Joint cross regional statement delivered by
Ambassador Martin Bille Hermann on the evaluation of UNDP support to
conflict-affected countries at UNDP Executive Board Meeting 2 February 2021
I deliver this statement on behalf of
Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa
Rica, Estonia, the EU as a donor, Finland, France, the Gambia, Germany, Greece,
Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Republic of Moldova,
the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Romania, Saint Lucia,
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and
my own country, Denmark.
Let me start by thanking The UNDP
Independent Evaluation Office for the evaluation of UNDP support to
conflict-affected countries. We take note of the evaluation’s findings,
conclusions and recommendations.
We also thank UNDP for its management
response, which we fully support, outlining its proposed actions in response to
the recommendations.
President,
Today’s crises and conflicts are more
complex and long lasting. By 2030, it is estimated that two thirds of the
world’s extreme poor will live in vulnerable and conflict-affected contexts.
Add to that the ongoing COVID-19 crisis that uniquely complicates peace and
reconstruction efforts in conflict-affected countries, jeopardizing public
health responses and threatening peacebuilding efforts.
Countries affected by conflict are those
furthest behind from reaching the SDGs. As we have all recognised, reaching the
furthest behind first is imperative to responding to the principle of leaving
no one behind. The current situation should be a global call for us, as Member
States, to step forward and express our international solidarity. Development
gains are at risk and the pathway towards a sustainable development require
collaborative and coordinated action, as we seek to build back better in the
recovery from the pandemic.
President,
Working towards realising the 2030 Agenda
in complex country-contexts, where multifaceted humanitarian, development or
peace-related challenges are present, is a daunting task. For the countries
themselves and for the international community supporting efforts at country
level.
In this regard, we note the long-standing
and important contributions and comparative advantages of UNDP’s support in
conflict-affected countries referenced in the evaluation, including its
integrated approach to the restoration of basic services, and in connecting
reconstruction with recovery, development and peacebuilding. UNDP should use
this to further develop a more strategic and concerted engagement, in
partnership with others.
We encourage UNDP to do more to build on
its comparative advantage promoting prevention, and supporting inclusive and
accountable governance-processes by applying a more strategic medium- to
long-term vision, in its support to programme countries, hereby creating the
necessary linkages.
The evaluation also points to the
achievements of UNDP in furthering gender equality and women’s empowerment. We
applaud UNDP’s strategic emphasis on this, while also reiterating the finding
in the evaluation that women should be engaged as agents of change in order to
achieve sustainable and transformative results on the ground, to the benefit of
the countries and their peoples.
President,
Stronger efforts should be made to ensure
policy coherence at country level. In this regard, the Crisis Bureau is already
manifesting its relevance as an anchor for organisation-wide policy development
and support, and knowledge management. We encourage regional bureaus to work
with the Crisis Bureau to elevate learnings from country engagement, to clarify
responsibilities, and to ensure that UNDP’s development programmes are
context-appropriate and consistent with policies and good practise.
Effectively addressing the challenges
facing conflict-affected countries also requires applying a partnership
approach and addressing crosscutting elements of the crises at hand. The
evaluation highlights that comprehensive strategies and working through a
sustained collective engagement are needed, including to forcefully address the
multiple crisis facing the Sahel and Horn of Africa.
Here, the integrator role of UNDP at
country level implies that UNDP has a special responsibility. Stakeholders –
within and beyond the UN family – should join forces in pursuit of supporting
common analysis and collective outcomes through enhanced inter-agency
cooperation, collaboration and coordination. We recall the guidance of Member
States in this regard as agreed in relevant provisions of the 2020
QCPR-resolution, providing operational guidance
for the UN Development System at country level in applying stronger
collaboration and coordination among entities.
We would be interested to hear from UNDP on
what specific steps you plan to take to strengthen partnerships on the ground
in conflict-affected countries?
President,
To conclude, we are confident that UNDP
will strengthen its offer even further within this domain, leveraging its
comparative advantages, and using the important findings, conclusions and
recommendations of this evaluation. We look forward seeing UNDP’s leadership
role and approach to working in conflict-affected settings articulated in the
next strategic plan.
Thank you.