“We must work together. For our part, we need a more cohesive, integrated and accountable UN development system to help countries accelerate action and achieve the transformative change our world requires,” the UN chief told the UN Economic and Social Council’s (ECOSOC) meeting on “Repositioning the United Nations Development System to Best Support the 2030 Agenda,” held at the UN headquarters in New York.
The meeting was reviewing Guterres’ first report to the ECOSOC since the landmark General Assembly resolution 72/279 on the repositioning of the UN development system.
The UN chief noted that “the world is not moving fast enough to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and leave no one behind,” adding that no country can tackle climate change and other big challenges alone.
“The changes proposed to our regional architecture, multi-country offices, and funding base are critical to maximizing the impacts of our reforms,” the UN chief said.
“All these pieces are interlinked and mutually reinforcing,” he said.
“Our shared efforts will have a stronger impact on the lives of the people we serve,” the UN chief said.
The secretary-general called on member states to endorse the proposed way forward in four specific areas, including improving multi-country offices and revamping UN regional assets in order to make real changes in the UN development system.