EU Statement – UN ECOSOC: Operational Activities for Development Segment

Thank you to President Kelapile for convening this meeting, and to the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly for your remarks.

Thank you also to Finland, as ECOSOC Vice-President responsible for this Operational Activities for Development segment.

I deliver this statement on behalf of the EU and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries Turkey, North Macedonia^*, Montenegro^*, Serbia^* and Albania^*, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, and Georgia, align themselves with this statement.

We have been asked to be short. Therefore, let me focus on a few observations based on the SG’s latest report on QCPR (Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review) and the report of the chair of the Sustainable Development Group:

• The EU and its Member States welcome the two reports.

• We strongly support and welcome the on-going reform of the UN development system.

• From the start, the EU has been a steadfast supporter of UN reform, making the UN more fit for purpose and demonstrating that multilateralism delivers results.

• More coherence at country level shows the achieved progress in the implementation of a more integrated UN Development System. The reports list many examples of significant progress - for example regarding the formulation and implementation of joined-up responses to the COVID-19 induced crisis - but also of cases where challenges persist, e.g. regarding the sharing of country programme documents between UN country team members and the Resident Coordinator.

• We recognise the key coordinating and representation roles of the UN Resident Coordinators, which need to be supported by all stakeholders.

• She/he embodies the convening role of the UN in countries, which has become more and more important, as multi-stakeholder approaches in many instances appear as the only solution to obtain results at scale towards the achievement of the SDGs.

• Overall, it is vital to continue consolidating the reforms on the ground, including through Common Country Analyses and Sustainable Development Co-operation Frameworks.

• Remaining challenges include (1.) the need for a coordination culture among agencies, truly working as One UN and in a more integrated manner; (2.) finalisation of the new results framework; (3.) restructuring of regional assets to ensure strengthened and effective support to country needs and (4.) financing issues, from the adverse relative evolution of core funding compared to earmarked funding, to the financial gap of the Resident Coordinator system. That last point remains a potential disruptor of the development system reform, and requires close attention. Current developments around UNOPS, which have to be fully and transparently investigated, are an unambiguous call that auditing procedures need to be strong and harmonised throughout the system.

Excellencies, dear colleagues,

Let us not be blind to the overall global situation in which these reforms take place: The Russian aggression against Ukraine is currently the most acute threat to development gains – by driving inflation in the food, fuel and finance systems, and by disrupting those. The war in Ukraine has to stop, and it has to stop now.

Let me end on a positive note: The EU and its Member States will continue our cooperation between UN Resident Coordinators, UN Country Teams, EU Delegations and EU Member States’ embassies, around the UN Cooperation Frameworks, with host countries in the driver’s seat.

Let us speed up this cooperation, in view of implementing the SDGs until 2030.

I thank you.

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.