EU reaffirms support to the UN Development System reform with €30 million financial contribution

The European Union and the United Nations signed a Contribution Agreement of €30 million to the Joint Fund for the 2030 Agenda. The Fund is a central component of the ongoing reform of the UN Development System and seeks to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals worldwide.

European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, and United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, meeting on the margins of the UN General Assembly, underlined the importance of the agreement.

Commissioner Mimica stated: “The EU’s contribution of €30 million to the UN Joint Fund for 2030 Agenda illustrates the EU’s support to the reform of the UN Development System and to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The EU and the UN work worldwide in accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and with this support, we seek to achieve better coordination and greater impact in partner countries.”

“Leaving no one behind is not a catchphrase. It is a call — to empower people, to give them a voice, to ensure inclusiveness and equality. The Joint SDG Fund promotes country-led, collaborative approaches that are supported by the UN working together to accelerate the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General and Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group. “We thank the EU and all partners who support this call for locally-driven, resilient, and scalable solutions that translate into improving the lives of women, men and children while taking care of our planet.”

The new Joint Fund for the 2030 Agenda is an inter-agency pooled fund that forms a central component of the ongoing reform of the UN Development System. The UN has targeted the Fund’s capitalisation at a minimum of $290 million annually.

Original source: European Commission
Published on 26 September 2019