By Richard Johnstone | 24 February 2015
The United Nations’ international development functions must be reformed to ensure they work effectively following the expiry of the Millennium Development Goals this year, senior figures have said.
At a meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council yesterday, deputy secretary general Jan Eliasson welcomed what he called the breadth of engagement in preparing for the post-2015 development agenda.
The aim to approve a new global development plan this year was ambitious, he said, but progress had already been made. ‘We have brought an unprecedented range of views into our preparations for the post-2015 agenda.’
New goals are being developed to set specific targets in areas such as poverty reduction and education, and Eliasson stressed the importance of building a stronger UN development system to deliver these.
In particular, he highlighted that improved governance, coherence and flexibility were all needed.
‘First, we need differentiated responses to respond to differentiated needs and capacities,’ he said.
‘We have to be prepared for implementing the agenda which will be decided by member states this year. Already, the majority of partner countries – 86%– consider the UN development system a more relevant partner than two years ago.’
The United Nations has a unique place in development, he said, as it has a universal presence, legitimacy and a depth and breadth of experience in supporting countries to devise national policy plans.
‘We intend to build on our strengths, but we are also working to ensure that the UN development system functions more coherently as one, making its component parts work better as a whole.’
Council vice president María Emma Mejía Vélez added there was also a need to examine the funding of the UN’s development work. It was a ‘paradox’ that much of the work was focused on operational activities for development but 95% was funded voluntarily.
A stronger strategic focus of the UN development system could also improve efficiency, lower transaction costs and make greater use of national capacities and systems to drive improvements, she stated.
