Statement by Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Chumakov at the First regular session of UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board
Mme President,.
Mr. Administrator,
Thank you for the update on UNDP’s work. Since the previous session, UNDP has as always launched a number of initiatives – from Frankie the Dinosaur movie to Insurance and risk finance facility. UNDP keeps pace with the time and swiftly reacts to challenges and calamities. In this regard we can’t but emphasize UNDP’s leading role in responding to socio-economic consequences of COVID-19 and the work aimed at creating or preserving jobs, digitalization of essential services and cash transfers.
We agree with what Administrator said this morning on the need to look broader at the work in the countries in conflict to ensure long-term results. This requires addressing the reconstruction without preconditions on the side of donors, since the main principles of national ownership and leadership and their right to chose development pathways.
Mme President,
In September we adopted the new Strategic Plan that – as was mentioned today – reaffirmed that poverty eradication is a key area of UNDP’s work. We agree that that there must be a multifaceted approach to solving this problem, including inviting national actors at all levels to elaborate development strategies that are unique for every state. UNDP is a renowned champion in such work, including through the increasing number of its famous Accelerator Labs. We welcome this approach.
Mme President,
Russia is proud of its cooperation with UNDP, both within out Trust Fund for development and apart from that. Last year we launched 4 new projects – 2 at the regional and 2 at the national level with an accumulated cost of 14 mln. US doll. We hope that these projects will have most significant results for the people on the ground. I would like to take this opportunity and thank the Regional office for Europe and the CIS headed by Ms. Mirijana Spoliaric Egger for constructive cooperation and profound understanding of the needs of the region.
Mme President,
We would like to react to today’s discussion on UNDS reform, we agree that it should not only be RC system that benefits from the reform, but the entities, especially UNDP. We still don’t see enough accountability on the side of UN Secretariat on in this regard. We look forward to fruitful discussions on that at the ECOSOC OAS in May. We also noted in the statement of the group of states that the UNDS reform presupposes the inclusion of political dimension. This is not the case – this hasn’t been agreed either in resolution 72/279 or in 2020 QCPR.
Thank you.
