Imbalance between Core, Non-Core Funding in United Nations Development System Reoccurring Theme, as Second Committee Discusses Operational Activities
Transition from the Millennium Development Goals to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development required support tailored to “our changing needs and priorities”, the representative of Maldives told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) as it took up its agenda item on operational activities today.
Countries in special situations, and in this case, small island developing States, had specific structural vulnerabilities associated with their unique geography, access to official development assistance (ODA) and technology.
Jamaica’s delegate warned against a “one-size fits all” approach and emphasized that realities in developing countries were varied and nuanced. Echoing that sentiment, the representative of China said that achieving the “new vision” for global development required assistance personalized to the exclusive needs of Member States rather than “imposing uniform and fixed models”.
Several representatives expressed concern over the imbalance of core and non‑core funding, with the representative from Antigua and Barbuda saying that unevenness weakened the multilateral framework of development assistance by facilitating the nuisances of conditionalities. The representative of Viet Nam said that core resources were imperative to ensure independence and neutrality.
As the United Nations system moved towards the implementation of a new development agenda, cooperation amongst the Global South was more critical than ever, stressed the representative of Venezuela. Institutions at the regional and subregional level were giving a greater voice to developing countries and his State participated in several such “cooperation flows”, which had contributed to meeting the energy needs of the region.
The delegate from the United States agreed, saying that the knowledge and resources of the rapidly expanding economies of the South were extremely relevant for other countries facing similar challenges. The United Nations development system must mainstream such cooperation in their programming.
The representative of Malaysia pointed out how his country over the past 35 years, through South-South cooperation, had assisted less developed countries in the areas of finance, trade, education and technical training. He believed that developing countries had the primary responsibility for promoting and implementing economic and technical cooperation among themselves.
Singapore’s delegate attributed her country’s growth to the many successful partnerships with developed and developing countries and noted that it had stepped up its technical assistance to developing States in recent years.
The representative of Brazil said that his country over the last decade had dedicated increasing resources, both financial and non-financial, to South‑South and triangular cooperation, especially on sustainable programmes for food and nutritional security. Between 2010 and 2015, Brazil participated in more than 3,000 initiatives with more than 100 developing countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.
The delegate from the Russian Federation welcomed the sharing of technology and other developmental tools, saying that “advice on how to best catch fish was only useful if there was a rod to actually catch the fish”.
Earlier in the morning, reports were introduced by the Director of Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, the Inspector of the Joint Inspection Unit of the United Nations System, and the Senior Adviser on Information Management Policy Coordination of the Chief Executives Board Secretariat.
Also speaking today were representatives South Africa (on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China), Sierra Leone (on behalf of the African Group), Antigua and Barbuda (on behalf of the Caribbean Community), Viet Nam (on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), Bangladesh (on behalf of the Group of Least Developed Countries), Ecuador (on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States), Maldives (on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States), Australia (on behalf of Canada, Australia and New Zealand), Belarus, Mexico, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Ukraine, Cuba, Panama, Sudan, Morocco, Norway, Japan, Argentina, Iran, Switzerland, Thailand, Ethiopia, Paraguay and Zimbabwe.
A representative of the Delegation of the European Union also spoke.
The Committee meets again at 10 a.m. on 13 October to consider its agenda item on eradication of poverty.
Background
The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met today to consider the issue of “Operational activities for development”. The Committee had before it four documents relating to the issue (documents A/69/737, A/69/737/Add.1, A/70/62-E/2015/4 and A/70/344).
Introduction of Reports
NAVID HANIF, Director of Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, introduced the Secretary-General’s report on the “Implementation of General Assembly resolution 67/226 on the quadrennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system” (document A/70/62–E/2015/4). Highlighting key funding trends, he noted that the funding for operational activities for development of the United Nations system in 2013 had reached $26.4 billion, representing an increase of 10.6 per cent in real terms, compared to the previous year. Three-quarters of those operational activities were in the form of non-core resources. Turning to long-term trends, he added that over the past 15 years, contributions for operational activities for development had nearly doubled in real terms, mostly due to an increase in non-core contributions. Rapidly declining core funding rations continued to pose serious challenges.
