Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Administrator,
We meet at a time when development gains are under sustained pressure. Conflict, climate change and economic shocks are compounding, reversing progress and increasing vulnerability. In this context, development remains fundamental to stability, resilience and security and must remain at the centre of the UN's work.
We therefore welcome UNDP's continued efforts to strengthen integrated, system-wide responses and deliver impact at scale.
New Zealand strongly supports the Secretary-General's UN80 reform initiative as an opportunity to advance meaningful reform. We need a UN development system that is more focused, efficient and coordinated, and better able to deliver results for countries. We welcome UNDP's role as the integrator and operational backbone of the development system and encourage continued efforts to reduce duplication and direct resources towards delivery and results on the ground. We agree that increasingly complex development challenges cannot be addressed through fragmented and project-based approaches alone.
As reform discussions progress, proposals should be assessed holistically, including reforms relating to UN Country Teams, the Resident Coordinator system, regional presence, and shared services. A strong Resident Coordinator system is essential to a more coherent and effective UN development system. However, strengthening coordination will require changes not only to structures, but also to incentives, accountability arrangements, reporting frameworks and funding models that continue to drive fragmentation.
As a Pacific country, New Zealand also emphasises that presence matters. Geographic dispersion and capacity constraints mean that country and regional presence are operational requirements, not overhead costs. Reforms should preserve the UN's ability to deliver where it is needed most, while strengthening coordination with Pacific regional institutions and making better use of comparative advantages across the system.
The recent MOPAN assessment provides valuable evidence for these discussions. We welcome its finding that UNDP is a strong and capable organisation, supported by robust operational systems, strong financial governance and extensive country presence. At the same time, the assessment highlights ongoing challenges in achieving integrated, strategic results, including incentives created by funding arrangements that favour fragmented project delivery. We encourage UNDP and Member States to address these constraints as part of the broader reform agenda.
New Zealand also strongly supports UNDP's work across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. Climate change remains the defining challenge for our region, and we value UNDP's partnership in supporting adaptation, resilience, climate finance, effective and inclusive governance and gender equality.
In closing, New Zealand reaffirms its strong support for UNDP and its central role in the development system. We look forward to working with partners to ensure that reforms under UN80 deliver a more coherent, efficient, accountable and country-focused UN development system that strengthens national and regional institutions and delivers meaningful results for those most in need.