Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
 
Thank you for this opportunity for informal engagement.
 
I want to thank the High Representative of OHRLLS, Ms. Fekita 'Utoikamanu, for joining me here today, as well as Assistant Secretaries-General Satya Tripathi and Haoliang Xu from UNDP and UNEP, respectively. Their leadership in advancing the MCO review has been critical, and they have also been informing the regional review.
 
I also want to acknowledge the presence of Assistant Secretary-General for Development Coordination, Mr. Robert Piper – DCO is the engine room for a repositioned UN development system.
 
I am also grateful to the Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on reforms, Mr. Jens Wandel – who could not join us today but has been spearheading the regional review process.
 
This is the first in a series of three plenary briefings that I will be convening from now to the end of March, to ensure we build together the next report of the Secretary-General to the ECOSOC Operational Activities Segment.
 
The briefing today will focus on two of the remaining mandates of the repositioning process: the regional review and the MCO review.
 
These two workstreams are critical to the overall success of these reforms. And, more importantly, these are important building blocks in strengthening our support to the 2030 Agenda.
 
The MCO review and the regional repositioning are also deeply interlinked and mutually reinforcing. Improving our support to countries serviced by MCOs will rely on our ability to better channel the UN regional assets in support of country efforts.
 
Today, I want to bring you up to speed on the progress made on both reviews, and to provide you with clarity on the way forward.
 
We have also circulated written updates to all Member States on the status of both reviews.
 
We hope you will find these helpful as you prepare for the next steps of consultations.
 
The MCO review

Let me start by an update on the review of multi-country offices.
 
For decades, small island developing States have demanded a review of multi-country offices, and rightly so.
 
These offices cover - mostly - small islands at different stages in their journey towards the SDGs.
 
Yet, over the years they have been treated with limited attention to their specificities, and the MCO model has not yielded optimal results.
 
Last year, we conducted one of the most comprehensive and consultative reviews of MCOs ever.  
 
The team visited 15 countries and spoke with more than 500 individuals, including heads of state and government, ministers, government officials, regional and sub-regional intergovernmental organizations, UN Country Teams, and development partners.
 
The Secretary-General spared no effort, in the time we had, to gather evidence and consult widely to identify ways to strengthen our multi-country offices.
 
And at the end of the review process, he presented a range of recommendations aimed at lifting the level of coordination and programme support provided by the UN development system in MCO settings.
 
Despite these efforts, some delegations felt that their voices had not been heard, while others called for more specificity on how each proposal of the Secretary-General would be implemented in practice.
 
It is with these objectives in mind that an inter-agency working group has worked hard to deepen the UN development system offer to countries under an MCO set-up.
 
This has complemented the leadership of OHRLLS in facilitating consultations with the membership.
 
Throughout this work, we have been guided by the ECOSOC decision to proceed with consultations with all concerned countries for the conclusion “and to guide the implementation” of the MCO review.
 
Entities of the UN development system, including regional economic commissions, have all come forward with specific commitments to scale up tailored support, integrated policy advice, technical capacities, physical presence, along with increased support for SDG financing, data systems and South-South and Triangular cooperation.
 
Simultaneously, and at the request of the Secretary-General, DCO has planned, costed and allocated resources to increase coordination capacities, with a view to maximize the system’s substantive offer in MCOs.
 
DCO plans to deploy seven new coordination officers in the Caribbean, in countries that do not host – but are serviced by - the MCO hub.
 
A roadmap for the establishment of the North Pacific office has also been provided in the documents circulated this week.  
 
Our focus will remain on extrabudgetary resources, without impacting the UN’s regular budget.
 
RC leadership in MCO settings will be critical. These contexts require enhanced skillsets, capacities and vision.
 
You have the Secretary-General’s unwavering commitment to ensure that RCs deployed in MCOs will be particularly scrutinized, vetted, inducted and instructed.  
 
Despite the progress made, some questions remain and continue to be addressed in our engagement with Member States, both on substance and on process.
 
I have therefore asked OHRLLS to proceed in the dialogue with all concerned countries to ensure we leave no stone unturned.
 
Resident Coordinators are also mobilized to ensure that national counterparts are fully in the loop.
 
The Secretary-General and I will also remain directly engaged in this process. This is a critical opportunity and we are determined to seize it.
 
Our door is always open should you want to discuss any aspect of the review.
We are confident that working together we will come to a common understanding on the way forward.
 
I want to reassure all delegations that there will be no implementation before the ECOSOC has the opportunity to consider all proposals in May.
 
Regional Review

Excellencies,
 
Let me now turn to the regional review.
 
The regional review has been one of the most complex endeavours in this reform effort.
 
First, because the regional ecosystem is extremely complex – with different governance mechanisms, varying roles and functions across the system, and limited data to inform decision-making.
 
Second, because for too long this has been the “forgotten level” - largely left untouched in previous reform efforts.
 
Repositioning our regional assets is however a critical priority, of we are to meet the ambition of the 2030 Agenda.  
 
After all, more than ever before, our greatest challenges transcend borders - such as climate, trade, health and conflict.
 
This makes regional and sub regional cooperation absolutely essential in accelerating action towards the SDGs.
 
I am pleased to report that there has been steady progress since the ECOSOC requested us to move forward with consultations to finalize the regional review last July.
 