JORGE CHEDIEK, Director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, presented the Secretary-General’s report on the “State of South-South cooperation” (document A/70/344), which shed light on the current socioeconomic context within which such cooperation was occurring and on how the United Nations system was responding to developing countries’ demands for support. He noted that while South-South trade, which had increased over the last decade, had stagnated since 2011, South-South foreign direct investment was increasing. The countries of the South were also creating more institutionalized forms of cooperation as illustrated by the launch of the $100 billion New Development Bank in July 2015. Many Member States had expressed the need for improved coordination for South-South cooperation for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Secretary-General had advanced a number of recommendations to respond to that.
GOPINATHAN ACHAMKULANGARE, Inspector of the Joint Inspection Unit of the United Nations System, presented the Unit’s report on “An analysis of the resource mobilization function within the United Nations system” (document A/69/737). He described recommendations outlined in the report including the need for the United Nations system to review the resource mobilization strategy and policy. The General Assembly must request Member States, when providing specified contributions, to make them predictable, long-term and in line with the core mandate. The heads of United Nations organizations should also put into place clearly identifiable structures with the goal for systematic implementation of resource mobilization. There must be risk management and due diligence processes to ensure that the latter was not performed by the same individuals responsible for fundraising. Moreover, the heads of United Nations organizations must organize dialogues with their respective donors to agree upon common reporting requirements.
KENNETH HERMAN, Senior Adviser on Information Management Policy Coordination of the Chief Executives Board Secretariat, introduced a note of the Secretary-General on the Report of the Joint Inspection Unit titled “An analysis of the resource mobilization function within the United Nations System” (document A/69/737/Add.1). He said United Nations organizations welcomed the report, found it informative and considered its recommendations relevant. The organizations agreed with recommendation 3 regarding structures that have responsibility for resource mobilization and recommendation 4, regarding the need for risk management. On the other hand, on common reporting requirements, organizations pointed out that voluntary contributions frequently come with additional reporting requirements, which almost always increased transaction costs.
In an ensuing discussion, the representative of Ethiopia asked for clarification on how to reconcile broadening the base of funding while at the same time reducing the transition costs. Mr. ACHAMKULANGARE said that any contributor would expect a certain level of reporting, which was essential for that donor to satisfy budgetary, audit and parliamentary requirements. The challenge was that when such requirements varied from donor to donor it imposed a burden on the United Nations system. He encouraged a dialogue between the donors and United Nations system entities to harmonize reporting requirements.
Statements
RAYMOND THULANE NYEMBE (South Africa), speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said the 2030 Agenda would provide the international community with guidance in the work on development, particularly in addressing the quadrennial comprehensive policy review and South-South cooperation in an effective manner. His Group would be tabling two substantive resolutions to speak to those issues. Noting that the next phase of the Economic and Social Council dialogues on the longer-term positioning of the United Nations development system would take place later this month, he added that the recommendations from that process would assist in making the next quadrennial review more effective.
On South-South cooperation, he stated that it was a manifestation of solidarity among peoples and countries of the South, contributing to their national well-being and collective self-reliance. Such cooperation and its agenda had to be set by countries of the South and guided by the principles of national sovereignty and ownership. It was not a substitute of, but rather a complement to North-South cooperation, which lay at the heart of the global partnership for development. His Group wished to find the rationale for the Secretary-General’s preference for strengthening the Office of South-South Cooperation under the auspices of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and called for that Office to be strengthened through human and financial resources.
EBUN STRASSER-KING (Sierra Leone), speaking on behalf of the African Group and associating herself with the Group of 77, said that her continent’s progress in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals was uneven, both between goals and among countries and therefore, the implementation of the 2030 Agenda should not divert from the collective yearning of fulfilling the unfinished business of the Millennium Development Goals. Poverty eradication could not be attained without meaningful economic transformation and that in turn, depended on industrialization, job creation and infrastructure development. Stressing the importance of adequate and predictable financing, she added that the imbalance between core and non-core resources in the Organization’s development system remained a concern.
