The UN Development System stocktaking moment that happened last week in New York was marked by the strong support of the Member States with the concrete results achieved by the Resident Coordinator System and the UN development system at large.
"When we started the reform process, no one foresaw that our country teams would be operating in such challenging conditions. Despite that, four years on, the reforms have succeeded."
The 2023 Report of the Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group on the Development Coordination Office (DCO) and the Resident Coordinator (RC) system dives deep into the real and tangible impacts of investing strategically in development coordination across country, regional and global levels. It is a testament to how far we can go when we work together as one UN.
Graduating from the category of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) is a milestone moment in a country’s development journey, but it is not always an easy one. Bangladesh, Lao PDR, and Nepal have learnt this the hard way, since the recommendation in 2021 for all three countries to leave this group currently comprising 46 of the world’s most vulnerable countries. Finalizing preparations for a smooth and just transition, which is now set for 2026, has its own set of challenges, particularly in the areas of trade, intellectual property rights, climate finance, debt relief and grant eligibility.
The UN 2023 Water Conference held last week, saw the adoption of the Water Action Agenda, a “milestone” action plan containing almost 700 commitments to protect “humanity’s most precious global common good”.
This blog was written by Subhash Nepali, Economist at the Resident Coordinator’s Office in Nepal. From March, Nepal is scheduled to take over the chairmanship of the group of Least Developed Countries for the next three years.
Time is running out as the world inches closer to meltdown and countries must change course before it is too late, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned the General Assembly, presenting his priorities for the year.
Our UN teams are on the ground in 162 countries and territories, coordinating joint programmes and tackling a range of priorities and initiatives — from climate action and food security to gender equality and safety of civilians.