And it is fair to say that the ECOSOC’s guidance has ushered in an unprecedented level of engagement at the regional level.
 
Colleagues across the system are stepping up and providing ideas on how to strengthen our regional response.
 
Together, we have significantly raised the bar for the regional level.
 
In New York, an Internal Review Team (IRT) for the regional review has contributed, with the participation of regional economic commissions and different entities of the UNSDG, convened by the SG’s Special Advisor on reforms.
 
In each region, we have established dedicated interagency teams– co-led by Executive Secretaries of the regional economic commissions and the respective chairs of the regional teams of the UNSDG.
 
And we continued to leverage the technical inputs and independent perspectives of a think tank specialized in the 2030 Agenda and its regional dimensions.
 
Our focus has been on unpacking the five broad transformative areas put forward by the Secretary-General in his report to ECOSOC last year.
 
How far have we advanced?
 
First, the system has played a critical role in detailing the architecture of the proposed regional collaborative platforms (RCPs).
 
 It has identified a list of core functions for the RCPs, which should apply to all regions.
 
It is clear that this is the first step towards the effective deployment of resources and capacities in support of country action for the 2030 Agenda.
 
The RCPs will also generate synergies by consolidating functions currently performed by different coordination mechanisms and will strengthen strategic direction and accountability for the work at the regional level.
 
This is fully in line with the vision of the ECOSOC in its landmark 1998 resolution on regional coordination.
 
Each RCP will hold an annual meeting under the chairship of the Deputy Secretary-General, with Regional Commissions and the UN development programme serving as co-vice-chairs.
 
The annual meetings will provide opportunities to agree on a common work-plan - informed by the priorities of Member States in the regions - and to review progress in advancing the common priorities.
 
The work of the RCP will be fed by dynamic Issues-Based Coalitions, reflecting the specificities of each region and chaired by entities with relevant mandate and expertise. These Coalitions will be field focused, complementing and enabling country support.
 
The RCPs will be supported by a Secretariat, serviced by DCO with support from regional economic and social commissions and other UN entities leading Issues-Based Coalitions.
 
Second, the UN regional teams have deployed significant efforts to detail how the other four transformation areas would be rolled out in each region.
 
This work is still ongoing and its finalization will be informed by the consultations with Member States over the coming weeks.
 
But progress is evident across the board in detailing the Secretary-General recommendations 2 to 4 – ranging from the establishment of knowledge management hubs, to the consolidation of policy functions and data capabilities, to more efficient regional operations.
 
These region-by-region recommendations will be discussed with Member States at the expert level – and with each regional group – starting in the second half of February.
 
Let me give a few examples of what you should expect to see:
 
In establishing knowledge management hubs (recommendation 2), each region is following a tailored approach to pool together expertise in priority areas where activities of entities currently overlap, to generate synergy and country impact.
 
The Arab region is perhaps the most advanced in establishing its knowledge hub – Manara - which will use artificial intelligence to synthesize relevant information from a vast array of knowledge products. 
 
As part of the efforts to enhance transparency at the regional level (recommendation 3), all regions have now identified the focus and possible format for annual reporting on system-wide activities.
 
At the global level, the ECOSOC will receive aggregated information on regional collaboration.
 
This type of reporting does not currently exist and addresses a major gap in accountability. All regions are ready to start reporting in 2021.
 
In strengthening data and statistics (recommendation 4), regional commissions, DESA and the UNSDG have worked together to establish “SDG Gateways”, where SDG data is pooled together for consistent analysis and action.
The first SDG Gateways will be launched in March 2020 in Arab States, Asia Pacific and Latin America & Caribbean regions.
 
And we have made strides in identifying ways to enhance the efficiency of regional operations through common services and common back-offices.
 
This is an emerging effort – also unprecedented – which will draw in the strategy being finalized for UN country teams.
 
A dedicated briefing on common services and efficiencies is being scheduled for late February, where a more detailed update on this effort will be provided.
 
In the meantime, we are already taking steps to pilot in Nairobi and Bangkok a first generation of common Business Operations Strategies. And we are working to establish common premises in Addis Ababa.
 
In the consultations with your experts, we will be sharing information on how the regional review would impact each region.
 
And with your feedback and guidance, we will continue to finetune each recommendation until the Secretary-General finalizes the review by late March.
 
In my visits to the regions in the next couple of months to attend the regional SDG Fora, I intend to discuss the transition into new coordination mechanisms and discuss possible workplans – so that we would be ready to rapidly implement following a decision by the ECOSOC in May.
 
Excellencies,
 
I am grateful for the opportunity to inform Member States today about the final phase of consultations on the regional review and the MCO review.
 
The outcome of these consultations will be reflected in the SG’s report to ECOSOC, which will be released prior to the ECOSOC Operational Activities Segment, for Member States’ consideration.
 
We will then be in your hands for a clear decision.
 
We have all committed to the Decade of Action. Our priority is to accelerate efforts towards achieving the SDGs.
 
And for that, we need to be fit for purpose.
 
We are moving towards the final mile in our reform journey.
 
The Secretary-General and I will count on your trust to put these proposals into action.
 
Today, I welcome your feedback and look forward to hearing your expectations to finalize these two critical reviews.
 
Thank you.