Recalling the mandate derived from General Assembly resolution 67/226 on strengthening South–South cooperation, she noted paragraph 75 of the Secretary-General’s report on that topic, which acknowledged that “the current work of United Nations organizations to develop thematic strategies for the implementation of South-South cooperation is a positive development.” The Organization should increasingly leverage such cooperation, as well as triangular cooperation, to bolster international collective action in addressing problems such as rapid urbanization, youth unemployment, food and nutrition security, climate change, and pandemic and communicable diseases.
TUMASIE BLAIR (Antigua and Barbuda), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and associating himself with the Group of 77 and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), expressed concern over the significant and growing imbalance between core and non-core funding. That “noticeable” unevenness weakened the multilateral framework of development assistance by facilitating the nuisances of conditionalities tied to funding. The imbalance in core and non-core funding was “intentionally fashioned” to suit donors partners’ in favour of recipient countries. Additionally, he remained concerned that official development assistance (ODA) levels had not met the targets to which developed countries committed. ODA continued to decrease while major funding gaps persisted.
The United Nations operational activities for development must be wholly guided by principles of poverty reduction, economic growth and sustainable development, as well as flexible and responsible to the specific needs of each country. The United Nations system had a crucial role to play in ensuring transfer of new technologies to developing countries, increasing system-wide capacity-building and enabling the access of countries to services available throughout the United Nations development system. He also emphasized the importance of South-South cooperation for development and stressed that such cooperation must remain a complement to North-South Cooperation.
NGUYEN PHUONG NGA (Viet Nam), speaking on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and aligning herself with the Group of 77, called on donor countries to honour their commitment to provide financing for United Nations operational activities. That was particularly important in core resources which were key to ensure the independence and neutrality of the United Nations system. Alignment of the United Nations development system with the Sustainable Development Goals would ensure synergy and coherence in the implementation of those Goals. She also underscored the need for the system to focus on capacity-building to address the development challenges of developing and middle-income countries.
She recognized the central role of the Organization in coordinating common efforts to address emerging development challenges. However, simplification and harmonization of business practices remained a challenge and required vigorous commitment from Headquarters. The principle of “no one size fits all” must accommodate the specific characteristics and requirements of each particular country. On South-South and triangular cooperation, she said that both continued to play an important and complementary role in the global partnership for sustainable development. Many countries of the South had “taken advantage of the common economic, social and regional characteristics” to forge partnerships. However, South-South cooperation must not be considered a substitute but rather a complement to North-South cooperation.
SADIA FAIZUNNESA (Bangladesh), speaking for the Group of Least Developed Countries and associating herself with the Group of 77, expressed concern over the stagnating allocation of core resources for financing operational activities for development, as the share of non-core resources had grown to 75 per cent of total resources, as mentioned in the Secretary-General’s report. She welcomed the 4 per cent increase in total development-related expenditure by the United Nations development system for least developed countries to 57 per cent in 2013. However, as those States were the “most vulnerable” countries in the world, they deserved the highest priority in development assistance. Predictable and incremental allocation of resources was essential to helping the least developed countries plan and implement national development programmes, and she called on partners to allocate funds in a stable, predictable and incremental manner.
The eradication of poverty was “the greatest challenge facing humanity” and, without addressing this core issue, Agenda 2030 could not be achieved, she said. Its Goals and targets must be synchronized in that regard. South-South cooperation could play an important role in developing countries’ attainment of the Agenda’s Goals and targets, but that assistance was complementary to, not a substitute of North-South cooperation. She hoped that all Member States would work together to ensure the effectiveness of South-South cooperation, through sharing experience, best practices, and transfer of South-based technology. The least developed countries supported the intervention by the Chair of the Group of 77 in that regard.
