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The European Union and the United Nations signed on 23 September 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.
The European Union and the United Nations signed on 23 September 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 catch phrase. 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.”
Background
The new Joint Fund for the 2030 Agenda is an inter-agency pooled fund and a central component of the ongoing reform of the UN Development System (UNDS). Formally launched by Deputy-Secretary General Amina Mohammed on 23 April 2018, the UN has targeted the Fund's capitalisation at a minimum of $290 million annually.
The 2030 Agenda calls for a paradigm shift to put the world on a path of sustainable development by 2030. Reaching the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require collective efforts from all actors in society. The Joint SDG Fund supports partner countries' efforts to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals through integrated and interdisciplinary policy support.
The Fund is designed to help countries deliver on the SDGs by providing the leverage and resources for UN Resident Coordinators and Country Teams (UNCTs) for this purpose. The joint programmes financed by the fund will allow for strengthening of national systems and institutions through policy advice, promote policy coherence, and deepen normative-operational links. Its key functions will be: