31 January 2017
UN Report Identifies Trends in Development Funding
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At the conclusion of his term, then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reported on progress to address funding-related challenges encountered in implementing the UN General Assembly's (UNGA) 2012 resolution on the quadrennial comprehensive policy review (QCPR) of operational activities for development of the UN system (2012-2016).

It notes that contributions in the form of non-core resources have grown six times faster than core contributions during the past 15 years, for an increased share of non-core resources, and most being earmarked strictly for specific projects and activities.

28 December 2016: At the conclusion of his term, then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reported on progress to address funding-related challenges encountered in implementing the UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) 2012 resolution on the quadrennial comprehensive policy review (QCPR) of operational activities for development of the UN system (2012-2016). The report focuses in particular on 2015, which marked the end of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) era, to discuss key trends in the funding of operational activities for development.

The report, titled ‘Implementation of General Assembly resolution 67/226 on the quadrennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for development of the UN system: funding analysis,’ notes that contributions in the form of non-core resources have grown six times faster than core contributions during the past 15 years. Therefore, the share of non-core resources has increased, with most resources being earmarked strictly for specific projects and activities.

In 2015, the document notes, 80% of the total contributions were made by governments directly, including contributions made to inter-agency pooled funds that are administered by a UN entity on behalf of the UN development system. The remaining 20%, meanwhile, is accounted for by the European Commission (EC) and by NGOs, public-private partnerships and other multilateral institutions, including global funds.

The Secretary-General also reports that: total contributions to funding for operational activities for development increased by 3.9% compared with 2014; programme countries contributed more than US$1.5 billion, excluding local resources, which represents a 16% increase compared with 2013 contributions; more than 70% of programme country contributions were non-core; the US$1.5 billion in contributions is equivalent to 8% of total estimated South-South development cooperation flows in 2014; and programme countries also provided US$1.4 billion in local resources to finance UN activities in their own countries.

The report argues that inter-agency pooled funds are suited to support integrated approaches to the delivery of activities for the 2030 Agenda.

In order to improve the quality of non-core funding, the funding analysis calls for encouraging contributions to well-designed inter-agency pooled funds and loosely earmarked (agency-specific) thematic funds. Inter-agency pooled funds, the report argues, are suited to support integrated approaches to the delivery of operational activities for development, such as those expected for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, by improving aid coordination and coherence and bridging the silos between development, humanitarian and peacebuilding assistance. The report further stresses that agency-specific thematic funds are aligned with the strategic plan outcomes of entities, and, like inter-agency pooled funds, they enable the flexibility to dynamically reallocate resources to underfunded priorities within a broader programmatic framework.

On 22 December 2016, the UNGA adopted a resolution on the 2017-2020 QCPR, which Member States resolved to use as “the main instrument” to position the UN operational activities for development to support countries in implementing the 2030 Agenda. The resolution stresses that national governments have the primary responsibility for their countries’ development and for coordinating all types of external assistance. It also recognizes that a comprehensive whole-of-system response, including greater cooperation and complementarity among development, disaster risk reduction (DRR), humanitarian action and sustaining peace, is “fundamental” to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). [Implementation of General Assembly resolution 67/226 on the quadrennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for development of the UN system: funding analysis] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Adoption of QCPR 2017-2020]

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