SERGIO SHCHERBAKOV (Ecuador), speaking on behalf of the CELAC, said that operational activities should focus on the development mandate of each entity, particularly to their contribution to the eradication of poverty, which was the overarching priority for the international community. It was also crucial to address the imbalance between core and non‑core resources and to make non‑core resources more flexible and aligned with strategic plans and national priorities. His Community also recognized the increasing relevance and particularities of South-South cooperation, and emphasized that it was not a substitute for other forms of development cooperation and in no way could be used as an argument for traditional donors to not fulfil their long overdue commitments.
Stressing the importance of a holistic approach, he added that gradual approaches to poverty diagnosis and reduction, as well as the prioritizing of certain dimensions of development to the exclusion of others, distorted the real situation of middle-income countries. The time had come to establish a comprehensive action plan of cooperation with such countries, to better reflect poverty in all its forms and dimensions. Further, to provide a stronger voice for developing countries, it was necessary to review the composition and functioning of the governing structures of the United Nations development system and to start working on early reforms of those structures.
AHMED SAREER (Maldives), speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States and associating himself with the Group of 77, expressed concern over the growing imbalance between the core and non-core funding and the shift in recent years by donors toward non-core contributions. Core funding meant more predictability, more “untied aid”, and by extension a greater coherence in programme delivery which “undoubtedly” enhanced effectiveness in recipient countries. Development could be made more effective and predictable by providing developing countries with regular and timely indicative information on planned support. That would give recipient countries more ownership over their development, national institutions and capacity to ensure the best results.
A transition from the Millennium Development Goals to the 2030 Agenda, especially for small island developing States, required support tailored to “our changing needs and priorities”, he said. As those States had specific structural vulnerabilities associated with their unique geography, they needed specific, genuine and durable support based on mutual respect. On cooperation, he said South-South cooperation must not replace but rather complement North-South cooperation which continued to take the lead in development cooperation. The United Nations system must give due consideration to the specific needs of small island developing States as outlined in the Samoa Pathway.
JAN PIROUZ POULSEN (European Union) said that 2015 was a crucial year, with successful meetings in Addis Ababa, New York and the expected outcome from the Climate Change Conference Paris, joining efforts towards eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable development in the coming years. Implementation of the 2030 Agenda could not be undertaken “in silos” but instead required a well-coordinated United Nations development system delivering effective and coherent results. He welcomed dialogue convened by the Economic and Social Council, and emphasized that a United Nations “fit for purpose” must address interlinkages between functions, funding, practices, governance structures, capacity and impact of the system. “Delivering as One” should be pursued and reinforced by implementing key reforms at country and at Headquarters levels. The momentum of the standard operating procedures roll‑out was encouraging, and the entire system, funds, programmes and specialized agencies should implement the procedures immediately.
Financial flows to the United Nations development system had increased substantially over the last 15 years, he said, but the system continued to rely on a small group of donors, with the European Union and its Member States collectively providing around 40 per cent of total core funding. Efforts to strengthen funding for the system should include broadening the donor base and improving funding predictability and flexibility. Principles confirmed in Busan in December 2011 should guide funding practices, and the system should develop and implement results frameworks and results-based management systems as called for by the quadrennial review to demonstrate development impact and ensure the alignment of funding with strategic plans. Finally, he underscored the fundamental role of gender equality in sustainable development, and called for the United Nations system to implement and report on the United Nations System-wide Action Plan on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
Mr. O’SULLIVAN (Australia), speaking on behalf of his country, Canada and New Zealand, said that his group of countries were generous and consistent donors to the United Nations development system and would continue to support operational activities. One year before the completion of the quadrennial comprehensive process review cycle, progress had been achieved on many fronts, including the roll-out of standard operating procedures, but there were still areas that required attention. Those included adjustments in the regional and country architectures of the development system, the further simplification and harmonization of business practices, and the need for more flexible and efficient field presence models.
