8 June 2018: The UN announced that a partnership with India has supported 22 SDG-related projects during its first year of operation, including on climate early warning systems in Pacific countries, and governance in Africa and Latin America. The Government of India initially pledged US$100 million to the India-UN Development Partnership Fund over ten years, and in April 2018 committed an additional US$50 million for projects in Commonwealth countries. The purpose of the Fund is to support implementation of the SDGs in low-income countries.

The UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) manages the fund, which focuses on aid to the least developed countries (LDCs), small island developing States (SIDS) and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs). The Fund was established in June 2017, and to date has approved projects in 25 countries, including several Caribbean and Pacific island nations.

At an event to mark the Fund’s first anniversary, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commended India’s long-standing commitment to many of the same aspirations that are now enshrined in the SDGs. He also cautioned that South-South cooperation should not be seen as replacing North-South cooperation between developed and developing countries. [UN Press Release] [India-UN Development Partnership Fund webpage] [India-UN Fund Announcement of Commonwealth Window]