Ministry Statements & Speeches:
New Zealand thanks you Administrator for your thoughtful and forward-looking remarks, and we acknowledge your leadership over the past eight years. We also thank UNDP staff around the world for their dedication, especially in some of the most complex and challenging contexts.
As UNDP marks its 60th anniversary, and as the United Nations approaches its 80th, we welcome the momentum behind the UN80 initiative. As you said on Friday, Administrator, we the Member States, have a responsibility to ensure the UN80 process continues to serve those most in need. We believe that UNDP’s efforts alongside the initiative can help ensure the whole system is fit for purpose, one that remains adaptive, trusted, and equipped to deliver development results that are locally led and globally relevant.
As a Pacific country, New Zealand is deeply committed to ensuring that the voices and priorities of Pacific Island Countries are heard and reflected in global processes. We will continue to work alongside our Pacific partners to ensure that issues of particular importance to our region—including climate resilience, ocean governance, access to finance, and sustainable livelihoods—are considered in major decisions and negotiations across the UN system, including those shaping the future of development cooperation. We are pleased to see the alignment of UNDP’s programming with the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS, and we encourage further engagement with Pacific governments to support implementation. At this inflection point, we encourage you to use the QCPR and its principles in developing your next plan. As UNDP charts its next chapter, we encourage the agency to remain ambitious and bold, to deepen its country-level partnerships, and to uphold the principles of transparency, equity, and impact.
New Zealand remains committed to protecting the norms and values of the UN and we support action that will enable the UN system to deliver on its core mandates in this fiscally constrained environment. In that regard, we call for a renewed global commitment to core, predictable, and flexible funding—the bedrock of UNDP’s ability to respond quickly and strategically.
New Zealand stands ready to work with UNDP, Member States, and the wider UN family to realise the full promise of sustainable development—and to ensure that the future of multilateralism is inclusive, Pacific-informed, and fit for purpose.