Turning to funding, he commended United Nations funds, agencies and programmes for their active engagement in the structured dialogues on financing, and said that more consistent efforts were needed to mobilize quality contributions from a wider range of Member States, especially emerging economies. Further, as a fundamental prerequisite for the achievement of sustainable development, gender equality must remain a top priority on the development agenda. Australia, Canada and New Zealand welcomed the roll-out of the system‑wide action plan on gender equality and women’s empowerment and would be monitoring efforts to ensure that entities included gender analysis.
OLGA VORONOVICH (Belarus) said that her country supported the focus of operational funds on specific outcomes, taking into account the recommendations of the quadrennial comprehensive policy review. Welcoming the adoption of the United Nations development assistance framework for Belarus for 2016-2020, as well as the country programmes of UNDP and other agencies, she added that the active work by the country offices of those agencies would enable Belarus to leverage resources. Noting the role of the Russian Federation and the European Union as partners and donors in financing a number of projects, she drew attention to the ongoing negative trend of a declining portion of core resources in the overall amounts of operational activities. That affected the fairness of the United Nations in allocating resources, and therefore, non-core resources must not supersede the core resources.
JESÚS VELÁZQUEZ CASTILLO (Mexico), associating himself with CELAC, said the invigoration of operational activities was crucial for international development cooperation. Strengthening the structure of the United Nations development system should be substantiated on internationally recognized principles. In that regard, the United Nations “results based management handbook” helped harmonize programmes and results within the development system. It was also necessary for the development system to engage with private sector, civil society and academia in Member States. Further, his country emphasised the importance of support from the United Nations development system for middle‑income countries. The fight against poverty should be one of the criteria used for allocation of resources and priority should be given to an approach that went beyond average per capita income.
RAMLAN IBRAHIM (Malaysia), associating himself with the Group of 77 and ASEAN, said that his country had actively promoted South-South cooperation. For over 35 years, Malaysia had assisted less developed countries in areas of finance, trade, education and technical training. Developing countries had the primary responsibility for promoting and implementing economic and technical cooperation among themselves, and Malaysia valued the opportunity to cooperate with those countries and development agencies in providing technical assistance to third parties. He reiterated the importance of the solidarity dimension of South-South cooperation. Efforts of developing countries to promote and implement South-South cooperation should not be regarded as a substitute for traditional cooperation with other developed countries, he added.
LIEW LI LIN (Singapore), aligning herself with the Group of 77, the Alliance of Small Island States and ASEAN, said the challenge now was to turn rhetoric into reality. ODA was critical but remained insufficient. Pointing to her country’s development, she said Singapore’s experience was made up of many successful partnerships with both developed and developing countries, international organizations and the private sector. Its technical cooperation with fellow developing countries was founded on the principle that human resources were vital and that capacity-building could deliver impactful outcomes. Singapore in recent years had stepped up its technical assistance to developing countries, particularly to fellow small island developing States which remained on the “frontline” of climate change.
DAW ZAR ZAR MIN THAW (Myanmar), associating herself with the Group of 77, ASEAN and the Group of Least Developed Countries, emphasized that United Nations operational activities promoting national ownership should accord with the developmental policies and priorities of recipient countries, and donor countries and development partners should honour commitments to providing financing for those activities. She emphasized the central role of North-South cooperation in global development, for which South-South cooperation was not a substitute. Myanmar’s current UNDP country programme was coming to an end, and it was crucial to adopt a new programme to keep up development momentum. On assistance to victims of the recent floods and landslides in Myanmar, her Government would continue to work more closely with the United Nations for recovery and rehabilitation in the affected areas.
IRINA A. MEDVEDEVA (Russian Federation) said that successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda required continuing the dialogue on how to improve the United Nations system. A cautious approach to the current system was critical, specifically in maintaining balance between assistance and data analysis. Excess preoccupation with consulting and monitoring could lead to operational activities. Advice on how to ‘best catch fish’ was only useful if there was a rod to catch the fish, she said, reaffirming the need for least developed countries to remain the priority. However, it would be rash to ignore that the majority of those living below poverty lived in middle-income countries. Leaving those countries to fend for themselves could leave them unprepared to deal with their specific challenges.
