‘Done right,’ expanded partnerships can deliver more sustainable results – deputy UN chief

Speaking at the Development Cooperation Forum – a high-level meeting seeking greater policy coherence – Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed said that “done right,” such partnerships can deliver better and more sustainable results.

“They can take inclusiveness to a new level,” she said.

In her remarks, the Deputy Secretary-General also underlined the importance of leveraging the investment, innovation, and technological know-how of the private sector.

“Three years into the [2030 Agenda], diverse efforts offer much for us to learn, particularly on how to do this best in different contexts,” said Mohammed, highlighting also the potential of so-called blended financing.

In doing so, she called for public-private partnerships and investment agreements to be accompanied by solid legal and regulatory frameworks, as well as transparent accounting, and adequate risk-management measures.

Speaking alongside Mohammed, Marie Chatardova, the President of the Economic and Social Council, called on all actors engaged in the field of development to encourage candid discussion over strengthening partnerships.

“Let us not be shy to challenge each other’s ideas. I am convinced that an open discussion will lead to a richer set of ideas and policy recommendations,” she said.

She also called on the participants to explore how different actors can learn from each other to achieve lasting results in the “ever-changing” development landscape.

Also at the opening, Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, outlined the findings of a new report on trends and progress made in the field of international development cooperation.

Some of the key highlights, he said, included the need for development cooperation to become more “risk informed” as well as strengthening the link between development cooperation and climate action.

He also said that official development assistance (ODA), while limited within the means of implementation overall, remained a distinct and vital source of development finance.

“The [Development Cooperation Forum] should discuss specific steps to ensure that ODA commitments are met, to bring more assistance to least-developed countries and countries in special situations, and to strengthen effective allocation and use of ODA,” he said.