accelerates delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Our resident coordinators shared concrete examples of actions they have pursued to support countries’ needs and priorities.  They have been candid and insightful on areas that require further support or attention from Headquarters.

The reforms of the United Nations development system are delivering results.  Your feedback at the Economic and Social Council Operational Activities Segment earlier this year was clear in this regard.  And your confidence in the system continues to drive its success.

Ninety-six per cent of host Governments note that the Cooperation Framework is ensuring that United Nations activities are aligned with national priorities.  Ninety-five per cent of host Governments confirm that the reinvigorated resident coordinator system and the new generation of United Nations country teams are more integrated and more collaborative.

At the same time, we are aware that there is still a long road ahead of us and that the global crisis we face has raised the bar even higher.  In his session with the resident coordinators, the Secretary-General outlined key priorities for the United Nations development system for the next year:  Mitigating the impact of the global cost-of-living crisis; advancing climate action; and accelerating just economic transitions across energy, digital and food systems that empower people and protect our planet.

We also discussed key actions to support our priorities.  First, policy integration:  The SDGs require us to connect across disciplines and sectors to amplify impact.  The United Nations country teams must be optimally calibrated and configured to support this.

Second, convening:  We need to mobilize the full ecosystem of support to help Governments advance national priorities and achieve the SDGs.

Third, financing:  Transformative change and a just transition cannot happen without financial investments at speed and at scale — and without significant reforms to our global financing architecture.

As our resident coordinators and the United Nations country teams press ahead on these priorities, we rely on your continued support.  The Integrated National Financing Frameworks, under the technical lead of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are tested tools that I encourage you to priorities to mobilize financial support for countries sustainable development priorities and the SDGs.

With your continued guidance and support, we will continue to forge ahead.  We will soon present the checklist to support United Nations Sustainable Development Group entities’ governing bodies oversight of the reform.

The Development Coordination Office will engage your experts to finalize the first‑ever results framework for the resident coordinator system.  We will also make public our efficiency dashboard to monitor our gains.  And we are intensifying our dialogue with all Member States to address once and for all the shortfalls in the funding to the Resident Coordinator system that continues to take too much of our attention and energy, when we need all hands on the wheel for the SDGs.

2023 must be the year in which we accelerate the transitions that will reshape and power economies to deliver across all the goals.  Together, we must raise the ambition and urgency needed to leapfrog from the multiple crisis we face and, together, achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.  I encourage all to take full profit of today’s dialogue to propel us even further in this direction.  Thank you.