ALESSANDRO PINTO DAMIANI (Venezuela), associating himself with the Group of 77 and CELAC, said that system-wide coherence was crucial to implementing the 2030 Agenda. Joint work carried out by the Organization’s entities alongside national agencies was crucial to addressing the root causes of poverty and hunger. Operational activities must avoid fragmentation and duplication within the United Nations system. South-South cooperation held an important role for his country. Institutions at the regional and subregional level were giving a greater voice to developing countries and his State participated in several such “cooperation flows”, including regional integration schemes such as Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) and the Petrocaribe scheme which had contributed to meeting the energy needs of the region. However, Venezuela was concerned that South-South cooperation might be used to finance the 2030 Agenda. Such cooperation was not a substitute or complement to ODA which involved its own responsibilities.
SHORNA-KAY RICHARDS (Jamaica), associating herself with the Group of 77, CELAC, CARICOM and the Alliance of Small Island States, said it was essential that a “one-size fits all” approach was avoided. Realities in developing countries, particularly small island developing States, were varied and nuanced. As such, South-South cooperation must be guided by principles of respect for national sovereignty and ownership, equality and non-inference in domestic affairs. Cooperation amongst the Global South cannot be a substitute for North-South cooperation. That was more critical than ever as Member States embarked on implementing the 2030 Agenda. Jamaica expressed support for the launch of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM) and hoped it would be adequately financed.
YAROSLAV GOLITSYN (Ukraine) said the United Nations development system must continue improving coordination among its agencies in order to enhance its support to South-South and triangular cooperation. Ukraine supported the idea of the efficient role of the UNDP country offices, in particular in Europe and Central Asia, specifically to establish a close knowledge network and partnerships that enhanced cooperation among countries in the Global South. Ukraine also welcomed continued efforts of the United Nations community in reducing the number and length of adopted draft resolutions. It would continue to support focused, action-oriented resolutions that aimed to enhance quality and expedite the work of the Second Committee.
YAIMA DE ARMAS (Cuba), associating herself with the Group of 77, CELAC and the Alliance of Small Island States, stated that the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Aba Action Agenda called for eradication of poverty and that must be the highest priority for the United Nations development system. Operational activities must progress in line with the national policies of developing countries without attempts to establish single development models. Cuba was concerned that the ratio of non‑core resources was shrinking. Middle‑income countries were diverse with various levels of economic development, and poverty and development could not be accurately measured by using only per capital income. South-South cooperation would continue to bear fruit but was not a substitute for North-South cooperation. Noting that the industrialized countries of the North were more capable of providing assistance in capacity‑building and technology transfer, she called for empty promises to be translated into concrete actions.
ISBETH LISBETH QUIEL MURCIA (Panama), associating herself with Group of 77 and CELAC, said that the international context for cooperation modalities was changing, with many emerging economies recording negative growth rates for the first time in the past decade. Highlighting the importance of support from the United Nations system for South-South cooperation, she said that such support should focus on dialogue, research, analysis, capacity-building and exchange of knowledge. Harmonizing institutional practices between countries must be a priority in operational activities in order to reduce duplication of functions and administrative costs. Panama was maximizing its role in South-South cooperation by creating and supporting regional hubs.
KHALID M. OSMAN SID AHMED MOHAMMED ALI (Sudan), associating himself with the Group of 77, the African Group and Group of Least Developed Countries, thanked the United Nations for all its efforts in humanitarian areas, and expressed the hope that the support would be more coordinated and comprehensive in the transition from the Millennium Development Goals to the 2030 Agenda. Sudan would participate constructively in the Economic and Social Council dialogues on the role and positioning of the United Nations system in the long-term. That dialogue was an opportunity to exchange information on best practices. Despite the lack of foreign investment flows, South-South cooperation had progressed greatly in recent years. However, that cooperation was not a substitute for North-South cooperation, and creating an enabling atmosphere for the growth of national economies was a task for global partnerships.
