Minister of International Development Anne

Kristin Sydnes

The UNDP. Meeting the Challenges

The Norwegian Position

September 2000

The UNDP: The Operational Arm of the United Nations

• The challenge before us is clear. It concerns the making or breaking of the UNDP as a trusted and reliable partner in development.

• The UN Secretary-General has underlined that this also concerns the future of a cohesive and relevant United Nations, by reminding us that development is a central feature of the United Nations’ Charter. Indeed, he has emphasized that it is through its work in development, through tangible results on the ground, that the UN becomes meaningful for many peoples of the world. It is not least there that its raison d’être is confirmed.

• Seventy per cent of the UN’s operational activities are in development. Sustainable development and durable peace are mutually reinforcing. Thus, without the UNDP, the UN would have to abandon key elements of its core mandate. Without a strong and resilient UNDP, it would be unable to make a real contribution to peace and security.

• The Administrator has raised some pertinent questions on our views of where the organization is going. Norway’s response is as follows:

- Firstly, are we seeing the emergence of a new UNDP? Yes, we are.

- Secondly, what key aspects of the reform process should have priority?

Norway firmly believes that the UNDP’s renewed focus on advocacy and institution and capacity building and its insistence on UN coherence are of the essence. It is precisely the UNDP’s immediate access to, and partnership with, other parts of the UN and its Secretariat that make it unique and hence different from any other development agency.

- Thirdly, are there things the UNDP could do better? Of course. On the issue of performance we see the Administrator’s call primarily as an invitation for us to engage in a deepened dialogue with the UNDP on how to adapt policy interventions to a constantly changing situation.

• We live in an era of increasingly rapid change. It is paramount that we not only enable the UNDP to better meet the challenges of today. We must also allow it to carry out tangible analyses, test ideas and invent formats for partnership in development that answer the needs of tomorrow.

The UNDP: Building on Results

• Fighting poverty remains the UNDP’s overriding goal. We know, among other things through our bilateral development programming, that this is an ambitious goal. Still, we have made a commitment to halving the number of people living in poverty by 2015. We know what it would take to make a difference. We have the resources if we are willing to use them. We should now seek to muster the necessary political will.

• The latest Human Development Report presents some salient figures that illustrate why more concerted action in fighting poverty is essential. In spite of all our riches, 790 million people go hungry or are food insecure. Some 90 million children of primary-school age are not attending school. Two hundred and fifty million are child labourers, and 300 000 are being used as soldiers. In Africa AIDS is causing a socio-economic crisis that is threatening political stability and depriving people of any prospects of a future. This is not only unacceptable. It is intolerable.

• The UNDP cannot cover the range of development activities necessary to rectify such injustices on its own. We all have to do our share. We firmly believe that the UNDP can play a unique catalytic role in pro-poor advocacy, in identifying other actors and mobilizing alternative resources to fill the gap between rich and poor - provided that we equip it with the necessary mandates and resources.

• In June this year the UNDP presented us with its first Result Oriented Annual Report, showing us a work not yet concluded, but a work in progress. The report is an impressive achievement. It confirms the importance and relevance of the UNDP moving upstream. And it demonstrates the will to strengthen a unified corporate culture.

• The report also gives a realistic assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the UNDP. More effective partnerships with other actors – be it the Bretton Woods Institutions, civil society or the private sector – will yield high returns for a revitalized UNDP.

The UNDP and Universality

• The Secretary-General has pointed out that the main losers in today’s unequal world are not those who are most exposed to globalization, but those who are excluded from it – those who have been left out.

• The UNDP has furnished us with convincing arguments that a universal UNDP presence is a crucial constituent for maintaining – in real and tangible terms – the inclusive idea of the UN. This is something we should do our utmost to preserve. The actual cost of upholding this principle is little compared with what we stand to gain in enhanced learning and strengthened South-South cooperation.

The UNDP: The Financial Situation

• The prevailing downward trend in contributions to UNDP core resources is disturbing. Norway has consistently contributed generously to its core and non-core activities, and will continue to do so.

• Norway has the clear ambition to increase the share of GNP allocated to ODA beyond today’s level of 0.9 per cent. We are now in the process of increasing the proportion of ODA channelled through the multilateral system. In this regard the UNDP is a prime candidate.

• Norway attaches considerable importance to the UNDP, both because of its role as the development arm of the United Nations and because it is a particularly trusted partner for programme countries. This dual role is unique to the UNDP and gives it added leverage. In order to retain this advantage the momentum for reform must be kept up and the quality of its development efforts maintained.

• Bilateral commitment alone cannot make up for multilateral inertia. Better burden-sharing is therefore needed to secure the sound financing of the UNDP’s core budget. It is crucial that we renew our collective commitment to rebuilding an efficient UNDP, and thereby enable the United Nations to better fulfil its development obligations.

The UNDP: The Challenge Ahead

• Norway commends the Administrator and his staff for their untiring efforts to transform the UNDP. We admire their audacity of vision and the fearlessness with which they are taking on this particular task. We are confident that this will yield tangible returns.

In a collective effort to put the UNDP on a firmer footing, Norway stands ready to shoulder more than its share.