ESTHER PAN SLOANE (United States) stated that the entire United Nations development system must coordinate better to adapt to the new demands of the 2030 Agenda, while keeping in mind the unique mandates, capabilities and comparative advantages of individual agencies. Her delegation encouraged all agencies, funds and programmes to redouble their efforts to improve organizational effectiveness and the delivery of results. South-South and triangular cooperation must play indispensable roles in that. Further, the knowledge and resources of the rapidly expanding and accelerating economies of the South were extremely relevant for other countries facing similar challenges and the United Nations development system must mainstream such cooperation in their programming.
ABELMALEK ACHERGUI (Morocco), associating himself with the Group of 77 and the African Group, said that now, more than ever, the United Nations system was being called on to be coherent. Welcoming the efforts undertaken by the Organization’s agencies, funds and programmes to streamline their activities, he added that his country was concerned about the imbalances between core and non-core resources. The pressure on core resources was getting worse because of growing conflicts and natural disasters. Morocco had strengthened its activities in South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation. With the adoption of the country’s new Constitution, it had launched major projects in West Africa, including the building of factories and efforts to promote food security. Morocco would continue to share its experience with the brotherly countries of the region.
MARIANNE LOE (Norway) said the 2030 Agenda was bold and visionary and required a development system that could evolve accordingly. The United Nations was uniquely positioned to assist Governments in developing national plans that would enable the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. It should not and cannot “do everything”, she stressed. Norway wished to see the development system working in vulnerable countries, and in conflict situations. At the global level, the Organization had an important role to play in promoting issue-based alliances. The 2030 Agenda provided an opportunity to change the funding architecture of United Nations operational activities. Member States needed to “walk the talk” and enhance the volume and predictability of core funding. Further, her country believed that the United Nations Office of South-South Cooperation was best served by remaining within its institutional home of the UNDP.
TATSUNORI HIGUCHI (Japan) said the adoption of the 2030 Agenda provided a critical opportunity for the international community to consider how all could work towards the sustainable development of the world. National ownership and alignment of needs remained a priority in global development. While recognizing the importance of core resources, a great need for non-core resources would continue to be a reality in due course, he said. Rather than creating a whole new governance system, the United Nations should continue to work towards improving the existing system, and to think about inter-linkages and demarcation of functions to avoid duplication. A strengthened global partnership was essential for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and in that regard both South-South and triangular cooperation had a crucial role to play.
GUIDO CRILCHUK (Argentina), associating himself with the Group of 77 and CELAC, said it was important to promote the creation of national capacity. To that end, regional commissions played a significant role. Operational activities must be carried out with the national policies and priorities and resources coming from national budgets. In turn, that would promote alignment and consistency with the principle of national ownership. Donor countries must not allow their funding decisions to be guided by political interests, he said. Given the scope of the 2030 Agenda, it would be desirable for more United Nations agencies to join in coherence, avoid duplication and increase cooperation. On South-South cooperation, he said it was important to eliminate the dependence on North-South cooperation but also acknowledged the role of the Global North in the development of the Global South.
WANG MIN (China), associating himself with the Group of 77, said the 2030 Agenda had brought forth “a new vision” for development for the next 15 years. The international community must comprehensively implement sustainable development on the basis of achieving “win-win results”. To that end, a sufficient volume of resources must be made available. Developed countries must also honour their ODA commitments, and the United Nations needed to provide specific assistance tailored to the unique needs of different Member States rather than “imposing uniform and fixed models”. South-South cooperation must be a “supplement rather than a substitution” and the United Nations system must provide new ways to explore and strengthen South-South cooperation. He also outlined how his Government was carrying out development projects in health care and agriculture, among others.
EBRAHIM ALIKHANI (Iran), associating himself with Group of 77, said the United Nations development system should continue to provide coherent and integrated support, tailored to the changing needs and priorities of developing countries, with due importance given to the principles of national ownership and leadership. The existing imbalance between core and non‑core resources remained a matter of concern. The tendency towards reducing programme activities and staff numbers at the country offices of middle-income countries impaired the performance of development projects. Further, it was unfortunate that for the last several years, the Second Committee had been discussing questions relating to the independence and autonomy of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, without seeing concrete results.
NICOLAS MANUEL RANDIN (Switzerland) said the 2030 Agenda marked a major change in global development policy. The operational activities agenda item of the Committee should continue to focus on the common tasks of the development system in order to promote coherence. Instead of dealing with agency-specific issues, it should focus on system-wide issues. “We are entering an interesting time of repositioning and adaptation,” he said, calling on the Organization to scale up innovative approaches, such as South-South cooperation and partnership-building with civil society and other development actors. Many United Nations entities had been hopeful of expanding their mandates in light of the 2030 agenda and, therefore, system-wide planning was critical. 2016 would be the key year to set a long-term perspective and Switzerland expected that the two resolutions on operational activities in the current General Assembly would be purely procedural.
The representative of Thailand, associating himself with the Group of 77 and ASEAN, stressed the need for more integrated planning, financing and implementation support by the United Nations development system for the realization of the 2030 Agenda. As a country that had close cooperation with the Organization’s development system, Thailand was concerned that there was no significant growth in the funding for operational activities, causing the gap between core and non-core resources to widen further. he development framework must be customized according to the country, in order to best reach desired outcomes. Better coordination among country teams, resident coordinators and regional commissions was also needed.
TEKEDA ALEMU (Ethiopia), associating himself with the Group of 77, the African Group, and the Group of Least Developed Countries, said that while funding had increased, the imbalance between core and non-core resources remained and must be corrected. He called for improved alignment, predictability and quality of resources between donor and receipt countries. The United Nations system should continue to integrate the three pillars of development, namely economic, social and environmental. He reaffirmed support to improve coherence and effectiveness of operational activities, and added that resources were crucial in achieving what had not been with the Millennium Development Goals. ODA had a role in that, especially in least developed countries which needed financial and technical assistance most. He reaffirmed principles of South-South cooperation in capacity-building and technology transfer.
FEDERICO ALBERTO GONZÁLEZ FRANCO (Paraguay), associating himself with CELAC and the Group of 77, urged all organizations of the United Nations development system to mainstream the provisions of the Vienna Programme of Action regarding the special needs and particular challenges of landlocked developing countries. Implementation of Agenda 2030 and the Vienna Programme of Action entailed improving data collection, analysis and dissemination; his country called for strengthening the support of national capacities in that regard. He further called upon providers of ODA to target their support, among other things for South-South cooperation, towards overcoming the challenges of landlocked developing countries.
FREDERICK MUSIIWA MAKAMURE SHAVA (Zimbabwe) said South-South cooperation had the potential to contribute to rapid economic development in countries of the South. The agenda should be set by countries of the South and must be guided by the principles of respect for national sovereignty and ownership, equality and mutual trust, among other things. South-South cooperation should not absolve developed countries of fulfilling their ODA commitments. He called for more support for the Office for South-South Cooperation. He then outlined several cooperation programmes his country had with emerging countries of the South, including China, India and Brazil, benefiting its agricultural and mining sectors with significant capital investments and technical support.
SÉRGIO RODRIGUES DOS SANTOS (Brazil), associating himself with the Group of 77, said that one of the biggest challenges was mustering the necessary political will to articulate and propose alternatives to governance structures for development. The United Nations system must complete reforms at Headquarter level to support business operations. Brazil could attest to the significant cost‑saving by eliminating duplications of operational processes. Accountability must ensure that actions were aligned and coherent with mandates entrusted to the system by Member States. Over the last decade, Brazil had dedicated increasing resources, both financial and non-financial, to South-South and triangular cooperation, especially on sustainable programmes for food and nutritional security and overcoming poverty. Between 2010 and 2015, Brazil participated in more than 3,000 initiatives with more than 100 developing countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.